[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":1471},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-jewelry-identifier-how-to-read-hallmarks-and-karat-stamps":3,"related-blogs-jewelry-identifier-how-to-read-hallmarks-and-karat-stamps":349},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"coverImg":338,"description":339,"extension":340,"head":6,"meta":341,"navigation":342,"path":343,"publishedAt":344,"schemaOrg":6,"seo":345,"sitemap":346,"stem":347,"updatedAt":6,"__hash__":348},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fjewelry-identifier-how-to-read-hallmarks-and-karat-stamps.md","Jewelry Identifier: How to Read Hallmarks and Karat Stamps",null,{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":325},"minimark",[10,14,17,22,25,54,57,61,64,142,154,157,161,168,182,185,189,218,222,225,257,260,264,267,293,296,300,303,307,315,318,322],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Turn a ring over, or look closely at the clasp of a necklace, and you will often find a tiny stamp: a number, a few letters, sometimes a small logo. Those marks are the quickest way to tell what a piece of jewelry is made of, and the metal is the first thing that decides what it is worth.",[11,15,16],{},"This guide explains what the common stamps mean, how to tell solid metal from plated, and the simple checks you can do at home before you take a piece to a jeweller.",[18,19,21],"h2",{"id":20},"where-to-find-the-stamps","Where to Find the Stamps",[11,23,24],{},"Jewelry marks are small and placed where they will not show when the piece is worn:",[26,27,28,36,42,48],"ul",{},[29,30,31,35],"li",{},[32,33,34],"strong",{},"Rings:"," on the inside of the band.",[29,37,38,41],{},[32,39,40],{},"Necklaces and bracelets:"," on the clasp, or on a small tag next to it.",[29,43,44,47],{},[32,45,46],{},"Earrings:"," on the post, the back or the hook.",[29,49,50,53],{},[32,51,52],{},"Pendants and brooches:"," on the back, or on the bail that the chain passes through.",[11,55,56],{},"A jeweller's loupe or a phone camera zoomed in helps a lot. Stamps wear down over years of use, so a faint mark is normal on an older piece.",[18,58,60],{"id":59},"gold-karat-marks","Gold Karat Marks",[11,62,63],{},"Gold purity is measured in karats, out of 24. Pure gold is 24 karat. Lower karats are alloys, mixed with other metals for strength and colour. You will see the purity written either as a karat mark or as a three-digit number showing parts per thousand:",[65,66,67,83],"table",{},[68,69,70],"thead",{},[71,72,73,77,80],"tr",{},[74,75,76],"th",{},"Karat mark",[74,78,79],{},"Number mark",[74,81,82],{},"Gold content",[84,85,86,98,109,120,131],"tbody",{},[71,87,88,92,95],{},[89,90,91],"td",{},"10K",[89,93,94],{},"417",[89,96,97],{},"41.7%",[71,99,100,103,106],{},[89,101,102],{},"14K",[89,104,105],{},"585",[89,107,108],{},"58.5%",[71,110,111,114,117],{},[89,112,113],{},"18K",[89,115,116],{},"750",[89,118,119],{},"75%",[71,121,122,125,128],{},[89,123,124],{},"22K",[89,126,127],{},"916",[89,129,130],{},"91.6%",[71,132,133,136,139],{},[89,134,135],{},"24K",[89,137,138],{},"999",[89,140,141],{},"99.9%",[11,143,144,145,153],{},"The number marks are common on European jewelry. \"K\" and \"KT\" both mean karat. In the United States, 10 karat is the lowest purity that can be sold as gold, under the Federal Trade Commission's ",[146,147,152],"a",{"href":148,"target":149,"rel":150},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-16\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-B\u002Fpart-23","_blank",[151],"noopener","Jewelry Guides",".",[11,155,156],{},"Higher karat gold is softer and more yellow. That is why everyday rings are often 14K, while 22K and 24K are more common in some regional traditions and in bullion.",[18,158,160],{"id":159},"silver-marks","Silver Marks",[11,162,163,164,167],{},"The standard mark for sterling silver is ",[32,165,166],{},"925",", meaning 92.5 percent silver. You may also see \"STER\", \"STERLING\" or \"925\" combined with a maker's mark. Other numbers you might find:",[26,169,170,176],{},[29,171,172,175],{},[32,173,174],{},"999:"," fine silver, almost pure. Soft, so it is used more for bullion and some handmade pieces than for rings.",[29,177,178,181],{},[32,179,180],{},"900 or 800:"," coin silver and continental silver, common on older European and some American pieces.",[11,183,184],{},"On antique British silver, purity is shown by a symbol rather than a number: the lion passant, a walking lion, marks sterling. It usually sits in a row with other symbols showing the assay office, the date letter and the maker.",[18,186,188],{"id":187},"platinum-and-palladium-marks","Platinum and Palladium Marks",[11,190,191,192,195,196,199,200,203,204,199,207,210,211,199,214,217],{},"Platinum is usually marked ",[32,193,194],{},"PT",", ",[32,197,198],{},"PLAT"," or ",[32,201,202],{},"PLATINUM",", often with a number such as ",[32,205,206],{},"PT950",[32,208,209],{},"950 PLAT",", meaning 95 percent platinum. Palladium follows the same pattern with ",[32,212,213],{},"PD",[32,215,216],{},"PALL",". Both are white metals, so a stamp is often the easiest way to tell them apart from white gold or silver.",[18,219,221],{"id":220},"stamps-that-mean-plated-or-filled","Stamps That Mean Plated or Filled",[11,223,224],{},"Some stamps tell you the piece is not solid precious metal. These are worth knowing, because the base number can look like a solid gold mark at a glance:",[26,226,227,233,239,245,251],{},[29,228,229,232],{},[32,230,231],{},"GP:"," gold plated. A very thin layer of gold over a base metal.",[29,234,235,238],{},[32,236,237],{},"HGE or HGP:"," heavy gold electroplate. Still plated, just with a thicker layer.",[29,240,241,244],{},[32,242,243],{},"GF:"," gold filled. A thicker layer of gold bonded to a base metal, often written as a fraction such as \"1\u002F20 14K GF\".",[29,246,247,250],{},[32,248,249],{},"RGP:"," rolled gold plate. Similar to gold filled, with a thinner layer.",[29,252,253,256],{},[32,254,255],{},"Vermeil:"," gold over sterling silver.",[11,258,259],{},"A \"14K GF\" stamp means gold filled, not 14 karat gold. The value of plated and filled jewelry comes mainly from the design, the maker and demand, not from the metal.",[18,261,263],{"id":262},"how-to-check-if-jewelry-is-real-at-home","How to Check if Jewelry Is Real at Home",[11,265,266],{},"A stamp is strong evidence, but stamps can be missing, worn or, on fakes, simply wrong. A few checks you can do without tools:",[26,268,269,275,281,287],{},[29,270,271,274],{},[32,272,273],{},"Magnet test."," Gold, silver and platinum are not magnetic. If a piece snaps firmly to a strong magnet, it is not solid precious metal, although small springs in clasps can be magnetic on a real piece.",[29,276,277,280],{},[32,278,279],{},"Look for wear."," On plated jewelry, the gold layer wears through first on edges and high points, showing a different coloured metal underneath.",[29,282,283,286],{},[32,284,285],{},"Check for discolouration."," Green or black marks on the skin, or a coppery tint showing through, point to base metal.",[29,288,289,292],{},[32,290,291],{},"Look for a maker's mark."," Under US law, a karat or silver quality mark must be accompanied by a registered trademark of the maker or seller, so a karat stamp with no maker's mark beside it deserves a closer look.",[11,294,295],{},"None of these replaces an acid test, an electronic tester or an X-ray fluorescence reading, which jewellers use to measure the metal directly. If a piece might be valuable, ask a jeweller to test it.",[18,297,299],{"id":298},"what-about-the-stones","What About the Stones?",[11,301,302],{},"Stamps tell you about the metal, not the stones. Telling a diamond from a cubic zirconia, or a natural gemstone from a synthetic one, takes specialist tools and training, and gemstone value depends on grading that only a qualified gemologist can do. For a valuable stone, look for a lab report or have one made.",[18,304,306],{"id":305},"from-identification-to-value","From Identification to Value",[11,308,309,310,314],{},"Once you know the metal and purity, the next question is what similar pieces have sold for. For gold and silver with no special design or maker, the metal content sets a floor, which you can work out from the weight, the purity and the day's metal price. For signed or designer pieces, recent sold prices for the same maker and design matter far more. Our guide on ",[146,311,313],{"href":312},"https:\u002F\u002Fprimoworth.com\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-is-this-worth-how-to-find-the-value-of-almost-anything","finding what something is worth"," covers that step.",[11,316,317],{},"A photo can help with the first pass. Primo Worth has a Jewelry mode: you snap a photo, and it reads the visible stamps and materials, explains what drives the value of that kind of piece, and checks recent eBay sales where they exist, showing the sold listings it compared. It cannot test metal or grade a stone, so it is not proof that a piece is real, and it is an AI estimate, not a professional appraisal.",[18,319,321],{"id":320},"reading-jewelry-stamps-in-short","Reading Jewelry Stamps, in Short",[11,323,324],{},"Look inside rings and on clasps for the stamps. 10K, 14K, 18K and 24K, or 417, 585, 750 and 999, are gold. 925 is sterling silver. PT950 is platinum. GP, HGE, GF and RGP mean plated or filled, not solid. A magnet and a close look at wear can rule out obvious fakes, but for anything valuable, a jeweller's test is the answer.",{"title":326,"searchDepth":327,"depth":327,"links":328},"",2,[329,330,331,332,333,334,335,336,337],{"id":20,"depth":327,"text":21},{"id":59,"depth":327,"text":60},{"id":159,"depth":327,"text":160},{"id":187,"depth":327,"text":188},{"id":220,"depth":327,"text":221},{"id":262,"depth":327,"text":263},{"id":298,"depth":327,"text":299},{"id":305,"depth":327,"text":306},{"id":320,"depth":327,"text":321},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.primoworth.com\u002Fblog\u002Fjewelry-identifier-how-to-read-hallmarks-and-karat-stamps.jpg","The small stamps inside a ring or on a clasp tell you what jewelry is made of. How to read karat, silver and platinum marks, and what plated stamps mean.","md",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fjewelry-identifier-how-to-read-hallmarks-and-karat-stamps","2026-10-19",{"title":5,"description":339},{"loc":343},"blog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fjewelry-identifier-how-to-read-hallmarks-and-karat-stamps","7ReDaAAtgSpPOMcgYgKyhccqZgInJDdWJRzq_CN-H6s",[350,599,1191],{"id":351,"title":352,"author":6,"body":353,"coverImg":591,"description":592,"extension":340,"head":6,"meta":593,"navigation":342,"path":594,"publishedAt":344,"schemaOrg":6,"seo":595,"sitemap":596,"stem":597,"updatedAt":6,"__hash__":598},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fhow-to-identify-antiques-marks-materials-and-age-clues.md","How to Identify Antiques: Marks, Materials and Age Clues",{"type":8,"value":354,"toc":580},[355,358,361,365,380,383,386,390,393,420,423,427,430,462,465,469,472,475,478,482,485,511,514,518,521,524,528,531,557,560,564,570,573,577],[11,356,357],{},"An old-looking object is not always an antique, and a plain-looking one sometimes is. Before you can put a value on a piece, you need a rough idea of what it is, who made it and when. You do not need an expert eye for the first pass. Most of the evidence is on the object itself, if you know where to look.",[11,359,360],{},"This guide covers what \"antique\" and \"vintage\" actually mean, where to find marks, and the construction clues that help date furniture, china and glass.",[18,362,364],{"id":363},"antique-or-vintage-how-old-is-old-enough","Antique or Vintage: How Old Is Old Enough?",[11,366,367,370,371,374,375,153],{},[32,368,369],{},"An antique is generally an item at least 100 years old."," That is the threshold US Customs uses for antiques, and the one most dealers and auction houses follow. ",[32,372,373],{},"Vintage is usually used for items at least 20 years old"," but younger than antique. Etsy, for example, sets 20 years as its minimum age for ",[146,376,379],{"href":377,"target":149,"rel":378},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.etsy.com\u002Flegal\u002Fpolicy\u002Fvintage-items-on-etsy\u002F242665563649",[151],"vintage items",[11,381,382],{},"So a 50-year-old piece is vintage, not antique. That distinction matters when you search for comparable sales, because buyers and sellers use the two words for different markets.",[11,384,385],{},"Age alone does not make something valuable. Plenty of 100-year-old objects were mass-produced and survive in large numbers. Value comes from age combined with maker, quality, condition and demand.",[18,387,389],{"id":388},"how-do-i-find-out-if-something-is-an-antique","How Do I Find Out if Something Is an Antique?",[11,391,392],{},"Start by collecting evidence from the object itself, in this order:",[394,395,396,402,408,414],"ol",{},[29,397,398,401],{},[32,399,400],{},"Look for a mark or label."," It is the fastest route to a maker and a date.",[29,403,404,407],{},[32,405,406],{},"Check how it was made."," Hand work and machine work leave different traces.",[29,409,410,413],{},[32,411,412],{},"Look at the materials and hardware."," Some were only used in certain periods.",[29,415,416,419],{},[32,417,418],{},"Read the wear."," Real age leaves wear where hands and feet touched it most.",[11,421,422],{},"No single clue proves age. What you are looking for is a set of clues that agree with each other.",[18,424,426],{"id":425},"where-to-find-makers-marks","Where to Find Maker's Marks",[11,428,429],{},"Marks are usually somewhere you do not see when the object is in use:",[26,431,432,438,444,450,456],{},[29,433,434,437],{},[32,435,436],{},"Pottery and porcelain:"," on the base, stamped, painted, impressed into the clay or printed under the glaze.",[29,439,440,443],{},[32,441,442],{},"Silver and metalwork:"," on the underside, the back of a handle or near the rim, often as a row of small stamps.",[29,445,446,449],{},[32,447,448],{},"Furniture:"," inside drawers, on the back panel, under the seat or on the underside of a tabletop, sometimes as a paper label or a stencil.",[29,451,452,455],{},[32,453,454],{},"Glass:"," an