** (5) Coins from the War of 1812 and Today’s Collectors
The coins included in the value trend analysis presented in Section 3 are a good representation of coinage produced during the War of 1812 era. All of them have advanced some in recent years, a few spectacularly so, as the coin market in general has been hot. Over the long haul, no one should expect to see this torrid pace continue. When long range performance is combined with what has happened in the last few years, we get a better understanding of true esteem held by today’s collectors for these coins. Here is how we rank the coins in our War of 1812 survey, with the coins most likely to enjoy future appreciation listed at top:

1812 half eagle
1814 half dollar
1815 half dollar
1814 half dollar 4 over 3
1813 cent
1812 half dollar 2 over 1
1815 quarter
1815 half eagle
1814 disme

Coin collectors hoping to obtain artifacts from the War of 1812 that also have some upside potential are advised to concentrate their purchases to the coins at the top of the list. As always, a good rule of thumb is to obtain the best properly graded condition affordable.

Whether your desire is to hold your War of 1812 coins as if they were commodities and hold until profit objectives are met, or if you intend to pass the coins on to your heirs, always remember the connection your coins have to a unique time in American history. The War of 1812 was a very perilous event for the United States; had it not been for a propitious rainstorm hitting Washington DC on August 24, 1814, or for a handful of stubborn patriots defending Fort McHenry a few days later, who knows, America may well have been reclaimed as a British colony. Had history taken another path, one just as easily traveled, the War of 1812 coins might have been the final coins ever minted by a short-lived, long ago forgotten nation called the United States of America.

Author Daniel J. Goevert is the webmaster of US Coin Values Advisor (http://www.us-coin-values-advisor.com/index.html), a site which explores the intersection of American history with the evolution of the US coinage system, beginning with colonial times. The site also includes detailed coin collecting advice.