Learn with The Canadian Coin Broker
Whether you are checking your change or building a collection, understanding your coins is part of the enjoyment. Explore practical explanations of the terms, details, and techniques collectors use.
COLLECTING BASICS
Understanding Coin Grading: The Sheldon 1–70 Scale
Learn what grades such as VF-20, AU-58, and MS-65 mean, what graders look for, and why condition is only one part of a coin’s story.
IDENTIFYING YOUR COINS
Mint Error or Damage? A Beginner’s Guide to Identifying Unusual Coins
Learn how to distinguish Mint errors, die varieties, everyday damage, and normal wear, with practical checks you can make at home.
CARING FOR YOUR COLLECTION
Why You Should Never Clean Coins
Understand how cleaning affects original surfaces, lustre, and collector value, plus how to handle your coins and when professional conservation may help.
UNDERSTANDING THE LINGO
Coin Collecting Terms Every Beginner Should Know
From obverse and reverse to planchets, privy marks, and lustre, learn the language of coin collecting with plain-language definitions and an alphabetical index.
Collecting has been part of my family for generations. My father collects coins, and my son’s interest encouraged me to take the hobby more seriously. This is a place to share what we learn along the way.