acid-etched or moulded signature near the base, often faint enough that you need to tilt it into the light.",[29,457,458,461],{},[32,459,460],{},"Clocks and watches:"," on the dial, the movement or inside the case back.",[11,463,464],{},"Photograph the mark in sharp focus, then search for it alongside the type of object, such as \"crown and anchor mark porcelain\". Mark reference books and collector sites list thousands of marks with the years each was in use.",[18,466,468],{"id":467},"country-marks-as-a-date-clue","Country Marks as a Date Clue",[11,470,471],{},"From 1891, the McKinley Tariff required goods imported into the United States to be marked with their country of origin. That gives you a useful clue: a piece of imported china marked with just \"Japan\", \"Germany\" or \"England\" was most likely made after that date. Japanese goods marked \"Nippon\" generally date from 1891 to 1921, when US customs began requiring \"Japan\" instead.",[11,473,474],{},"Watch out for the phrase \"Made in\". It was not common on imports until the early 20th century, so a \"Made in England\" mark usually points later than a mark reading \"England\" alone.",[11,476,477],{},"An item with no country mark at all is not automatically older, since many pieces were made for a home market or marked only on a removable label. Treat it as one clue among several.",[18,479,481],{"id":480},"construction-clues-on-furniture","Construction Clues on Furniture",[11,483,484],{},"Furniture carries some of the clearest age evidence, because building methods changed with machinery:",[26,486,487,493,499,505],{},[29,488,489,492],{},[32,490,491],{},"Dovetail joints."," Open a drawer and look where the front meets the side. Hand-cut dovetails are slightly uneven and usually few and wide. Machine-cut dovetails are perfectly even and closely spaced.",[29,494,495,498],{},[32,496,497],{},"Saw marks."," Straight, parallel saw marks on the back or underside suggest a hand or early mill saw. Curved, regular arcs come from a circular saw, which became common in the 19th century.",[29,500,501,504],{},[32,502,503],{},"Screws."," Old handmade screws have uneven threads and off-centre slots. Phillips screws, with a cross-shaped head, were introduced in the 1930s, so a piece built with original Phillips screws is unlikely to be older.",[29,506,507,510],{},[32,508,509],{},"Shrinkage."," Wood shrinks across the grain over many decades, so a round tabletop that measures slightly oval across the grain is a sign of real age.",[11,512,513],{},"Check whether the hardware is original. Ghost marks, extra holes or a different patina around handles suggest replacements, which a buyer will notice.",[18,515,517],{"id":516},"clues-on-china-and-glass","Clues on China and Glass",[11,519,520],{},"On ceramics, look at the base. Wear on the foot ring, the unglazed rim that touches the table, should be even and fine, the result of decades of being set down. Grinding marks that look fresh, or a foot ring that is dirty only in patches, can suggest artificial ageing.",[11,522,523],{},"On glass, small bubbles, slight waviness and a rough or ground mark on the base where it was snapped from the rod can indicate hand blowing. Moulded seams running up the side point to machine production. Neither tells you the date on its own, but together with a mark they narrow it down.",[18,525,527],{"id":526},"signs-of-a-reproduction","Signs of a Reproduction",[11,529,530],{},"Reproductions copy the look of an antique, and some are made to deceive. A few warning signs:",[26,532,533,539,545,551],{},[29,534,535,538],{},[32,536,537],{},"Wear in the wrong places",", or wear that looks the same all over, as if the piece was sanded or tumbled.",[29,540,541,544],{},[32,542,543],{},"Marks that look too crisp"," or are printed rather than stamped, painted or impressed the way the original maker did it.",[29,546,547,550],{},[32,548,549],{},"Modern materials"," hidden inside, such as plywood, staples or modern glue.",[29,552,553,556],{},[32,554,555],{},"A price that seems too low"," for what the piece claims to be.",[11,558,559],{},"If something looks like an important antique, the safest step is to have it examined in person.",[18,561,563],{"id":562},"what-an-antique-is-worth","What an Antique Is Worth",[11,565,566,567,569],{},"Once you know roughly what you have, the value comes from recent sales of close matches, not from price guides or asking prices. Search the maker, the type of object and the period, filter to sold listings, and compare condition carefully. Our guide on ",[146,568,313],{"href":312}," walks through that method step by step.",[11,571,572],{},"A photo can speed up the first pass. Primo Worth has an Antique mode: you snap a photo, and it reads the materials, visible marks and likely period, adds a short backstory, explains what drives the value of that kind of piece, and checks recent eBay sales where they exist, showing the sold listings it compared. A photo cannot confirm age or maker, and it is not a professional appraisal. For anything that looks valuable, a specialist dealer or an auction house that has handled similar pieces is the next step.",[18,574,576],{"id":575},"identifying-antiques-in-short","Identifying Antiques, in Short",[11,578,579],{},"An antique is generally at least 100 years old, and vintage at least 20. To identify one, look for a mark first, then let the construction, materials, hardware and wear tell you whether the story holds together. Country marks help with dates, Phillips screws and machine dovetails rule out early ones, and wear that looks too even is a warning. When the clues agree, compare recent sold prices for close matches to see what the piece is worth today.",{"title":326,"searchDepth":327,"depth":327,"links":581},[582,583,584,585,586,587,588,589,590],{"id":363,"depth":327,"text":364},{"id":388,"depth":327,"text":389},{"id":425,"depth":327,"text":426},{"id":467,"depth":327,"text":468},{"id":480,"depth":327,"text":481},{"id":516,"depth":327,"text":517},{"id":526,"depth":327,"text":527},{"id":562,"depth":327,"text":563},{"id":575,"depth":327,"text":576},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.primoworth.com\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-identify-antiques-marks-materials-and-age-clues.jpg","How to tell if something is an antique: what antique and vintage mean, where to find maker marks, and the construction clues that date furniture and china.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fhow-to-identify-antiques-marks-materials-and-age-clues",{"title":352,"description":592},{"loc":594},"blog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fhow-to-identify-antiques-marks-materials-and-age-clues","pY6SQO7OEZlbkKR17icTrtQOmO7A23yr__lfLLmPbMc",{"id":600,"title":601,"author":6,"body":602,"coverImg":1182,"description":1183,"extension":340,"head":6,"meta":1184,"navigation":342,"path":1185,"publishedAt":1186,"schemaOrg":6,"seo":1187,"sitemap":1188,"stem":1189,"updatedAt":6,"__hash__":1190},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fbuffalo-nickel-value-dates-mint-marks-and-key-coins.md","Buffalo Nickel Value: Dates, Mint Marks and Key Coins",{"type":8,"value":603,"toc":1147},[604,610,613,617,620,646,649,653,662,665,668,673,676,679,683,686,692,696,705,921,924,928,931,934,938,941,944,953,957,960,963,966,970,973,977,980,984,993,996,999,1003,1006,1009,1013,1016,1020,1023,1027,1030,1036,1039,1043,1046,1049,1053,1056,1059,1063,1066,1069,1073,1076,1079,1083,1086,1090,1093,1096,1102,1106,1109,1112,1120,1124,1127,1130,1137,1141,1144],[11,605,606,607],{},"Buffalo nickel value starts low and climbs fast. A common date in readable, worn condition usually sells for 50 cents to 5 dollars, and a coin whose date has worn away entirely brings 25 cents to a dollar. ",[32,608,609],{},"The money sits in a short list of key dates, mint marks and die errors, where even a worn coin can be worth hundreds and the best preserved pieces have sold for six figures.",[11,611,612],{},"So the question is rarely \"what is a buffalo nickel worth\" in general. It is which of the dozens of date and mint combinations you have, and how much of its detail survived a few decades in pockets and cash registers. This guide walks through both: how to read the coin, what each part of the series sells for, the handful of coins that carry most of the value, and the traps that make a nickel look better than it is.",[18,614,616],{"id":615},"what-a-buffalo-nickel-is-worth-at-a-glance","What a Buffalo Nickel Is Worth at a Glance",[11,618,619],{},"Before going date by date, it helps to know where most coins land. These ranges come from dealer price guides and auction records cited further down, read in October 2026.",[26,621,622,628,634,640],{},[29,623,624,627],{},[32,625,626],{},"Dateless coins:"," about 25 cents to 1 dollar, as curiosities rather than collector pieces.",[29,629,630,633],{},[32,631,632],{},"Common dates from the 1920s and 1930s, worn but readable:"," roughly 50 cents to 5 dollars, rising to about 10 dollars when the details are clear.",[29,635,636,639],{},[32,637,638],{},"Scarcer branch mint dates, worn:"," from about 10 dollars to a few hundred.",[29,641,642,645],{},[32,643,644],{},"Key dates and famous errors:"," hundreds of dollars in heavy wear, and thousands to six figures in top condition.",[11,647,648],{},"The copper and nickel in the coin add almost nothing. Every buffalo nickel is 75% copper and 25% nickel, the same alloy as a modern nickel, so the value is all about scarcity and collector demand.",[18,650,652],{"id":651},"how-to-identify-a-buffalo-indian-head-nickel","How to Identify a Buffalo Indian Head Nickel",[11,654,655,656,661],{},"The coin goes by two names, and both describe the same thing. According to the ",[146,657,660],{"href":658,"target":149,"rel":659},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.usmint.gov\u002Flearn\u002Fcoins-and-medals\u002Fcirculating-coins\u002Fnickel",[151],"U.S. Mint",", it was struck from 1913 to 1938 to a design by sculptor James Earle Fraser, with the bust of a Native American chief on the front and an American bison on the back. Collectors call it the buffalo nickel, the Indian head nickel, or both at once, which is why searches for buffalo Indian head nickel value land on the same coins.",[11,663,664],{},"Each one weighs 5 grams and measures 21.2 millimetres across, with a plain edge. Jefferson replaced the design in 1938, so any nickel with a bison on the back dates from that 25-year window.",[11,666,667],{},"Three years are missing from the run. No buffalo nickels were struck in 1922, 1932 or 1933, so a coin that seems to show one of those dates has either been misread or altered.",[669,670,672],"h3",{"id":671},"type-1-and-type-2-reverses","Type 1 and Type 2 reverses",[11,674,675],{},"The 1913 coins come in two versions. On the first, called Type 1, the bison stands on a raised mound with FIVE CENTS on the mound itself. That lettering wore off quickly in circulation, so the Mint changed the reverse partway through 1913.",[11,677,678],{},"On Type 2, the bison stands on a flat line and FIVE CENTS sits in a recessed panel below it, out of reach of most wear. Type 2 continued until the series ended in 1938. For value, the distinction matters only for 1913, where some Type 2 coins from Denver and San Francisco are far scarcer than their Type 1 counterparts.",[669,680,682],{"id":681},"where-the-mint-mark-is","Where the mint mark is",[11,684,685],{},"Turn the coin to the bison side and look directly below FIVE CENTS. A small D means Denver, an S means San Francisco, and no letter means Philadelphia. On a Type 1 coin, the mark sits below the mound.",[11,687,688,691],{},[32,689,690],{},"The mint mark is often worth more than the date itself."," A 1926 from Philadelphia is a common coin, while a 1926-S from San Francisco is one of the scarcest in the series. Check this letter before anything else, and use a magnifier, because on worn coins it can be faint.",[18,693,695],{"id":694},"buffalo-nickel-value-by-date-and-mint-mark","Buffalo Nickel Value by Date and Mint Mark",[11,697,698,699,704],{},"The table below shows a selection of dates from the ",[146,700,703],{"href":701,"target":149,"rel":702},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.jmbullion.com\u002Fcoin-info\u002Fnickels\u002Fbuffalo-nickels\u002F",[151],"JM Bullion chart",", read in October 2026. The four columns run from Good, a heavily worn coin with a readable date, through Fine and Extremely Fine to uncirculated. They are dealer guide figures, not sold prices.",[65,706,707,726],{},[68,708,709],{},[71,710,711,714,717,720,723],{},[74,712,713],{},"Date and mint",[74,715,716],{},"Good",[74,718,719],{},"Fine",[74,721,722],{},"Extremely Fine",[74,724,725],{},"Uncirculated",[84,727,728,745,762,779,795,812,829,845,862,878,894,907],{},[71,729,730,733,736,739,742],{},[89,731,732],{},"1913 Type 1",[89,734,735],{},"$12",[89,737,738],{},"$16",[89,740,741],{},"$25",[89,743,744],{},"$35",[71,746,747,750,753,756,759],{},[89,748,749],{},"1913-S Type 2",[89,751,752],{},"$340",[89,754,755],{},"$450",[89,757,758],{},"$600",[89,760,761],{},"$750",[71,763,764,767,770,773,776],{},[89,765,766],{},"1914-D",[89,768,769],{},"$90",[89,771,772],{},"$160",[89,774,775],{},"$325",[89,777,778],{},"$400",[71,780,781,784,787,790,792],{},[89,782,783],{},"1915-S",[89,785,786],{},"$50",[89,788,789],{},"$115",[89,791,778],{},[89,793,794],{},"$500",[71,796,797,800,803,806,809],{},[89,798,799],{},"1919",[89,801,802],{},"$2.25",[89,804,805],{},"$3.50",[89,807,808],{},"$15",[89,810,811],{},"$32",[71,813,814,817,820,823,826],{},[89,815,816],{},"1921-S",[89,818,819],{},"$75",[89,821,822],{},"$200",[89,824,825],{},"$950",[89,827,828],{},"$1,200",[71,830,831,834,837,840,843],{},[89,832,833],{},"1924-D",[89,835,836],{},"$8.50",[89,838,839],{},"$30",[89,841,842],{},"$235",[89,844,775],{},[71,846,847,850,853,856,859],{},[89,848,849],{},"1926",[89,851,852],{},"$1.25",[89,854,855],{},"$2.50",[89,857,858],{},"$10",[89,860,861],{},"$20",[71,863,864,867,869,872,875],{},[89,865,866],{},"1926-S",[89,868,741],{},[89,870,871],{},"$100",[89,873,874],{},"$900",[89,876,877],{},"$2,650",[71,879,880,883,885,888,891],{},[89,881,882],{},"1927-D",[89,884,855],{},[89,886,887],{},"$7",[89,889,890],{},"$80",[89,892,893],{},"$135",[71,895,896,899,901,903,905],{},[89,897,898],{},"1929",[89,900,852],{},[89,902,855],{},[89,904,735],{},[89,906,861],{},[71,908,909,912,914,916,919],{},[89,910,911],{},"1930",[89,913,852],{},[89,915,855],{},[89,917,918],{},"$11",[89,920,861],{},[11,922,923],{},"Two