Avoid Misleading Clickbait

Recent online reports claim that certain cents are worth $124 million or that a 1976 bicentennial quarter is valued at $1.5 billion. Such accounts are false or highly misleading. Unfortunately, stories like these are all too common and give nascent collectors false hope that common coins are worth big bucks.

Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) executive director John Feigenbaum cautions that such “clickbait” stories often gain traction through search engines, spreading misinformation to collectors and the general public.

“These exaggerated claims raise false hopes for people who believe they have a fortune when, in reality, their coins are often worth only face value or significantly less than suggested,” Feigenbaum states.

“The highest price ever paid for a rare coin at auction is $18.9 million, so the idea that a single penny or quarter could be worth hundreds of millions or even billions is pure fantasy,” Feigenbaum explains. He also notes that some misleading stories claim rare coins are still circulating, despite that genuine examples have not been in common use for decades.

To avoid being misled, Feigenbaum and PNG President James Sego advise relying on trusted sources. These include established price guides, reputable hobby publications such as The Numismatist, and expert evaluations from PNG members and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC).