The first step to identifying your regular issue coin is to determine the denomination of the coin. It is usually (but not always) written on the coin. Once you know the denomination, follow the link to the types for that denomination. The following tables alone will be sufficient to identify 95% of all types because there is typically only one type per year. You can double check by looking at the picture links for the particular denomination. If you have a lot of bandwidth and want to see all the pictures at once, go .

When you are finished identifying your coin, we invite you to visit our price list page. There you can find our outstanding price offers for coins by type. Of course, your coin may be worth substantially more due to date/mint mark rarity and other reasons. However, it is nice to get a low baseline for what your coin is worth.
 

Colonial Coins	1/2 Cent	5 Cent	50 Cent	4 Dollars
1 Cent	10 Cent	1 Dollar	5 Dollars
2 Cent	20 Cent	2 1/2 Dollars	10 Dollars
3 Cent	25 Cent	3 Dollars	20 Dollars

Colonial Coins:  History and Pictures

Flowing Hair	1793
Liberty Cap	1794-1797
Draped Bust	1800-1808
Classic Head	1809-1835
Coronet Head	1840-1857

1/2 Cents:  History and Pictures

Flowing Hair	1793
Liberty Cap	1794-1797
Draped Bust	1800-1808
Classic Head	1809-1835
Coronet Head	1840-1857

1 Cent: History & Pictures

Large Cents:
Chain	1793
Wreath	1793
Liberty Cap	1793-1796
Draped Bust	1796-1807
Classic Head	1808-1814
Coronet (Matron Head)	1816-1835
Coronet (Transitionals)	1835-1839
Coronet (Braided Hair)	1840-1857
Small Cents:
Flying Eagle	1856-1858
Indian (Copper-Nickel T-1)	1859
Indian (Copper-Nickel T-2)	1860-1864
Indian (Bronze)	1864-1909
Lincoln (Wheat)	1909-1958
Lincoln (Steel Composition)	1943
Lincoln(Memorial)	1959-present

2 Cents: Pictures

Shield

1864-1873

3 Cents:  Pictures

Silver (Type 1)	1851-1853
Silver (Type 2)	1854-1858
Silver (Type 3)	1859-1873
Nickel	1865-1889

5 Cents: Pictures

Silver (Half Dimes)
Flowing Hair	1794-1795
Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796-1797
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1800-1805
Capped Bust	1829-1837
Seated Liberty - No Stars	1837-1838
Seated Liberty - With Stars	1838-1859
Seated Liberty - With Arrows	1853-1855
Seated Liberty - Legend on Obverse	1860-1873
Nickel 5c.
Shield-Rays	1866-1867
Shield-No Rays	1867-1883
Liberty Head (V) - No Cents	1883
Liberty Head (V) - With Cents	1883-1912
Buffalo - Type 1	1913
Buffalo - Type 2	1913-1938
Jefferson	1938-1942, 1946-present
Jefferson - Wartime Alloy	1942-1945

10 Cents: Pictures

Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796-1797
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1798-1807
Capped Bust (Large)	1809-1828
Capped Bust (Small)	1828-1837
Seated Liberty (No Stars)	1837-1838
Seated Liberty (With Stars)	1838-1860
Seated Liberty (With Arrows)	1853-1855
Seated Liberty (Legend on Obverse)	1860-1873, 1875-1891
Seated Liberty (With Arrows)	1873-1874
Barber	1892-1916
Mercury	1916-1945
Roosevelt (Silver)	1946-1964
Roosevelt (Clad)	1965-present

20 Cents: Pictures

Seated Liberty

1875-1878

25 Cents: Pictures

Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1804-1807
Capped Bust (Large)	1815-1828
Capped Bust (Small)	1831-1838
Seated Liberty (No Motto)	1838-1853, 1856-1865
Seated Liberty (Arrows & Rays)	1853
Seated Liberty (Arrows)	1854-1855
Seated Liberty (Motto Above Eagle)	1866-1873, 1875-1891
Seated Liberty (Arrows & Motto)	1873-1874
Barber	1892-1916
Standing Liberty (Type 1)	1916-1917
Standing Liberty (Type 2)	1917-1930
Washington (Silver)	1932-1964
Washington (Clad)	1965-present

50 Cents: Pictures

Flowing Hair	1794-1795
Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796-1797
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1801-1807
Capped Bust (Lettered Edge)	1807-1836
Capped Bust (Reeded Edge)	1836-1839
Seated Liberty No Motto	1839-1853, 1856-1866
Seated Liberty Arrows & Rays	1853
Seated Liberty Arrows	1854-1855
Seated Liberty Motto	1866-1873,1875-1891
Seated Liberty Arrows & Motto	1873-1874
Barber	1892-1915
Walking Liberty	1916-1947
Franklin	1948-1963
Kennedy (90% Silver)	1964
Kennedy (40% Silver)	1965-1970
Kennedy (Clad)	1971-present

1 Dollar Pictures

Silver
Flowing Hair	1794-1795
Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1795-1798
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1798-1804
Seated Liberty No Motto	1840-1866
Seated Liberty With Motto	1866-1873
Trade Dollar	1873-1883
Morgan Dollar	1878-1921
Peace Dollar (High Relief)	1921
Peace Dollar (Low Relief)	1922-1935
Eisenhower Dollar	1971-1974, 1977-1978
Eisenhower Bicentennial	1976
Susan B. Anthony	1979-1981
Gold
Liberty Head	1849-1854
Indian Head Small Head	1854-1856
Indian Head Large Head	1856-1889

2 1/2 Dollars Pictures

Heraldic Bust Right - No Stars	1796
Heraldic Bust Right - Stars	1796-1807
Capped Draped Bust Large	1808
Capped Draped Bust Medium	1821-1827
Capped Draped Bust Small	1829-1834
Classic Head	1834-1839
Liberty Coronet	1840-1907
Indian Head	1908-1929

3 Dollars Pictures

Indian Head

1854-1889

4 Dollars Pictures

Flowing Hair	1879-1880
Coiled Hair	1879-1880

5 Dollars Pictures

Capped Bust - Small Eagle	1795-1798
Capped Bust - Large Eagle	1795-1807
Capped Draped Bust	1807-1812
Capped Head	1813-1834
Classic Head	1834-1838
Coronet Liberty No Motto	1839-1866
Coronet Liberty With Motto	1866-1908
Indian Head	1908-1929

10 Dollars Pictures

Capped Bust-Small Eagle	1795-1797
Capped Bust Large Eagle	1797-1804
Coronet Liberty - No Motto	1838-1866
Coronet Liberty - With Motto	1866-1907
Indian Head-No Motto	1907-1908
Indian Head With Motto	1908-1933

20 Dollars Pictures

Coronet Liberty No Motto	1849-1866
Coronet Liberty Twenty D.	1866-1876
Coronet Twenty Dollars	1877-1907
Saint-Gaudens - High Relief	1907
Saint Gaudens	1907-1933