patterns stand out. Philadelphia coins from the late 1920s barely move from Good to uncirculated, while Denver and San Francisco coins from the same years jump tenfold or more as condition improves. The branch mints struck fewer coins, and fewer of them survived without wear.",[669,925,927],{"id":926},"why-price-guides-disagree","Why price guides disagree",[11,929,930],{},"Put two guides side by side and the numbers rarely match. JM Bullion lists a worn 1913-S Type 2 at 340 dollars, while US Gold and Coin gives a typical circulated range of 75 to 300 dollars and more. Guides update at different times, some lean on retail asking prices and others on auction results, and condition terms are applied loosely outside a professional holder.",[11,932,933],{},"Treat any single guide figure as a reference point. The best evidence of what a coin sells for is a recent sale of the same date, mint mark and condition, which is why it pays to check sold prices before trusting a chart.",[18,935,937],{"id":936},"the-key-dates-that-carry-the-series","The Key Dates That Carry the Series",[11,939,940],{},"Mintage numbers explain most of the price differences between regular issues. The series ranges from a low of 970,000 coins to more than 100 million for a single date and mint, and the scarce ones are concentrated in the early years and at the branch mints.",[669,942,749],{"id":943},"_1913-s-type-2",[11,945,946,947,952],{},"The San Francisco Type 2 coin of 1913 had a mintage of about 1.2 million, one of the lowest in the series, as the dealer ",[146,948,951],{"href":949,"target":149,"rel":950},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lccoins.com\u002Fdefault\u002Fblog\u002Fpost\u002Fbuffalo-nickel-values",[151],"L&C Coins"," notes. Worn coins with clear dates bring real money, and uncirculated examples are a serious pursuit for collectors. The 1913-D Type 2 is the other scarce coin from that first year.",[669,954,956],{"id":955},"_1914-d-and-1915-s","1914-D and 1915-S",[11,958,959],{},"These two are semi-key dates rather than true rarities, but both carry a premium in every condition. In the JM Bullion table, a 1914-D starts around 90 dollars even in heavy wear. Any Denver or San Francisco coin from the 1910s deserves a careful look before it goes into a jar.",[669,961,816],{"id":962},"_1921-s",[11,964,965],{},"Just over 1.5 million were struck, and most went straight into circulation. Worn coins are scarce, and uncirculated ones are among the hardest coins in the series to find. US Gold and Coin gives a range of 50 dollars to 5,000 dollars depending on condition.",[669,967,969],{"id":968},"_1924-s-and-1926-s","1924-S and 1926-S",[11,971,972],{},"The two San Francisco issues of the mid-1920s are low-mintage coins that were usually struck weakly. The 1926-S, at 970,000 coins, has the lowest mintage of any regular buffalo nickel, and it is a challenge in any uncirculated condition. A 1926-S in Mint State 66 sold for 322,000 dollars at Heritage Auctions, a price that shows how much the top end of the market pays for condition on a scarce date.",[18,974,976],{"id":975},"errors-and-varieties-that-bring-real-money","Errors and Varieties That Bring Real Money",[11,978,979],{},"Some of the most valuable buffalo nickels are not scarce dates at all. They are mistakes made at the Mint, struck in small numbers from damaged or reworked dies, and collectors pay heavily for them.",[669,981,983],{"id":982},"the-1937-d-three-legged-buffalo","The 1937-D three-legged buffalo",[11,985,986,987,992],{},"This is the famous one. According to ",[146,988,991],{"href":989,"target":149,"rel":990},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcgs.com\u002Fcoinfacts\u002Fcoin\u002F1937-d-5c-3-legs\u002F3982",[151],"PCGS CoinFacts",", a worker at the Denver Mint over-polished a reverse die to remove clash marks and ground off almost all of the bison's front right leg, leaving only the hoof. The die stayed in use because Denver was under pressure to keep production moving.",[11,994,995],{},"The coins entered circulation in ordinary shipments, and a Montana dealer named C.L. \"Cowboy\" Franzen found the first examples in late 1937. PCGS points to a second clue that specialists check: every unaltered three-legged coin shows a rough, raised area between the bison's back legs, a remnant of the damaged die.",[11,997,998],{},"Prices are high in any condition. Gainesville Coins lists about 685 dollars in Very Fine, 875 dollars in Extremely Fine and 26,000 dollars in Mint State 65, and the auction record stands at 99,875 dollars.",[669,1000,1002],{"id":1001},"the-19187-d-overdate","The 1918\u002F7-D overdate",[11,1004,1005],{},"In 1918, the Denver Mint used a die that still carried part of a 1917 date, so a 7 shows beneath the 8. PCGS calls it the rarest coin in the series, rare in circulated condition, very rare uncirculated and almost impossible to find in gem condition. Its auction record is 350,750 dollars for a Mint State 65 example sold in 2006.",[11,1007,1008],{},"The overdate is visible with a loupe, but the date is the first thing to wear on a buffalo nickel. On most surviving coins it shows only partly, so a worn 1918-D is worth a close look under good light.",[669,1010,1012],{"id":1011},"the-1916-doubled-die","The 1916 doubled die",[11,1014,1015],{},"On this variety the date is strongly doubled, clear under magnification and scarce in every condition. A Mint State 65 example sold for 281,750 dollars at Stack's Bowers. Worn examples still bring four figures.",[669,1017,1019],{"id":1018},"_1936-d-three-and-a-half-legs-and-1938-ds","1936-D three-and-a-half legs and 1938-D\u002FS",[11,1021,1022],{},"The 1936-D has its own over-polished die variety, with part of the front leg missing rather than all of it. Greysheet lists it from 425 dollars to 26,400 dollars depending on condition. The 1938-D\u002FS is an over-mintmark: Denver reused reverse dies that had been made for San Francisco, punching a D over the S, and both letters can be seen on a good example.",[18,1024,1026],{"id":1025},"_1936-and-1937-buffalo-nickel-value","1936 and 1937 Buffalo Nickel Value",[11,1028,1029],{},"These two years show up in searches more than any other single date, and the reason is simple: the Mint struck enormous numbers of them, so they are what most people find in an old coin jar. Philadelphia alone made more than 119 million nickels in 1936 and almost 79.5 million in 1937.",[11,1031,1032,1035],{},[32,1033,1034],{},"For most 1936 and 1937 coins, the honest answer is under a dollar to a few dollars."," Greysheet's range for the 1936 starts at 45 cents, and NGC puts a circulated 1936-D between 50 cents and 32.50 dollars. A worn 1937 from Philadelphia sits in the same territory.",[11,1037,1038],{},"The exceptions are condition and errors. PCGS notes that the 1937-D is common in all conditions, and only the 1937 and 1938-D are easier to find uncirculated. Yet