Frequently Asked Questions
Some of these are actual emails.

I often get emails with similar questions. If you have a question or suggestion not mentioned below, feel free to send an email.


1. "Why do you do this website?"

I started coinflation in 2004 because high inflation was beginning to rear its ugly head and I had a feeling that all circulating U.S. coinage (at some point) will have a higher melt value than face value. Despite the U.S. Mint prohibiting coin melting in December 2006, an active market may develop for base metal coinage in the near future, similar to what happened to silver coinage in the 1960's. Also, silver and gold coin values are updated every day and some people find it helpful when buying/selling these coins.


2. "Who will buy my pennies and nickels for their melt value today?"

There isn't an active market today, but pre-1982 cents are regularly listed (and sold) on Ebay. Patience is required.


3. "How do I advertise on coinflation.com?"

There's a separate page here about advertising.


4. "Your math is wrong. There are 16 ounces in a pound and your ounce/gram conversion factor is wrong."

The silver price is based in troy ounces, not avoirdupois. There are 14.33 troy ounces in a pound.


5. "Your math is wrong. Base metals are priced in pounds and coins are measured in grams. Your calculations are wrong."

I'm aware base metals are priced in pounds. That's why I use the correct conversion factor of .00220462262 in the calculations (1 gram = .00220462262 pounds).


6. "You need to include Canadian coins." or "How come you don't include Canadian coins?" and "I'd really like you to include Canadian coins" ...

I did. They're located here. (very popular question)


7. "In your silver coin melt value calculator results page, you list a statistic about a Bid/Ask spread of -5% to +5%. In my experience, I see a range between -10% to 0% (melt value), rarely are these coins sold over melt value except for numismatic purposes."

Fair question a few years ago. I may change this statistic in the future. I've purchased "junk silver" coins at a slight premium before when they're in almost uncirculated condition. Prices for these coins also sold at a premium pre-Y2K and we'll probably see wild price fluctuations in the future... like now.


8. "I have a 1947 dime, how much is it worth as a collectible?"

This is a website about coin melt values. I do list numismatic value ranges on individual coin pages, but a great place to look up a specific value is on Ebay.


9. "I have a bunch of silver quarters, where can I sell them? I live in (city, state)."

Open your local yellow pages and look under "coin dealers". Sometimes Jewelers also buy and sell coins. You can also do a google search for a local coin dealer as well. Listing it on Ebay is also an excellent alternative.


10. "Hey, can I have your phone number?  I want to talk about the Federal Reserve, penny drives, the value of precious metal-based coins, and the inequality of income distribution."

Um, no.


11. "How come you don't account for coin wear in your calculations or melt value calculator?"

Not sure that's realistic. Go to your bank and ask for a roll of every denomination, weigh each coin on a scale with at least three decimal places of accuracy, and calculate the average weight. You'll find coin wear is not statistically significant. Silver coins (sometimes called "junk silver") obviously have wear issues sometimes and can affect weight. But these are traded as a store of value, they're not going straight to the melting pot. You won't see dramatic reductions in melt price unless the entire lot is clearly sub-standard. I could list weight relative to the common 1-70 coin grading scale, but I really don't want to do that.


12. "You should have a melting coin as a logo for the top of your website. That would be cool."

Yeah, that might look nice, but coin melting is illegal.


13. "I have coins from 1968 to 1977. What are they worth? I think they should be added."

That was the entire email. I'm not kidding.


14. "I think your comments added to each article link are hilarious. Your website is awesome."

Thanks, appreciate it.


15. "The comments you add about every article are pretty dumb."

Thanks, appreciate it.


16. "Can you give me the script you use to update your coin values or would you be willing to sell your website?"

Sorry, I won't give the website away. Wait, why am I apologizing. I mean really, what's wrong with some of you people? Can I give you my website? What kind of person asks a question like that?


17. "Did you know coin melting is illegal?"

You'd be amazed how often I get this email.