Coin Collecting: What Coins Are Worth Collecting?

Are you thinking about starting a coin collection?

Collecting coins can be a very fun hobby. And, should you one day choose to sell your coin collection, you can potentially make a lot of money from it. But, before you start collecting coins, you first need to figure out which ones are worth collecting.

Check out this coin collecting guide to learn about the top coins to collect.

1. 50 State Quarters

Many beginner coin collectors like to start their collections with the 50 state quarters.

The United States Mint launched the 50 State Quarters Program in 1999. The 10-year initiative honored each of the nation's states in the order in which they were ratified by the Constitution or admitted into the Union.

Each quarter that was produced for this program was made for 10 weeks, and these quarters will never be produced again, which is why they make such great collector's items!

Each quarter comes with a unique design that commemorates its state. For example, the Delaware quarter, which was the first quarter made, displays Caesar Rodney on his historic horseback ride in 1776 to cast his ballot in favor of Delaware signing the Declaration of Independence. Rodney rode 80 miles through terrible heat and thunderstorms, and his vote turned out to be the tiebreaker.

The Hawaii quarter, which was the final quarter produced in the collection, displays the Hawaiian King Kamehameha I stretching his hand over Hawaii's eight major islands. The king was a central figure in Hawaiian history, as he united the Hawaiian islands into one kingdom while still encouraging them to keep their traditional ways of living.

The state motto is also inscribed on the quarter in Hawaiian, and it translates to, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness".

As you can see, the state quarters also make great conversation starters and they provide you with an opportunity to learn about our nation's history. Some coin collectors choose to keep their eye out for state quarters wherever they go, while others choose to collect a quarter each time they visit a new state.

2. Gold and Silver Maple Leafs

The gold and silver maple leaves are actually Canadian coins, but they're popular among American collectors as well. The Canadian Royal Mint introduced the gold maple leaf coin in 1979, and the coin is still regarded for its quality and purity.

The back of the coin bears the original maple leaf design, which is the official emblem of Canada. Well before European settlers first arrived in Canada, Canada's indigenous people discovered the unique food properties of the maple tree's sap. They gathered the sap every spring, and according to Canadian historians, the maple leaf began to serve as the unofficial symbol of the country as early as 1700.

While the maple leaf used to appear on all Canadian coins, today, it only appears on the penny. Today, the gold maple leaf coin is worth $50.

The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin was first minted in 1988, and it's still minted to this day. It has a face value of $5.

3. Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coin was minted between 1907 and 1933. In 1933, they stopped making the coin, as this was when they recalled all US gold denominations.

The gold piece is worth $20, and it's become extremely popular among collectors. The coin's design resulted from a collaboration between President Theodore Roosevelt and the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

The president expressed disapproval for the current coin designs of the time, as all of them had been made at least 50 years prior. He wanted the coins circulating through America to be an object of beauty and an expression of our nation's identity.

Saint-Gaudens was a renowned sculptor at the time, which is why he chose him for the task. The coin design featured an image of Lady Liberty striding forward with an olive branch and a light torch in her hands. The Capitol building and the rising sun's rays are depicted in the background.

This was a dramatic change from the previous design, which displayed a static Liberty head in profile. The reverse side of the coin featured an eagle in flight over the sun's rays.

The coin design was meant to pay homage to the ancient Greek coins, which the president had great admiration for. The Saint-Gaudens coin is made from 90% gold and 10% copper, and while the coin has a $20 value, if you find a 1907 Saint-Gaudens in good condition, you could probably sell it for around $1140.

4. Liberty Seated Dollar

The Liberty Seated Dollar is another coin that is very popular among collectors.

First minted in 1840, this coin actually inspired the Trade coin. This was the first coin at the time to have a patriotic design, and the design was met with widespread popularity. When this coin was minted, silver was being hoarded in masses for financial gain.

The limited supply of silver led to a limited number of Seated Dollars, as they wanted to keep the production costs down.

5. Morgan Dollar/Peace Dollar

Morgan Dollars are Silver Dollars that were circulated from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

The director fo the US Mint, Henry P. Linderman, directed his chief engraver William Barber and his assistant George T. Morgan to create separate designs for the new silver coin.

Apparently, Linderman was unsatisfied with Barber's work at the time and he rigged the contest in Morgan's favor. Morgan actually enlisted the help of a Philadelphia teacher to serve as the model for his design. The teacher, Anna Willess Williams, served as the model Miss Liberty.

On the front of the coin, there's a left-facing portrait of Lady Liberty, and on the back of the coin, there's an eagle. Some critics noted that Morgan's original design mistakenly displayed eight feathers on the tail of the bird instead of seven. Therefore, some coins minted in 1878 may show either, with eight being the more common.

It's estimated that there were over half a billion coins made between 1878 and 1921, most of which came from the mint facility in Philadelphia.

The Peace Dollar succeeded the Morgan Dollar, and it was only minted between 1921 and 1935. They were initially released in a limited batch, and they were considered rare coins almost immediately.

6. 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Cent

In 1909, the US changed the design on the penny from a Native American man in a traditional headdress to a design that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln

The coin was an instant hit with the public. However, the designer of the new coin, Victor David Brenner, inscribed his three initials on the reverse side of the penny near the bottom. Previous designers only placed their last initial on the coin.

After the US Mint facility in San Francisco produced nearly half a million pennies, the three initials on the reverse side were removed. This change created an instant scarcity for the VDB Lincoln Cent.

Because of its scarcity, this coin is considered by many collectors to be the "Holy Grail" of Lincoln pennies. The coin has maintained its prestige and value throughout the years.

7. 1914-D Lincoln Cent

While not as sought after as the 1908 Lincoln cent, the 1914 Lincoln cent comes in a close second. The US Mint produced just a little over 1.1 million 1914 Lincoln Cent coins.

What makes this coin desirable is that the uncirculated ones weren't saved in the same quantities as the 1909 coins were. This coin has maintained its value over time, and it's very popular amongst intermediate and expert collectors who are searching for an uncirculated coin.

If you're looking for a circulated specimen of this coin, you want to look for one that's evenly toned and doesn't have any dings or scratches.

8. 1937-D 3 Legged Buffalo Nickel

The 1937 Legged Buffalo Nickel is another coin that's very popular among beginner and expert coin collectors alike.

Producing coins takes a lot of time and energy, and many dies were ground or polished to extend their die life. However, one overzealous Mint employee ground the surface of the die to the point where the details of the buffalo's leg were removed on the reverse side of the coin.

Amazingly, the mistake wasn't caught until thousands of these "three-legged nickels" had been minted and circulated.

This coin was struck from 1913 to 1938, and it was designed by sculptor James Earl Fraser. After 25 years in circulation, the Mint announced a design competition for its successor. In 1938, the Jefferson Nickel was put into circulation.

10. 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent

This is another coin that's very popular among Lincoln penny collectors. Although it's technically considered an error coin, many still seek to add it to their collections.

The 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent is undoubtedly the most popular error coin ever produced by the US Mint. The story begins when the US Mint decided to use a coin die that received two slightly offset impressions from one another.

It was only after about 20-24,000 coins had been produced that Mint workers noticed the error. Unfortunately, the coins were already mixed in with a batch of properly made coins.

The Mint decided it wasn't worth the cost to melt all of the coins and start over, so they made the decision to circulate the error coins. When news of the error began circulating in the local papers, many people pulled the coins out of circulation. Local coin shops began buying the pennies up as fast as people were willing to sell them.

Today, it's estimated that a 1955 error coin in average condition is worth about $1254, while one in good condition is worth $4054 to $16,232.

11. 1916-D Mercury Dime

The 1916-D Mercury Dime is considered to be a part of the "American Renaissance of Coinage". The proper name for this coin is the "Winged Liberty Dime Head".

The dime was designed by Alfred A. Weinman, who wanted the coin to be an allegorical representation of the Lady Liberty wearing a cap. Unfortunately, the public thought the coin more closely resembled the Roman God Mercury, who famously wore a cap and sandals.

Due to public scrutiny, production of the coin stopped the same year, and only 264,000 dimes were produced in total. Ironically, this made the coin all the more popular among collectors.

12. 1932-D Washington Quarter

The 1932 Washington Quarter was intended to be a one-year commemorative coin of the 200-year anniversary of George Washington's birthday.

Unfortunately, due to the Great Depression, they stopped making the coin in 1933. But, many people took issue with this halt in production, and the coin was reinstated in 1934, and it's still in use to this date.

The original quarter, designed by sculptor John Flanagan, features a portrait of Washington's head facing to the left. The word "liberty" is above Washington's head, and "In God We Trust" is below Washington's head. On the reverse side of the coin is an eagle perched on a bundle of arrows with its wings outspread.

Around 6.2 million Washington Quarters were struck in 1932, with just over 400,000 coins being produced at the Denver mint. Today, the 1932 Washington Quarter is said to be worth about $450, depending on the condition of the coin.