What dates to look for on old coins and certain coins that are “KEY” and hard to find or have above average value.

The following list of key date coins does not include proofs unless they are “proof only” for the date. For example, the 1895 Morgan Dollar is a “proof only” coin since no business strikes were released for that year. Collectors would have to obtain a proof coin to have a complete date set that included 1895.

Half Cent 1793, 1796 With Pole, 1796 No Pole, 1797 Gripped Edge, 1802/0 Reverse of 1800, 1805 Small 5 Stems,1808/7, 1811 Close Date
Large Cent 1793 all types, 1794 Starred Reverse, 1795 Jefferson Head Plain Edge, 1796 LIHERTY, 1803 Large Date Small Fraction, 1804, 1807/6 Small 7, 1823,

Flying Eagle Cent 1856

Indian Head Cent 1877, 1888/7

Lincoln Cent 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922-D Missing D Strong Reverse, 1955 Doubled Die Obverse

Two-Cent Pieces 1864 Small Motto, 1867 Doubled Die Obverse

Three-Cent Silver 1855

Three-Cent Copper Nickel 1883, 1884, 1885

Half-Dime 1797 13 Stars, 1802, 1803 Small 8, 1805, 1838-O, 1840-O, 1844-O, 1846, 1853-O, 1870-S

Shield Nickel 1880, 1883/2

Liberty Head Nickel 1885, 1912-S

Indian Head (Buffalo) Nickel 1914/3, 1916 Doubled Die Obverse, 1918/7-D, 1926-S, 1935 Doubled Die Reverse, 1937-D 3 Legs

Jefferson Nickel 1942-D/Horizontal D

Draped Bust Dime 1804 14 Stars Reverse

Capped Bust Dime 1822

Seated Liberty Dime 1846, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC, 1874-CC

Barber Dime 1894-S, 1895-O

Winged Liberty (Mercury) Dime 1916-D, 1919-D, 1919-S, 1942/1, 1942/41-D

Roosevelt Dime 1968-S No S, 1975-S No S

Seated Liberty Twenty Cents 1875-CC, 1876-CC

Draped Bust, Small Eagle Quarter Dollar 1796

Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle Quarter Dollar 1804

Capped Bust Quarter Dollar 1822 25/50, 1823/2, 1827/3

Seated Liberty Quarter Dollar 1840-O Drapery at Elbow Large O, 1842-O Small Date, 1855-O, 1856-S, 1864-S, 1867-S, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC, 1874-CC

Barber Quarter Dollar 1896-S, 1901-S1913-S

Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar 1916, 1918/7-S, 1927-S

Washington Quarter Dollar 1932-D, 1937 Doubled Die Obverse, 1950-D/S

Flowing Hair Half Dollar 1794, 1795 Small Head, 1795 Silver Plug

Draped Bust, Small Eagle Half Dollar 1796, 1797

Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle Half Dollar 1802, 1806 Knobbed 6 No Stem

Capped Bust Half Dollar 1807 Bearded Goddess, 1812/1 Large 8, 1815/2, 1817/4, 1830 Large Letters, 1838-O

Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1842-O Small Date, 1847/6, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873 Open 3, 1873-CC, 1874-CC, 1878-S

Barber Half Dollar 1892-O Micro O, 1904-S

Walking Liberty Half Dollar 1919-D, 1921-D, 1921-S

Franklin Half Dollar 1953-S Full Strike

Flowing Hair Dollar 1794, 1795 Silver Plug

Draped Bust, Small Eagle Dollar 1796, 1797, 1798

Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle Dollar 1798, 1800 AMERICAI, 1801, 1802 Wide Date

Seated Liberty Dollar 1850-O, 1851, 1852, 1858, 1859-S, 1870-CC, 1870-S, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC

Trade Dollar 1873-CC, 1876-CC Double Die Reverse, 1878-CC, 1884 Proof

Morgan Dollar 1879-CC, 1889-CC, 1892-S, 1893-S, 1895 Proof, 1895-O

Peace Dollar 1924-S, 1925-S, 1927-S, 1928-S, 1934-S

Coronet Gold Dollar 1849-C, 1850-D, 1852-D1854-D

Indian Head, Small Head Gold Dollar 1855-C, 1855-D

Indian Head, Large Head Gold Dollar 1856-D, 1857-C, 1857-D, 1858-D, 1860-D, 1861-D, 1875

