Obama Coins - Buyer Beware

Many people have been excitedly buying the President Spider-Man movie coins being offered for sale nearly everywhere by several private companies. Many ads on TV and the Internet mention statements such as being genuine commemorative coins. Well, many of these coins began life as genuine United States currency, but they are not really quite what you may think they are.

There are several alterations being made to these such as plating, dipping, or painting them to make them appear to be genuine. Often altered in this fashion the Obama coin will show the President's likeness and look very official indeed. Some are even mass produced in impressive full color.

The reality is that if the face value of the coin says twenty five cents, then that is basically what the coin is worth. Not the ten, twenty, or even more that these private companies are charging, plus shipping.

The United States Mint has actually issued a consumer advisory warning people of these facts. In all reality these are just souvenirs, and unofficial ones at that.

Don't be misled or fooled, these are not official genuine commemorative coins as you may be led to believe.

Although these are simply souvenirs and not considered by coin collectors to be serious investments, there is nothing wrong with buying them as mementos celebrating an historic occurrence in our time. There is even the possibility that these mementos may increase in value at some point in the future. The real question is, is a coin with a one dollar face value worth 10 or more dollars plus shipping?

Where should you look for old treasures? How can you find the value of coins? Discover how with our coin collecting FAQ.
Kim Sevine enjoys sharing helpful information about the various fun stuff that exists in our daily lives. As a freelance writer she reaches hundreds of readers every day.