Always Check Both Sides

Every coin has two photos, one of the obverse and one of the reverse. Also known as heads and tails. We've noticed that the quality of one side is not indicative of the quality of the other side. One side can have very high definition and the other side can have very poor definition. This can happen for any number of reasons that we are not going to get into. Regardless, make sure you check both sides before purchasing.

You will also see a wide variety of difference in the finish of each coin. This is also due to a number of factors. It ranges from very dark to light tan. Anything brighter than light tan usually means someone polished it prior to us acquiring it.  Some coins will have defects in the finish, for example if a coin got a drop of rain on it at one point and was left to sit, that single rain drop may have left a mark or stain on the coin. We do not suggest trying to clean these off as doing so would likely just damage the finish. Leaving it as is will frequently be your best choice.

Coins this old are in our opinion kind of like leather in the sense that each has it's own character and it's own story. Some of the coins obviously sat underwater or in some sort of corrosive environment for a while. These are generally lower cost due to the corrosion. Coins with a lot of wear usually means it was circulated quite bit or a brother carried it in his pocket for a long time.