a 1937-D in Mint State 68, a condition only two PCGS examples had reached, sold for 35,250 dollars in March 2015. Before writing off a 1937-D, look at the bison's front right leg; before writing off a 1936-D, look at it too.",[18,1040,1042],{"id":1041},"buffalo-nickel-value-with-no-date","Buffalo Nickel Value With No Date",[11,1044,1045],{},"Fraser put the date on the shoulder of the portrait, one of the highest points on the coin. It was the first part to touch counters, other coins and pocket linings, so after a decade or two of use millions lost their dates entirely. Stack's Bowers notes that buffalo nickels kept circulating into the mid-1960s, long enough to wear many of them smooth.",[11,1047,1048],{},"A dateless coin is worth about 25 cents to a dollar. It still has appeal as an example of the design, and some collectors use them to fill a type set, but it carries no premium for date or mint.",[669,1050,1052],{"id":1051},"should-you-restore-the-date-with-acid","Should you restore the date with acid?",[11,1054,1055],{},"A product called Nic-A-Date uses acid to bring up a ghost of the worn date. It works, but it permanently etches the surface, and L&C Coins notes that restored coins sell for a small fraction of a naturally dated one. On a common date, restoring it is harmless curiosity. On a coin that might turn out to be scarce, it turns a valuable coin into a damaged one.",[11,1057,1058],{},"If you have a pile of dateless coins, check the mint mark first. A D or S on a dateless coin narrows the possible years without touching the surface.",[18,1060,1062],{"id":1061},"how-condition-changes-the-price","How Condition Changes the Price",[11,1064,1065],{},"Condition is the second half of buffalo nickel value, and on the scarce dates it is the larger half. The difference between a coin with a full date and clear horn on the bison and one worn nearly flat can be a hundredfold.",[11,1067,1068],{},"Collectors and dealers describe condition on a scale from 1 to 70. Coins below 60 show wear, from Good, where the outline and the date are visible, through Fine and Extremely Fine, where more of the hair, feathers and fur survive. Coins from 60 to 70, called Mint State, show no wear at all, and the price climbs steeply through that upper range.",[669,1070,1072],{"id":1071},"weak-strikes-are-not-wear","Weak strikes are not wear",[11,1074,1075],{},"Buffalo nickels have an extra complication. The copper-nickel alloy was hard and the design was in high relief, so many coins left the press with soft details. Stack's Bowers says branch mint coins of the late 1910s and 1920s suffer most, and PCGS singles out the 1926-D as particularly weak.",[11,1077,1078],{},"That matters because a weakly struck uncirculated coin can look worn to an untrained eye. Look at the surface rather than only the detail: an unworn coin keeps its mint lustre in the fields even when the design is soft.",[669,1080,1082],{"id":1081},"never-clean-a-buffalo-nickel","Never clean a buffalo nickel",[11,1084,1085],{},"Cleaning removes the natural surface that collectors look for, and they can spot it quickly. A polished or scrubbed coin sells for far less than the same coin left alone, even if the cleaned one looks brighter. If a nickel is dirty, leave it as it is.",[18,1087,1089],{"id":1088},"altered-and-plated-coins-to-watch-for","Altered and Plated Coins to Watch For",[11,1091,1092],{},"The most valuable varieties have been faked for decades. The three-legged 1937-D is the most common target, because removing one leg from an ordinary 1937-D with a tool is easy, and L&C Coins says altered examples have circulated for a long time. The raised area between the back legs, described by PCGS, is one of the checks a specialist runs.",[11,1094,1095],{},"Dates get altered too, with a 1917 or 1918 coin reworked to imitate the overdate, or a mint mark added to a Philadelphia coin. Stack's Bowers describes a supposedly uncirculated 1918\u002F7-D advertised at a bargain price that turned out to be a Very Fine coin that had been plated.",[11,1097,1098,1101],{},[32,1099,1100],{},"For any coin that could be worth more than a few hundred dollars, an independent opinion is worth the fee."," PCGS and NGC, the two largest coin examination services, describe a coin's condition and seal it in a labelled holder, and serious buyers expect that for key dates and errors.",[18,1103,1105],{"id":1104},"where-buffalo-nickel-prices-come-from","Where Buffalo Nickel Prices Come From",[11,1107,1108],{},"Three kinds of numbers circulate, and they mean different things. Dealer guides like the JM Bullion and Greysheet figures above give a reference price per condition. Auction records, from houses such as Heritage and Stack's Bowers, show what the very best examples brought on a given day. Marketplace sold listings show what ordinary coins changed hands for recently.",[11,1110,1111],{},"For a typical worn buffalo nickel, the sold listings are the most useful, because they cover the coins people actually have. For a key date in top condition, auction records matter more. Either way, compare like with like: the same date, the same mint mark and the same condition, sold recently.",[11,1113,1114,1115,1119],{},"If you want the broader method behind this, the guide on ",[146,1116,1118],{"href":1117},"https:\u002F\u002Fprimoworth.com\u002Fblog\u002Fcoin-value-how-to-tell-what-an-old-coin-is-worth","how to tell what an old coin is worth"," covers melt value, silver coins and condition across all US coins.",[18,1121,1123],{"id":1122},"checking-a-buffalo-nickel-from-a-photo","Checking a Buffalo Nickel From a Photo",[11,1125,1126],{},"Reading the date, the mint mark and the condition on a worn coin takes practice, and looking up each combination in several guides takes time. Primo Worth shortens the first step. In Coin mode, you snap a photo and it identifies the denomination, year and mint mark, with a read-out on rarity and what drives the value.",[11,1128,1129],{},"The estimate is the median of comparable sales, checked against recent eBay sales where they exist, and the sold listings appear below it so you can judge whether the matches fit your coin. When there are no comparable sales, the app falls back to a web estimate, and sometimes shows no value at all.",[11,1131,1132,1133,1136],{},"Primo Worth gives an AI estimate, not a professional appraisal. A photo cannot tell an altered three-legged nickel from an unaltered one or settle the fine points of condition, so a coin that looks like a key date still belongs with a specialist. The same approach works for anything else you find in the drawer, as the guide to ",[146,1134,1135],{"href":312},"finding the value of almost anything"," explains.",[18,1138,1140],{"id":1139},"buffalo-nickel-value-in-short","Buffalo Nickel Value in Short",[11,1142,1143],{},"Most buffalo nickels are worth 50 cents to a few dollars, and dateless ones less than a dollar. The value climbs with three things: a scarce date and mint mark, such as the 1913-S Type 2, 1921-S or 1926-S; a famous die error, such as the 1937-D three-legged, the 1918\u002F7-D overdate or the 1916 doubled die; and condition, which on