How to Contact the About.com Guide to Coins
Like all of the Guides at About.com, I am a real person, with a passion for my area of expertise. If you have any questions about coin collecting, please post them to our Forums. Although I do monitor the Forums occasionally, this isn't always the fastest way to get a response. If you'd like multiple opinions about something, though, the Forum is definitely the way to go. In general, you are likely to get your coin-related question answered sooner on the Forums than you will via email. You might even find that someone else has already asked your question in the Forum, and the answer is there, waiting for you!
If your question isn't related to collecting coins, or you'd rather not post it publicly for some reason, you can email me at coins.guide@about.com. I generally try to answer all email within 24 hours, but if you don't hear from me within 72 hours (and your message isn't of a spammy nature), please send it again, because the About.com spam filter is pretty aggressive. As you can imagine, I get a LOT of email, but I will try to answer all reasonable correspondence in a timely manner.
Please be sure to join my About Coins newsletter to learn inside information and stay up to date on new coin releases and major errors and varieties that have been found.
F.A.Q.
- Q. I have a rare 1943 U.S. silver-like penny. What can you tell me about it, and how much is it worth?A. You have a War World II steel cent. For additional information about these fascinating coins, see my article about the 1943 steel penny.
- Q. I found a two-headed (or two-tailed) coin. How much is it worth?A. Your coin is almost certainly a novelty item made for entertainment purposes. They are very cleverly made and don't have a seam down the middle of the edge. See these pages for the latest information about how much two-headed coins are worth, and how two-headed coins are made.
- Q. I found a blank coin. Are they worth anything?A. If the blank coin doesn't have a rim, it's probably just a slug and not worth anything. You can find out more in this article about how much blank coins are worth.
- Q. I have a U.S. coin with a head on one side, and an eagle on the back. Can you tell me what it is?A. For help identifying just about any U.S. coin issued by the federal government, check my U.S. coins identification chart. Once you know what it's called, you can go from there.
- Q. How much is my coin worth?A. I am adding coin value charts as time allows. You can find them in the Coin Value Guide. Keep in mind that there is a big difference between a coin's price and its value. My coin value charts have actual values that a dealer will pay for your coin, rather than selling prices like virtually all other coin price guides. Don't be misled about the value of your coins! Find out why most coin price catalogs aren't reliable.
- Q. I think I have an error coin. Can you help me?A. Send error coin photos to coins.guide@about.com. Please be sure the photo is in JPG format and is large and clear enough to see the error. Also be sure to describe the error to me in your email message so I know what to look for. I have a large photo gallery of Presidential Dollar errors that you can compare your coin to.
- Q. Can you help me with my homework?A. I don't mind helping you with your homework by giving you pointers on where to find certain information, or showing you how to search the net effectively for your answers, but I will not DO your homework for you. Please keep in mind that I can only help with coin-related questions, and you should check the Forums before emailing me to see if your question has already been answered. In fact, if you post your question there, you'll probably get a faster response!