Capped Bust Quarter Eagle 1796, 1797, 1798, 1804 13 Stars on Reverse, 1806/5

Capped Draped Bust Quarter Eagle 1808

Capped Head Quarter Eagle 1826, 1834

Classic Head Quarter Eagle 1838-C, 1839-C, 1839-D, 1839-O

Coronet Quarter Eagle 1840-D, 1841, 1841-D, 1842-C, 1842-D1843-C Small Date, 1845-O1848 CAL, 1849-C, 1854-D, 1855-C, 1855-D, 1856-D, 1859-D, 1862-S, 1864, 1865, 1875

Indian Head Quarter Eagle 1911-D

Indian Head Three Dollars Gold 1854-D, 1854-O, 1855-S, 1857-S, 1860-S, 1873, 1875, 1876, 1877

Capped Bust to Right, Small Eagle Half Eagle 1797, 1798

Capped Bust to Right, Heraldic Eagle Half Eagle 1795, 1797, 1798, 1799

Capped Bust to Left Half Eagle 1810 Small Date Small 5, 1810 Large Date Small 5

Capped Head Half Eagle 1815, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1824, 1825/4, 1828/7, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834

Classic Head Half Eagle 1834 Crosslet 4, 1838-C, 1838-D

Coronet Head Half Eagle 1839-D, 1840-C, 1842-C Small Date, 1842-D Large Date Large Letters, 1847-O, 1850-D, 1861-C, 1861-D, 1861-S, 1862-S, 1863-S, 1870-CC, 1871-CC, 1873-CC, 1874-CC, 1875, 1875-CC, 1875-S, 1876-CC, 1877-CC, 1878-CC, 1887 Proof

Indian Head Half Eagle 1909-O, 1929

Capped Bust to Right, Small Eagle Eagle 1795 9 Leaves

Capped Bust to Right, Heraldic Eagle Eagle 1798/7 9×4 Stars, 1798/7 7×6 Stars

Coronet Head Eagle 1838, 1839, 1841-O, 1842-O, 1849-O, 1852-O, 1855-O, 1855-S, 1857-O, 1858, 1858-S, 1859-O, 1859-S, 1860-S, 1861-S, 1862-S, 1863, 1863-S, 1864-S, 1865, 1865-S, 1865-S 865/Inverted 186, 1866-S No Motto, 1866, 1866-S Motto, 1867-S, 1869, 1869-S, 1870-CC, 1870-S, 1871-CC, 1871-S, 1872-CC, 1873, 1873-CC, 1874-CC, 1874-S, 1875, 1875-CC, 1876, 1876-CC, 1877-CC, 1878-CC, 1879-CC, 1879-O, 1882-CC, 1883-O

Indian Head Eagle 1907 Wire Rim Periods, 1907 Rolled Rim Periods, 1920-S, 1930-S

Coronet Head Double Eagle 1850-O, 1851-O, 1852-O, 18853/2, 1853-O, 1854 Large Date, 1854-O, 1855-O, 1856-O, 1857-O, 1858-O, 1859, 1859-O, 1860-O, 1861-O, 1861-S Paquet Reverse, 1666-S, 1866-S, 1870-CC, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC, 1878-CC, 1879-CC,
1879-O, 1881, 1882, 1883 Proof, 1884 Proof, 1885, 1885-CC, 1886, 1887 Proof, 1891, 1891-CC

Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle 1907 High Relief Roman Numerals Wire Rim, 1907 High Relief Roman Numerals, Flat Rim, 1920-S, 1921, 1927-D, 1927-S, 1930-S, 1931, 1931-D, 1932

Early Commemoratives 1900 Lafayette Dollar, 1904 Lewis & Clark Dollar, 1905 Lewis & Clark Dollar, 1915-S Panama-Pacific Quarter Eagle, 1915-S Panama-Pacific Fifty Dollars Round, 1915-S Panama-Pacific Fifty Dollars Octagonal, 1922 Grant Half Dollar Star, 1928 Hawaii Half Dollar.