Expert: Dan Moore - 12/24/2008

Question
An elderly relative of mine recently showed me some old coins that her husband had collected.  They are all U.S. coins.  The oldest is an 1846 penny.  There are three Liberty dollars; at least that's what she called them - two from 1922 and one from 1934.  The other dollar coins are from 1879, 1881, 1885, 1886 and 1921.  How can she find values for these coins?  She is elderly and can't easily leave her home.  I live in a different state and can't help her much except with online queries.

Thank you for any suggestions you have for us.

Answer
Betsy,

Values for the coins will depend on their condition AND where they were minted -- you need to check the coins for mintmarks.There wont be a mintmark on the large cent, but the dollar coins could have them.

The 1879-1921 Morgan dollars could have a mintmark on the back, just above the "DO" in DOLLAR.  It could be a "D", "O", "S", "CC", or no mintmark.

The 1922 and 1934 Peace dollars could have a mintmark on the back, below the word ONE.  It could be a "D", "S", or no mintmark.

Next you need to consider the condition of the coins -- are they well-worn, lightly-worn, or like new?

Once you find out this info, you can then look them up in a price guide.  There is an online retail price guide for these here :

Large Cents :
http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/prices/lrgcnt/pricesgd.shtml

Morgan Dollars :
http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/prices/mordlr/pricesgd.shtml

Peace Dollars :
http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/prices/peadlr/pricesgd.shtml

As a general guideline :
for well-worn coins use grade GOOD (G4)
for lightly-worn coins use grade VERY FINE (VF20)
for like-new coins use grade ABOUT UNCIRCULATED (AU50)

Price guides for other coins can be found here :
http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/fmv.shtml

I hope this helps,

Dan