scarce dates can multiply the price many times over.",[11,1145,1146],{},"Read the mint mark below FIVE CENTS first, then the date, then the wear. Leave the coin uncleaned and the date unrestored, compare it against recent sales of the same date, mint and condition, and get an independent opinion on anything that looks like a rarity before it changes hands.",{"title":326,"searchDepth":327,"depth":327,"links":1148},[1149,1150,1155,1158,1164,1170,1171,1174,1178,1179,1180,1181],{"id":615,"depth":327,"text":616},{"id":651,"depth":327,"text":652,"children":1151},[1152,1154],{"id":671,"depth":1153,"text":672},3,{"id":681,"depth":1153,"text":682},{"id":694,"depth":327,"text":695,"children":1156},[1157],{"id":926,"depth":1153,"text":927},{"id":936,"depth":327,"text":937,"children":1159},[1160,1161,1162,1163],{"id":943,"depth":1153,"text":749},{"id":955,"depth":1153,"text":956},{"id":962,"depth":1153,"text":816},{"id":968,"depth":1153,"text":969},{"id":975,"depth":327,"text":976,"children":1165},[1166,1167,1168,1169],{"id":982,"depth":1153,"text":983},{"id":1001,"depth":1153,"text":1002},{"id":1011,"depth":1153,"text":1012},{"id":1018,"depth":1153,"text":1019},{"id":1025,"depth":327,"text":1026},{"id":1041,"depth":327,"text":1042,"children":1172},[1173],{"id":1051,"depth":1153,"text":1052},{"id":1061,"depth":327,"text":1062,"children":1175},[1176,1177],{"id":1071,"depth":1153,"text":1072},{"id":1081,"depth":1153,"text":1082},{"id":1088,"depth":327,"text":1089},{"id":1104,"depth":327,"text":1105},{"id":1122,"depth":327,"text":1123},{"id":1139,"depth":327,"text":1140},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.primoworth.com\u002Fblog\u002Fbuffalo-nickel-value-dates-mint-marks-and-key-coins.jpg","Buffalo nickel value by date and mint mark: what common dates sell for, which key dates and errors bring hundreds or more, and how condition moves the price.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fbuffalo-nickel-value-dates-mint-marks-and-key-coins","2026-10-20",{"title":601,"description":1183},{"loc":1185},"blog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fbuffalo-nickel-value-dates-mint-marks-and-key-coins","t3DoCxymx_T9k74uSNCm6S58fzH8lMfGYta7Hf_eOCo",{"id":1192,"title":1193,"author":6,"body":1194,"coverImg":1463,"description":1464,"extension":340,"head":6,"meta":1465,"navigation":342,"path":1466,"publishedAt":344,"schemaOrg":6,"seo":1467,"sitemap":1468,"stem":1469,"updatedAt":6,"__hash__":1470},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fcoin-value-how-to-tell-what-an-old-coin-is-worth.md","Coin Value: How to Tell What an Old Coin Is Worth",{"type":8,"value":1195,"toc":1452},[1196,1199,1202,1206,1212,1216,1219,1225,1231,1234,1238,1247,1254,1257,1307,1310,1313,1316,1320,1323,1326,1352,1363,1366,1370,1373,1376,1383,1387,1390,1422,1426,1429,1432,1435,1439,1442,1445,1449],[11,1197,1198],{},"Most coins in a jar of change are worth exactly what is stamped on them. A small number are worth more, sometimes far more, and the difference is usually written on the coin itself: the metal it is made of, the year, a tiny letter showing where it was struck, and how much wear it has taken.",[11,1200,1201],{},"This guide shows you how to read those clues on a US coin, how to tell the two kinds of coin value apart, and which coins are worth a second look before you spend them.",[18,1203,1205],{"id":1204},"is-there-value-in-coins","Is There Value in Coins?",[11,1207,1208,1211],{},[32,1209,1210],{},"Yes, but for most circulating coins the value is face value."," A coin is worth more than face value for one of two reasons: it contains precious metal worth more than its denomination, or collectors want it because it is scarce, old or unusual. Pre-1965 US silver coins, some wheat pennies and buffalo nickels, and coins with striking errors are the usual places to look.",[18,1213,1215],{"id":1214},"the-two-kinds-of-coin-value-melt-and-collector","The Two Kinds of Coin Value: Melt and Collector",[11,1217,1218],{},"Every coin has two possible values, and the higher one sets its price.",[11,1220,1221,1224],{},[32,1222,1223],{},"Melt value"," is the worth of the metal in the coin. For a modern clad quarter it is a few cents. For a silver coin it can be many times the face value, and it moves every day with the price of silver.",[11,1226,1227,1230],{},[32,1228,1229],{},"Collector value"," is what collectors will pay for the coin as a coin. It depends on how many were made, how many survive, the condition of this particular example, and how much demand there is for that date and type. A common silver quarter in worn condition sells close to melt value. A scarce date in excellent condition can sell for hundreds of times its melt value.",[11,1232,1233],{},"So the first question for any old coin is whether it is silver. If it is, you already have a floor under its value.",[18,1235,1237],{"id":1236},"silver-coins-the-easiest-value-to-spot","Silver Coins: The Easiest Value to Spot",[11,1239,1240,1241,1246],{},"Until the mid-1960s, US dimes, quarters and half dollars were made of 90 percent silver. The ",[146,1242,1245],{"href":1243,"target":149,"rel":1244},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.congress.gov\u002F89\u002Fstatute\u002FSTATUTE-79\u002FSTATUTE-79-Pg254.pdf",[151],"Coinage Act of 1965"," replaced silver in the dime and quarter with the copper and nickel \"clad\" coins we still use, and cut the half dollar to 40 percent silver.",[11,1248,1249,1250,1253],{},"That gives you a simple rule: ",[32,1251,1252],{},"any US dime, quarter or half dollar dated 1964 or earlier is 90 percent silver."," Kennedy half dollars dated 1965 to 1970 are 40 percent silver.",[11,1255,1256],{},"The amount of pure silver in each 90 percent coin follows from its weight:",[65,1258,1259,1272],{},[68,1260,1261],{},[71,1262,1263,1266,1269],{},[74,1264,1265],{},"Coin (1964 and earlier)",[74,1267,1268],{},"Total weight",[74,1270,1271],{},"Pure silver",[84,1273,1274,1285,1296],{},[71,1275,1276,1279,1282],{},[89,1277,1278],{},"Dime",[89,1280,1281],{},"2.50 g",[89,1283,1284],{},"0.0723 troy oz",[71,1286,1287,1290,1293],{},[89,1288,1289],{},"Quarter",[89,1291,1292],{},"6.25 g",[89,1294,1295],{},"0.1808 troy oz",[71,1297,1298,1301,1304],{},[89,1299,1300],{},"Half dollar",[89,1302,1303],{},"12.50 g",[89,1305,1306],{},"0.3617 troy oz",[11,1308,1309],{},"To find the melt value of a coin today, multiply its silver content by the current spot price of silver per troy ounce. Dealers usually buy silver coins a little below melt value and sell them a little above it.",[11,1311,1312],{},"There is a quick way to sort a handful of quarters without reading every date: look at the edge. A clad coin shows a copper stripe between two silver-coloured layers. A 90 percent silver coin is the same silver colour all the way through.",[11,1314,1315],{},"Nickels have their own exception. During World War II, nickel was needed for the war effort, so five-cent coins dated 1942 to 1945 were made with 35 percent silver. You can recognise these \"war nickels\" by the large mint mark above the dome of Monticello on the back. They were also the first US coins to carry a \"P\" for