By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek ….. #1. David Rittenhouse (April 1792 – June 1795) The term “polymath” is usually employed to describe the United States Mint’s first director, David Rittenhouse. He was a mathematician, a philosopher, an astronomer, a surveyor, a master clock maker, and a patriot. At all but the […]
The post Ten Notable US Mint Directors and What They Are Known For appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Victor Bozarth for PCGS …… Part 1 | Part 2 The New Orleans Mint was the only Southern mint reopened after the Civil War. Some of the considerations were practical. The gold deposits in the Southeast were starting to dissipate. Regional mints in Dahlonega, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, that had produced only […]
The post The New Orleans Mint: Part 3 appeared first on CoinWeek.
The smallest denomination ever struck by the U.S. Mint, the half cent is an extremely complex series. It features five major types and subtypes that all have a series of varieties, the last of which was the Braided Hair half cent (1840-57). As the new Chief Engraver, Christian Gobrecht was responsible for shifting the design […]
The post United States 1857 Braided Hair Half Cent appeared first on CoinWeek.
By James McCartney – Director of Consignments and Numismatics, Stack’s Bowers Galleries …… The 1861-S Paquet Reverse is perhaps the most famous collectible Type I double eagle even among those who do not specialize in the series. Anthony C. Paquet was born in Hamburg, Germany on December 5, 1814, and arrived in Philadelphia in 1848. […]
The post Exceptional 1861-S Paquet Double Eagle Featured in Stack’s Bowers Spring Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez for PCGS …… The United States one-cent coin was, along with the half cent, among the first denominations ever coined by the United States Mint for mass distribution and circulation in 1793. The nation’s early one-cent coins are much larger in diameter than those produced since those of the current size and […]
The post Replacing the Large Cent With the Small Cent: A New Era appeared first on CoinWeek.
By James McCartney – Senior Numismatist, Stack’s Bowers …… Our November 2019 Baltimore Auction offers a nearly unprecedented selection of rarities from the Numismatic Americana series. Among the more significant offerings in this group is one of the earliest gold Life Saving medals struck by the United States Mint. Measuring 67 mm in diameter […]
The post Rare US Life Saving Medal in Gold Featured in Stack’s Bowers November 2019 Baltimore Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Blanchard & Company …… For more than 60 years, the United States minted the large cent. These coins, about the size of a half dollar, consisted of nearly pure copper. They were heavy, cumbersome and falling out of favor for commerce. By the early 1850s the time had come to issue something more […]
The post How the Flying Eagle Cent Reinvented the Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Ben Orooji, Numismatist & Cataloger – Stack’s Bowers New Colorado Gold Rush on the 1861-S Paquet reverse Double Eagle ….. The Stack’s Bowers June 2018 Baltimore sale is fast approaching and among the stellar collections to be featured is the Fairmont Collection, a nearly complete set of Liberty Head double eagles. It is currently ranked […]
The post Legendary 1861-S Paquet Reverse Double Eagle Rarity at Stack’s Bowers Whitman Baltimore Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
ANA Governor Brian Hendelson will provide historic multi-million dollar Philadelphia Mint coins and early United States Mint appointment documents for ANA Museum Showcase exhibit The finest known 1792 Half Disme, formerly owned by the first United States Mint Director David Rittenhouse, and the finer of the two known 1861 Philadelphia Mint Paquet Reverse Liberty Head […]
The post Rittenhouse 1792 Half Disme and an 1861-P Paquet $20 at 2018 ANA World’s Fair of Money appeared first on CoinWeek.
The 1795 B-14, BB-51 Bust dollar with an off-center Draped Bust represents the first appearance of the new Draped Bust Dollar obverse design. The Small Eagle reverse also made its first appearance here. The circumstances surrounding the coin’s issuance are subject to a certain amount of speculation. The designer and engraver remain unidentified, the exact […]
The post Heritage Auctions – Seldom Seen Selections: Presentation Strike 1795 Draped Bust Dollar appeared first on CoinWeek.
A mid-19th-century fantasy earned its place in US numismatic history A unique copper specimen of the famed “Washington Dollar Fantasy” was recently certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Despite its date of 1794, the piece was actually produced in the early 1860s. It is referenced in Breen-1251, Judd-C1794-1, Baker-28A, and Musante, GW-358. In the early […]
The post NGC Certifies Unique Washington “Dollar” appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Thomason Alexander for CoinWeek ….. Selecting with absolute precision 10 of the greatest moments in the history of coin collecting in the United States is a daunting task. Numismatics has enjoyed more than 160 years of growth in the U.S. since its murky beginnings in the early 19th century. Its rollicking career has […]
The post 10 Great Moments That Shaped American Coin Collecting, Part 1 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By James McCartney, Numismatist & Cataloger – Stack’s Bowers ….. Economic growth catalyzed by the California Gold Rush in the early 1850s spurred demand for circulating coinage throughout the West. Unimpressed by the production of private minting firms, the citizens of California proposed that the state establish an assay office in order to regulate […]
The post 1854 Kellogg $20 Featured in November Baltimore Rarities Night Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Eric Brothers for CoinWeek ….. In all of numismatics of the entire world, there is not today and there never has been a single coin which was and is the subject of so much romance, interest, comment, and upon which so much has been written and so much talked about and discussed as the […]
The post The King Among Rarities: A Brief History of the United States 1804 Dollar appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Dr. Richard S. Appel – UniqueRareCoins.com …… The year 1859 was an eventful one for the United States Mint as well as future collectors. That was when the Mint redesigned or refined some of our circulating gold, silver and copper coins. For gold coin enthusiasts, this decision led to the birth of three […]
The post Philadelphia Mint 1859 Design Change Creates Three Rare $2.50 Gold Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Wayne Homren for The E-Sylum eNewsletter…. Each week, CoinWeek, in collaboration with the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, brings you a highlighted feature from the current volume of the E-Sylum eNewsletter. Wayne’s Numismatic Diary: February 15, 2015 It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’ve spent a lot of time working on the Newman Numismatic […]
The post Excerpts from the E-Sylum: – Wayne’s Numismatic Diary – February 15, 2015 appeared first on CoinWeek.