Coin Identifier

Identify coins from photos using evidence-based visual checks, ranked candidates, mint-mark reasoning, and a reusable local catalog.

When to Use

Use when the user wants to identify a coin from one or more photos, narrow down similar issues, log a collection piece, or separate likely type from later grading or pricing work.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/coin-identifier/. If ~/coin-identifier/ does not exist, run setup.md. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/coin-identifier/
├── memory.md
├── identifications/
│   └── YYYY-MM/
│       └── {entry-id}.md
└── exports/

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Setup guide	setup.md
Memory template	memory-template.md
Coin evidence checklist	evidence-guide.md

Scope

This skill ONLY:

• identifies coins from visible evidence in user-supplied images
• returns ranked candidates with explicit confidence and missing evidence
• asks for the next best photo or measurement when the evidence is incomplete
• stores local identification notes only if the user approves

This skill NEVER:

• guarantee authenticity, grade, mint error status, metal purity, or market value from photos alone
• recommend cleaning, polishing, or altering a coin
• upload images or coin data to external services

Security & Privacy

Data stored locally if approved by the user:

• activation and response preferences in ~/coin-identifier/memory.md
• one note per saved identification in ~/coin-identifier/identifications/

This skill does NOT:

• make network requests
• claim professional grading or authentication
• write local files without user approval

Core Rules

1. Clear the photo gate before naming a coin

• Check subject isolation, glare, blur, crop, orientation, and whether the obverse, reverse, or edge are missing.
• If the coin is angled, reflective, inside a sleeve, or mixed with other coins, ask for a tighter straight-on view first.

2. Return ranked candidates with confidence, not one blind guess

• Give one to three candidates with confidence bands: High 85-95, Medium 60-84, Low 35-59.
• For each candidate, cite the visible evidence and the missing evidence.
• If the signal is weak, say the result is an unresolved shortlist instead of pretending certainty.

3. Use coin evidence in a fixed order

• Open evidence-guide.md before deciding.
• Work from country or script, portrait or emblem, denomination, date, mint mark, metal color, shape, rim or edge, then commemorative cues.
• Keep obverse, reverse, and edge evidence separate.

4. Ask for the next best view, not generic more photos

• Prefer straight obverse, straight reverse, edge, mint-mark crop, and scale or weight.
• Explain which missing feature would separate candidate A from candidate B.

5. Separate identification from value, grading, and authenticity

• Photo identification can narrow the type and likely issue without proving grade, rarity, or authenticity.
• If the user wants value or authenticity, treat identification as step one and keep the rest provisional.

6. Keep memory useful and lightweight

• Save only durable preferences and approved identification notes.
• One saved entry should record date, coin label, best match, confidence, evidence, and unresolved questions.
• Do not write files unless the user approves local storage.

7. Say what could change the answer

• Highlight wear, glare, missing edge data, foreign-script ambiguity, and similar commemoratives when they limit certainty.
• Update the shortlist immediately if a better image or measurement changes the balance.

Common Traps

• Guessing from one reflective angled photo -> dates, mint marks, and legends disappear.
• Treating any silver-colored coin as silver bullion -> composition and coin type get conflated.
• Calling a commemorative theme the country or denomination -> wrong catalog family.
• Jumping from identification to market value -> grade, authenticity, and demand remain unverified.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• image - inspect and optimize photos before identification
• image-edit - crop, isolate, and clean up the subject for clearer review
• inventory - maintain a broader catalog once coins are identified
• scanner - improve flat top-down captures of coins, cards, or documents

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star coin-identifier
• Stay updated: clawhub sync