Philadelphia.",[18,1317,1319],{"id":1318},"read-the-date-and-the-mint-mark","Read the Date and the Mint Mark",[11,1321,1322],{},"The date tells you which series and which year you have. The mint mark tells you where it was struck, and it matters because each mint produced different quantities. The same date and design can be common from one mint and scarce from another.",[11,1324,1325],{},"Current US coins use four mint marks, according to the US Mint:",[26,1327,1328,1334,1340,1346],{},[29,1329,1330,1333],{},[32,1331,1332],{},"P"," for Philadelphia",[29,1335,1336,1339],{},[32,1337,1338],{},"D"," for Denver",[29,1341,1342,1345],{},[32,1343,1344],{},"S"," for San Francisco",[29,1347,1348,1351],{},[32,1349,1350],{},"W"," for West Point",[11,1353,1354,1355,1358,1359,1362],{},"Older coins can carry ",[32,1356,1357],{},"O"," for New Orleans or ",[32,1360,1361],{},"CC"," for Carson City, both found on Morgan silver dollars. Philadelphia coins often have no mint mark at all: the \"P\" was rare before the 1980s, and it appeared on circulating pennies for the first time in 2017.",[11,1364,1365],{},"The mint mark is small, and its position depends on the coin and the year. On a modern Lincoln cent it sits under the date. On older coins it is often on the back. A magnifying glass or a phone camera zoomed in makes it much easier to read.",[18,1367,1369],{"id":1368},"condition-changes-everything","Condition Changes Everything",[11,1371,1372],{},"Two coins with the same date and mint mark can differ enormously in value because of condition. Collectors look at how much detail remains on the highest points of the design, such as the hair above the ear on a portrait or the feathers on an eagle, and at whether the coin still has its mint lustre, the soft frosty shine of a coin that has never circulated.",[11,1374,1375],{},"A coin with heavy wear, where the date is hard to read, usually sells close to its melt value or face value. The same coin with sharp detail and full lustre can sell for many times more.",[11,1377,1378,1379,1382],{},"One rule matters above all: ",[32,1380,1381],{},"never clean an old coin."," Polishing or scrubbing removes metal and leaves fine scratches that collectors spot immediately, and it can cut a coin's collector value sharply. If a coin is dirty, leave it as it is.",[18,1384,1386],{"id":1385},"coins-worth-checking-before-you-spend-them","Coins Worth Checking Before You Spend Them",[11,1388,1389],{},"A few series turn up often in old jars and inherited collections, and they are worth a careful look:",[26,1391,1392,1398,1404,1410,1416],{},[29,1393,1394,1397],{},[32,1395,1396],{},"Wheat pennies."," Lincoln cents from 1909 to 1958 have two wheat ears on the back. Most are common, but collectors look hard for the 1909-S VDB, the 1914-D and the 1955 doubled die, which ranks among the most valuable pennies.",[29,1399,1400,1403],{},[32,1401,1402],{},"1943 cents."," Almost all pennies from 1943 were made of zinc-coated steel to save copper for the war, and they stick to a magnet. A small number were struck in bronze by mistake; those do not stick, and they are rare.",[29,1405,1406,1409],{},[32,1407,1408],{},"Buffalo nickels."," Made from 1913 to 1938, with a Native American portrait on the front and an American bison on the back. Many have worn dates, but readable ones are worth checking by mint mark.",[29,1411,1412,1415],{},[32,1413,1414],{},"Morgan silver dollars."," Struck from 1878 to 1904 and again in 1921. Each contains about three quarters of a troy ounce of silver, and some dates and mint marks carry large collector premiums.",[29,1417,1418,1421],{},[32,1419,1420],{},"Any dime, quarter or half dollar from 1964 or earlier."," Even a worn one is worth its silver.",[18,1423,1425],{"id":1424},"where-coin-prices-come-from","Where Coin Prices Come From",[11,1427,1428],{},"Printed price guides and coin value charts are a good starting point, but they list typical retail prices, and those can lag the market or assume a better condition than your coin has. The strongest evidence is the same as for any collectible: what coins of the same date, mint mark and condition have recently sold for.",[11,1430,1431],{},"Recent eBay sold listings are the largest public record of those sales for common and mid-range coins. Search for the exact date, mint mark and series, filter to sold items, and compare the photos of the coins that sold with yours, paying close attention to wear. For scarce coins, major auction house archives show prices for the best examples.",[11,1433,1434],{},"Remember that a dealer buying your coin needs to resell it, so a dealer's offer will sit below these retail sale prices.",[18,1436,1438],{"id":1437},"using-a-photo-for-a-first-read","Using a Photo for a First Read",[11,1440,1441],{},"If you have a handful of coins and want to know which ones deserve a closer look, a photo is a fast way to sort them. Primo Worth has a Coin mode: you snap a photo of a coin and it reads the denomination, year and mint mark, explains what makes that coin common or scarce, and checks the value against recent eBay sales where they exist, showing the sold listings it compared so you can judge them yourself.",[11,1443,1444],{},"A photo cannot do everything. It cannot weigh a coin, test its metal or judge fine wear the way someone holding the coin under a lamp can, and it cannot tell you whether a rare-looking coin is a copy. Treat the result as an AI estimate, not a professional appraisal. For a coin that looks valuable, take it to a reputable coin dealer in person before you sell it.",[18,1446,1448],{"id":1447},"coin-value-in-short","Coin Value, in Short",[11,1450,1451],{},"A coin is worth the higher of its melt value and its collector value. Check first whether it is silver: US dimes, quarters and half dollars from 1964 or earlier are 90 percent silver, and war nickels from 1942 to 1945 contain 35 percent. Then read the date and mint mark, judge the wear honestly, never clean it, and compare with recent sold prices for the same coin. Most coins will turn out to be worth face value, which makes the few that are not all the more worth finding.",{"title":326,"searchDepth":327,"depth":327,"links":1453},[1454,1455,1456,1457,1458,1459,1460,1461,1462],{"id":1204,"depth":327,"text":1205},{"id":1214,"depth":327,"text":1215},{"id":1236,"depth":327,"text":1237},{"id":1318,"depth":327,"text":1319},{"id":1368,"depth":327,"text":1369},{"id":1385,"depth":327,"text":1386},{"id":1424,"depth":327,"text":1425},{"id":1437,"depth":327,"text":1438},{"id":1447,"depth":327,"text":1448},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.primoworth.com\u002Fblog\u002Fcoin-value-how-to-tell-what-an-old-coin-is-worth.jpg","Coin value comes from metal, date, mint mark, condition and rarity. How to read each one on a US coin, when silver sets a floor, and which coins to check.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fcoin-value-how-to-tell-what-an-old-coin-is-worth",{"title":1193,"description":1464},{"loc":1466},"blog\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fcoin-value-how-to-tell-what-an-old-coin-is-worth","LrmmeLX_lam5PA5VrJmC2TTZBtuCw77TSOWDNIJ_ma0",1792489894762]