About Us

Hello, and welcome to Original Skin Coins! My name's Max and I'm a Seattle-based online dealer of U.S., foreign and ancient coins - I've been an active seller on eBay, Amazon, and other online platforms for over fifteen years.  My collecting focus is toned coins with exceptional eye appeal. You may know me on eBay or Etsy as originalskincoins, or on Amazon as O.S.C. I can offer many of the same coins here at a lower price, thanks to lower fees.  Contact me directly here.

What does "original skin" mean?  

"Skin" is another term for "patina", the toning that develops on the surface of a coin overs years of natural exposure to the environment.  Processes like cleaning, polishing, and dipping strip the natural patina off of a coin, artificially brightening the coin's surface, damaging the luster, and leaving small scratches. Experienced collectors prefer coins that have been untouched by those types of tampering. Cleaning a coin destroys its collectible value and obliterates its sense of history. At Original Skin Coins, all coins have original patina - that means no cleaning, no polishing, and no dipping.