From iPhone photo to identified coin
The workflow is deliberately simple: open the app, photograph the front and back of your coin, and let the AI work. CoinVault Pro combines the Gemini AI vision model, which reads the coin’s design, legend, and date like a numismatist, with Coin-CLIP image matching, which compares your photo against reference images. The two approaches cross-check each other, and the app is honest about confidence instead of presenting every match as certain.
The result screen shows what the coin is, a grading estimate on the 1–70 Sheldon scale, and what similar coins actually sell for, based on Numista catalog data and real eBay sold prices. One more tap files it into your collection.
Getting the most from the iPhone camera
Recent iPhones focus close enough to fill the frame with a small coin, which is exactly what the AI wants. Use daylight or a bright lamp bounced off a wall rather than the flash, which creates a hotspot that hides detail. A plain dark background helps the app isolate the coin cleanly.
For worn coins, try tilting the coin slightly under the light before shooting — raking light brings out flattened dates and mint marks that straight-on photos miss.
- Fill the frame with the coin and let the camera lock focus before shooting.
- Prefer bright, indirect light; avoid the built-in flash.
- Photograph both sides — the reverse often settles ambiguous identifications.
- Retake rather than accept a low-confidence match.
What is free on iPhone, and what upgrades add
The free tier of CoinVault Pro includes core AI recognition and is supported by ads, so you can scan and identify coins without paying. Premium and Pro subscriptions unlock more of the app — from the deeper collection and market features to the upcoming offline recognition for Pro subscribers, which will matter at coin shows and other no-signal spots.
We keep exact pricing in the app and on the pricing page rather than in articles, so what you see there is always current.
Put your iPhone to work on that mystery coin
Everyone has one coin they have wondered about for years. Download CoinVault Pro, photograph it with your iPhone, and get an identification, a grade estimate, and a real-market value in under a minute. The free tier makes it a zero-risk way to finally get an answer.