CoinWeek

,A Missing “S” Turned This 1968 Proof Dime Into a $22,800 Modern Rarity In 1968, the United States Mint sought to restore order to American coinage. Instead, it accidentally created one of the great modern U.S. coin rarities. That year marked the return of official Proof Sets after a three-year break. Collectors had waited since 1964 for the Mint to resume polished, mirror-finish Proof coinage. The new sets came from San Francisco, and each Proof coin carried an “S” mintmark.

Counterfeits Are Getting Better. ANA’s Pittsburgh Seminars Show Collectors How to Fight Back The American Numismatic Association will give collectors a head start before the 2026 World’s Fair of Money® opens in Pittsburgh. Before the bourse floor fills with dealers, exhibits, rare coins, and family activities, the ANA will offer two intensive, hands-on seminars for collectors who want sharper skills and better confidence. Both classes take place August 23-24, 2026, at The Westin Pittsburgh.

This 2,500-Ounce Silver Coin Just Set a Guinness World Record A new Guinness World Records title now belongs to a coin that most collectors could not lift. Texas Precious Metals announced on July 1, 2026, that its 2,500-troy-ounce America 250 silver coin has earned the Guinness World Records title for the World’s Heaviest Silver Coin. The official unveiling took place at Arena Hall in Austin, Texas, during a certification ceremony tied to America’s Semiquincentennial celebration.

Did America’s First Coin Start in a Philadelphia Cellar? The 1792 Copper Disme does not look loud. It does not need to. It sits at the edge of the American coinage story like a lit match in a dark room. Before the Morgan dollar. Before the Saint-Gaudens double eagle. Before the Flowing Hair dollar. Even before regular Mint operations began inside the first Philadelphia Mint, this small copper pattern helped test the money of a new republic.

anThe Only MS66+ 1932-S Quarter Is a Depression-Era Prize A great key date can define a coin series. However, a sole finest key date can define a Registry Set. That is what Heritage Auctions offers with its 1932-S Washington Quarter graded MS66+ by PCGS and approved by CAC. The coin appears in Heritage’s Summer FUN U.S. Coins auction as Lot 3069. It carries one of the most powerful labels in modern U.S. numismatics: sole finest certified. 1932-S 25C MS66+ PCGS.

A five-cent coin should not need a detective story. This one does. Heritage Auctions will offer an 1867 No Rays Shield Nickel, Pattern Reverse, FS-1902, JD-1, graded PR64 Cameo by PCGS and approved by CAC, as Lot #93021 in its July 27, 2026 Turner Collection of Shield Nickel Varieties U.S. Coins Showcase Auction. At first glance, the coin looks like a classic 1867 Proof Shield nickel. However, one small star on the reverse changes everything.

Heritage Auctions will bring one of the great Gilded Age proof gold rarities to market during its July 16-18, 2026 Summer FUN US Coins Signature Auction. The Dallas-based firm announced the sale on June 30. The auction includes more than 1,400 lots. It spans the U.S. coin market from Colonials to proof Trade dollars, Morgan dollars, patterns, and gold. At the center stands an 1888 Liberty Head Double Eagle graded PR64 Deep Cameo by PCGS.

Knowing what your coins are worth gives you control. That matters whether you inherited a collection, opened a safe-deposit box, found a forgotten shoebox, or built a cabinet one coin at a time. A good appraisal can help you sell with confidence. It can also help with insurance, estate planning, or a simple decision to hold. Today, collectors no longer need to start at a local coin shop. Online coin appraisal services now give owners several ways to get a professional or informal opinion from home.

A Penny Made From the Wrong Metal Just Led a $341,470 Error-Coin Sale Heritage Auctions’ June 29 Error Coinage U.S. Coins Showcase Auction delivered another strong signal from the mint error market. Collectors pushed the sale to $341,470, with wrong-planchet strikes, double strikes, and dramatic U.S. Mint mistakes driving the action. The top lot told the story best. A 1944 Lincoln cent struck on a 2.9-gram steel planchet, graded VF35 by PCGS, brought $23,790.

A 25-Cent Coin Could Win $5,000: The Hunt for the 2026 July 4th Quarter Begins A 25-Cent Coin Could Launch the Biggest Quarter Hunt Since the 2019-W Craze Professional Coin Grading Service has launched a new national coin hunt. This time, the prize centers on one of the lowest-mintage circulating quarter varieties of the modern era. PCGS will pay a $5,000 bounty for the first 2026 Declaration of Independence Quarter with the special July 4th privy mark that gets shipped for grading submission.