1. Early $5 (Half Eagle) Gold Pieces: The $10 gold eagle was issued from 1795 to 1804, the $5 gold half eagle practically every year from 1795, and the $2.50 gold quarter eagle “somewhat sporadically.”
2. Type II and III Liberty Head Double Eagles. The highest demand for these coins is for those graded Mint State (MS) 60 through 63.
3. ‘Scare-Date’ Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars: Morgan silver dollars reign as “kings of the hill” because they are large coins with high precious metal content.
4. Mercury Dimes from the 1940s. The most valued coins are MS-67 with entire bands. While some can sell for “outrageous prices,” assembling partial sets of $200 coins can be exciting.
5. 1909-S Lincoln Cent: One of these Lincoln pennies graded Extremely Fine or better condition can fetch about $200, while the scarcer versions in Mint State-63 might sell for “several times as much.”
6. Franklin Half Dollar: Franklin Half Dollars graded MS-66 or higher command the highest prices and in some cases can sell for five figures
The shooting of President John F. Kennedy halted this series 16 years after its 1948 start. There are “no major rarities” in the Franklin Half Dollar series, however some mistake variants with missing information are hard to find.