Expert: Jim Lawniczak - 5/11/2006

Question
the first is a quarter from 1900. the second is a penny from 1920. can you please tell me what their value is if any. thank you sencerly, louis

Answer
Hello, I assume you mean United States coins.  Everything depends on condition of the piece (are they pristine, like new, like you'd see a new coin from 2006 -- not likely but possible or are they severely worn or with problems like scratches or cleaning).  You cannot increase the condition by artificial means, people can tell.  Also whether there is a mint mark on the piece can be important.  On the cent it is below the date, on the quarter it is on the back under the tail of the eagle.  For 1900 quarter, no mint mark (nothing under the tail) means it was made in Philadelphia; O is New Orleans and S is San Francisco.

Two ways to check -- go to www.ebay.com and do a search for 1900 quarter and for 1920 cent or 1920 penny and see what people are selling -- compare the condition to yours and see what the buy prices are; 2. go to www.google. com and do similar searches and see what dealers are selling similar pieces for.  

As I mentioned, condition is critical, and it takes a lot of time and expertise to tell condition.  Show your pieces to a coin dealer at a coin show or shop -- they should know.

Hope this helped, Jim Lawniczak