Collectible Coins

A scallop-edged coin from the Bahamas Despite what we are used to here in the United States, coins do not have to be round to be minted and spent. I've previously discussed square coins, but an even more common shape is the scalloped coin, which has a wavy edge that goes all the way around the coin. The name comes from the distinctive wavy shell of the scallop, a sea mollusk similar to a clam. This coin shape may also be referred to as wavy-edged, flower shaped, or sun shaped. Coins with 8…

"Square coins are the rarest type of \"irregular\" coin I come across and are in high demand. A quick search for \"square coins\" on other platforms will confirm just how uncommon and expensive they can be. This lot offers five unique square coins (though there will probably be more than one from the same country of origin). As this is a lightweight item, it combines well with other items to save on shipping (such as the 12 coin irregular set to get even more unusual coin specimens). See…

In the United States, our smallest circulating coin is the dime (10 cents). Its diameter is 18mm (a little less than 3/4 of an inch), which is only 1mm smaller than the penny (1 cent). The size difference is not easily noticed, which is why the dime is a different color (silver) and has a reeded edge to make the 2 coins more distinguishable. While the dime seems pretty small, there have been plenty of modern world coins which are even smaller. The main reason to mint a small coin is, of…

Ancient Chinese "cash" coin Americans, when asked about coins with holes in them, probably picture the old Chinese "cash" coins which are featured so prominently in Chinese-style decor. These coins had a square-shaped hole in the center, with Chinese characters around it. The United States has never had a coin with a hole in it, so it's not something we're used to seeing. Plenty of other countries, however, have had one or more of this type of coin (known as "holed coins" or "holey coins")…

Featuring a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock, the Royal Mint believes the new coin will be the most secure in the world against counterfeiting

Welcome to minterrornews.com, bringing the latest mint error news and information to the collector. This is our third year bringing you both a print magazine and an on-line PDF magazine filled with articles, features and discoveries of major mint errors (striking errors) from the United States and around the World. Minterrornews.com has become one of the most popular and informative Internet resources for mint errors and is read by thousands of dealers and collectors. Two major…

They have yet to learn the value of some of these coins! Listed below are 12 examples of pennies you should collect:

Are you wondering about the difference between hoarding coins and collecting them? Check out my article to find out!

While building your coin collection, one of the biggest questions (aside from what to collect), is the right way to store your coins. Indeed, coin…