Q&A for How to Identify Old Coins

A local coin dealer, online, or at a pawn shop. If you're looking for the best value, the best place is a coin dealer or coin show. Online sales usually involve fees, a pawn shop will low-ball you, as will some coin shops. Look up reviews and see which coin dealers are worth trying.

You could use the internet or a phone directory to find a local coin shop, and they should be able to value the coin for you.

Take it to a coin or antique shop. Usually, someone there will be able to identify it for you for free and will give you a price. You can always go to different shops to get different opinions and prices.

You can look up the coin on any search engine and type in what image is on the coin. Then, look at the images. Match them up and see what the coin is based on its description.

You should look in the red book from Whitman Publishing. Also, if you want to sell it, take it to a coin show and get several dealers to make offers for it. Look for the mint marks, as they make a great deal of difference in the value of the coin, and they vary by year which ones are most valuable.

No. If you clean a coin, it ruins the value. If you'd still like to try, use a very fine cleaning soap like Dial and soak it in water. Wait a few days and then use a stiff brush (not metal) to gently remove dirt and corrosion. Use circular motions to clean off debris. Use Q-tips or plastic tips to clean between words and numbers.

It's an Austrian gold ducat, according to Google. They might be fakes, though, so get someone with experience to examine them.

Look at the coin and check if it has a city on it, look at the date or search an image of the coin and compare to the one that you have

What you have is known as a Liberty Nickel. They were minted from 1883 until 1912. Your coin does indeed have value, but I couldn't begin to say how much without seeing at least a photo. Most coins in that series are fairly worn, so if it is in fairly decent shape it could be valued anywhere between $15-$40. As with all things, it is only worth what someone will pay for it.

Go to the PCGS website or get the newest red book for coin values.

If it is a yellow golden colour, this is the most common type of fake. Gold coloured coins should be golden, not bright yellow. Also, look up the coin and check its weight. If it is not within a 1/100th of a gram from your research, then there is a 100% chance that it is fake.

You can look on websites such as coin-trackers and others websites that will tell you the price of your coins. You can also purchase a coin info book such a a Whitman red book that will tell you the value of pretty much any coin. A 1930 wheat penny is worth from 25 cents in average circulated condition to 30 dollars in ms+ uncirculated mint condition.

It is probably worth anywhere from between 10-25 cents.