| Welcome to the Virtual Coin and Token Library |
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| Welcome to the Virtual Coin and Token Library |
This web site contains facts, images and general information about coins and tokens. Listed here are mostly United States coins however we will also include examples of some interesting world coins. This web site was written for the novice coin collector by Paul Tadlock and with the help from my wife Dianna. Most of the coins and tokens featured here are either from our own collection or are something that we have owned at one time or another.
Much of the information about U.S. coins and tokens contained in the following pages is information that we have learned as collectors. Our goal is to try our best to relate the knowledge that we have learned from experience and to tell about other facts and information that has been passed on to us.
Coin values can not be accurately determined unless the condition of the coin in question has first been decided. Coin collectors and investors must learn to "grade" coins in order to assign a value to them. Knowing very little or nothing at all about a coin's condition can lead to paying too much for a numismatic example in any condition. Arming yourself with knowledge is the key to smart coin collecting.
Exact coin values have not been included in the following information because then we would only be copying someone else's book or price guide and we would much rather be original in creating our virtual numismatic library. If you are looking for the value of your coin or token then please visit the coin shop link at the bottom of this page to order a book that has current coin values listed. A Guide Book to United States Coins, by R.S. Yeoman and the Standard Catalog of United States Tokens, 1700-1900, by Russell Rulau are both very good reference books and are highly recommended additions to your numismatic library. Both books are filled with pictures, descriptions and current fair market values.
The images on this site are not true pictures. They are scanned images of actual coins and tokens. We have tried to adjust the color of each scan to make the coin or token look as natural as possible however sometimes there may be a green tint to the image due to light reflected as the image is scanned. When scanning a very brilliant looking coin such as a Proof specimen with mirror-like fields, the image will come out just the opposite and a cameo Proof coin will appear "black and white". We tried scanning images of nice uncirculated coins however we found that if we scanned a toned or circulated coin then the image would come out looking much more natural. As with most scanned images, the original item always looks nicer than the scanned image.
If you would like to use any of the images for your own personal numismatic web page, club web page or numismatic newsletter then please do so. The only thing that we really ask is that you not redistribute them, by themselves or with any other collection of images, in a commercial manner or in any other similar virtual library of coins and/or tokens web site. If you do use our coin scans then it would also be nice, however not required, if you would give credit to us or our web site with a link back to this web page.
We hope you enjoy our web site and will find the following information useful. Many areas are still under construction and we will be adding more images and information soon.
Bibliography
Copyright © 1999, 2000 Paul D. Tadlock
