You may not realize it, but one of the most precious things within your house could actually fit into the palm of your hand.
Of course, if you have rare coins lying about your house, whether part of your own collection or passed down from some treasured elder, you are likely to have hit a whole mother lode in a single coin.
Long considered the also-rans of the hobby, trophy coins befitting a rare coin come with beauty and elegance, often having great stories behind them.
Now, says Ian Russell, president of Great Collections, U.S. trophy coins are ready to flex their muscle on the market.
He specifically names 1913 Liberty Head nickels, 1804 silver dollars, as well as Morgan design 1893 San Francisco mint dollars as coins to watch out for, due to some of the special characteristics that differentiate them.
When collectors hear someone has a Lincoln cent collection, they promptly want to know if any of the coins have distinguishing markings.
According to Russell, "The first question usually is: 'Do you have a 1909-S VDB'—designer Victor D.
Brenner's initials at the bottom on the tail's side—'or a 1955 Doubled Die?' These are all trophies among collectors."