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 image links.

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.
 

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

1/2 Cents:
 

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

1 Cent:
 

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:
 

Shield

1864-1873

,

3 Cents:
 

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

5 Cents:
 

Silver (Half Dimes)
Flowing Hair	1794-1795	Obverse, Reverse
Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796-1797	Obverse, Reverse
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1800-1805	Obverse, Reverse
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	Obverse, Reverse

10 Cents:
 

Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796-1797	Obverse, Reverse
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1798-1807	Obverse, Reverse
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	Obverse, Reverse
Roosevelt (Clad)	1965-present	Obverse, Reverse

20 Cents:
 

Seated Liberty

1875-1878

,

25 Cents:
 

Draped Bust, Small Eagle	1796	Obverse, Reverse
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle	1804-1807	,
Capped Bust (Large)	1815-1828	Obverse, Reverse
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	Obverse, Reverse
Standing Liberty (Type 2)	1917-1930	,
Washington (Silver)	1932-1964	,
Washington (Clad)	1965-present	Obverse, Reverse

50 Cents:
 

Flowing Hair	1794-1795	Obverse, Reverse
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
 

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
 

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

3 Dollars
 

Indian Head

1854-1889

,

4 Dollars
 

Flowing Hair	1879-1880	Obverse, Reverse
Coiled Hair	1879-1880	Obverse, Reverse

5 Dollars
 

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

10 Dollars
 

Capped Bust-Small Eagle	1795-1797	, Reverse
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
 

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	,