Even if you’ve been collecting coins for years, you might be pleasantly surprised by the coin values you’ve got.

Don’t know how to figure out how much your collection is worth?

That’s OK! Just follow these 3 tips:

1. See if you’ve got any out-of-the-ordinary silver

Those pretty silver dollars might have some decent coin values, but look carefully at them before you sell them.

You might discover that they’re not run-of-the-mill silver dollars after all! Instead, if you’ve got a Morgan Dollar or two thrown in there, the value of your collection just went way up.

That’s because a Morgan Dollar is one of those rare coins that also has a cool story behind it — so it’s highly sought-after by both coin fans and history buffs. The Morgan Dollar was minted on and off between 1878 and 1921, in an effort to guarantee the U.S.’ silver reserves, so there aren’t very many of them. If you can get your hands on a Morgan Dollar that was never circulated, you’ve got something even more valuable!

2. Look for gold bullion coins minted by specific countries

Any gold coin is going to have value, but some countries produce much more valuable gold bullion coins than others. If you’re getting gold bullion coins from the U.S., Canada, South Africa, or Australia, you can count on them having higher coin values than what other countries are minting.

Whatever you do, don’t just look at the value printed on the coin to see how much it’s worth. Gold bullion coins are much more valuable for their gold, rather than their monetary value. For example, a 50-cent gold coin will be worth much more than 50 cents, simply because it’s made out of high-quality gold bullion. And, every time the price of gold goes up, so does the value of your gold bullion coins!

3. Only deal with reputable coin dealers

If you’re not comfortable trying to figure out coin values all by yourself, a coin dealer can help. However, all coin dealers aren’t created equal, so it’s important to find a good one.

Good coin dealers will have specific protocols for assessing coin values. They won’t just glance at your collection and throw out a number. Instead, they’ll take the time to run their fingers over each coin to determine when it was minted and what kind of condition it’s in now.