Coins have been used as a form of exchange and legal tender for hundreds of years. The first coins were independently developed around the globe in places like Greece, India, and China during the 600s and 500s BCE. Since their inception, most coins have been made of metal, but over the centuries many minters were…

Collecting coins can be a very exciting and fulfilling hobby, and an essential part of this hobby is knowing how to handle and care for your coins. Contact marks, blemishes, worn features or evidence of cleaning can significantly decrease a coin’s value. Following some simple rules of thumb when handling and caring for your coins…

Unfortunately, not everything in life is perfect; the same is true for striking coins. Throughout history, there have been mishaps with the machinery, test runs that did not go anywhere near as planned and even intentional hiccups orchestrated by Mint employees. How and why have certain, imperfect pieces throughout history been deemed worthy of being…

Back in June of 2015, Eric Schmitt and his family made an unthinkable discovery of over $1.5 million in coins and various artifacts later determined to be those of a sunken Spanish fleet. Heading to Spain from Havana, Cuba, the fleet compiled of 11 ships were caught and eventually succumbed to a hurricane. Each ship…

  Like the leaning tower of Pisa, error coins demonstrate the alluring appeal of human error. Errors happen for lots of different reasons, from complex production issues to simple human error. But one thing’s for sure: sometimes it pays to make mistakes. The three coins listed below represent a classic error coin in the 1969…

At Bellevue Rare Coins, we deal in rare coins and bullion, but we also buy gold, silver, jewelry and antiques. Every day, people come in with questions about how the process works and how to turn their valuables into cold, hard cash. We’ve put together a list of answers to some of the questions we’re…

With the start of the Winter Olympics, the whole world has turned its eyes toward Sochi, Russia — and everyone is dreaming of gold. Here are some details about the tradition of awarding medals in Olympic history, as well as the lowdown on the gold, silver and bronze medals at this year’s Olympic Games in…

Everyone’s talking about Bitcoin these days. From tales about the digital currency’s mysterious founder to strike-it-rich stories about early investors, Bitcoin has captured the world’s imagination — as well as its dollars. The investment market for bitcoins is so hot that some investors are concerned about a possible bitcoin bubble. If you’re thinking of investing…

The United States Mint recently announced that the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will be commemorated with the release of a brand-new silver dollar. In a 1963 civil rights speech, President John F. Kennedy asked for legislation that would give all Americans the right to be served in…

If you visit the Australian town of Dunolly today, you’ll probably run into more than a few modern-day prospectors hoping to strike it rich with their metal detectors. There’s a good reason gold seekers still descend upon the town. Just ten miles away lies the site of the discovery of the largest solid gold nugget…

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to start a coin collection but you’re not sure where to start, here are some tips from the staff at West Seattle Coins and Bellevue Rare Coins. First, choose a series of coins you would like to collect. Start small, with modern coins, before jumping into more…

It’s been a fascinating year for the world’s most popular precious metal. From treasure hunters and hoarders to the possible end of quantitative easing, gold has been in the news constantly throughout these past 12 months. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 gold stories of 2013 (in no particular order): 1. Jesse…

On November 21, the United States Mint opened sales for the newest release of the First Spouse Gold Coin Program, which features Edith Roosevelt, the wife of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. The seventh year of this half-ounce gold coin series that highlights the spouses of the presidents began a week…

Gold prices are still near historic highs — and that’s why it’s a great time to sell your gold. But first you’ll have to figure out how much your gold is worth. West Seattle Coins and Bellevue Rare Coins help people with fair and accurate gold evaluations every day. Evaluating gold is a fairly simple…

People all over the world resolve arguments and make decisions using the time-honored tradition of flipping a coin, but did you ever wonder how the practice started? It turns out that there’s not a whole lot of information out there about the origins of the coin flip, but here’s what we know: Where it all…