To collectors of U.S. coins, 1965 was an epoch in the history of the American monetary system. A coinage shortage and the rise of silver bullion prices begot a new clad composition for the dime and quarter, reduced the half dollar’s composition to silver billon, and doomed an effort to reintroduce the silver dollar.
But things were not quite so cut and dry as that and the United States Mint’s efforts to dissuade the American public from hoarding coins unfairly blamed collectors and tarnished the coin collecting hobby.
The Date Freeze
Under the direction of Mint Director Eva Adams, the U.S. mint continued to strike coins dated 1964 through 1966. This order…
Nickels, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 were struck in large quantities in 1964 and 1965, and dimes were struck in large quantities in 1964, 1965, and 1966. In 1965, clad quarters and dimes entered production. Circulation quality 1965 silver-clad half dollars would not…
The Market for 1965 Cents
1965 cents continue to circulate, although typical pieces found in pocket change will by in conditions Very Fine and below. The occasional Extra Fine or About Uncirculated example will reveal itself, most likely after an old accumulation of cents is emptied from a large jar of coins and deposited at a bank or at a CoinStar machine.
In numismatic channels, it is not at all difficult to acquire an uncirculated 1965 cent as large numbers of coins were saved in rolls and bags over the years. Notionally, an uncirculated 1965 cent will cost about $1 to $1.50. Beware of Special Mint Set coins masquerading as business strikes. Professional dealers know the difference, but the person listing the coin online or selling at your local store may not have paid too close
PCGS CoinFacts posts a price guide value of $8,000 for the sole 1980 cent. This appears to be a speculative price as there is no auction data to support this price. Given the approximately graded population of seven MS67+ cents in the PCGS population report, we believe that the 1980 Lincoln Cent in MS68RD guide price of $8,000 is high.
Design
Obverse:
The obverse of the 1965 Lincoln cent was designed by Victor David Brenner and appears largely as it did when the type was first minted in 1909. The main difference between the 1965 obverse and the 1909 version is the location of Brenners’ initials, V.D.B., which were added under President Abraham Lincoln’s bust in 1918 after their removal from the reverse in late 1909. The date 1965 appears to the right of Lincoln (viewer’s right), and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the president. On the left of the central motif is the word LIBERTY.
Reverse:
Frank Gasparro designed the 1959 Lincoln Memorial reverse that replaced the original 1909 Brenner wheat stalk design (the Wheat Cent). Gasparro’s initials FG appear on the lower-right side of the Lincoln Memorial. Below the edifice and along the rim are the words ONE CENT, while the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA run along the top half of the reverse along the rim. Between the top of the Lincoln Memorial and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA inscription is the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Edge:
The edge of the 1965 Lincoln Cent is smooth or plain and without reeding, as are all other Lincoln cents.
1965 Lincoln Cent Designer(s)
Lithuanian-born coin designer Victor David Brenner is best known for his iconic design for the Lincoln cent (1909-Present) (View Designer’s Profile). Frank Gasparro was an American medalist and coin designer (View Designer’s Profile).
1904 Was Supposed to Mark the End of the Morgan Dollar
In mid-to-late 1904, an article appeared in newspapers across the country with the blaring headline: “Passing of the Good Old American Silver Dollar.” Under the subtitle “It Is Probable That No More of Them Will Ever be Coined by the Government,” the author, Katherine Pope, reported “that ponderous and more or less troubling coin, the silver dollar, has had its day… the supply of silver bullion purchased under the Sherman act [sic] is exhausted… in all probability no more new silver dollars will be turned out by the government’s mint plants.
“Which, for old associations’ sake,” she wrote, “seems regrettable.”
… But for the New Orleans Mint, it Was
The New Orleans Mint’s last Morgan dollars were struck as the United States Mint prepared to shutter the facility. Economic turbulence in the 1890s spelled doom for these cartwheels prized by free silver advocates and the demise of the dollar prompted staff cutbacks at the southern branch mint.
The New Orleans Mint was a major part of the Morgan dollar’s life. Reactivated by the federal government in 1879 after its loss almost 20 years earlier during the Civil War, the facility struck Morgan dollars every year until the denomination’s end. Of all the Morgan dollars created by the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, those struck at New Orleans are known for a generally “weak” strike and saw perhaps the most actual circulation in commerce.
Ultimately, the New Orleans Mint struck 3,720,000 Morgan dollars in 1904.
The facility outlived the Morgan dollar by five years, its coining operations being suspended in 1909.
What Happened to Millions of Morgan Dollars?
Millions more Morgan dollars were struck than were needed for circulation, and the coins sat unused in bank vaults and Treasury facilities for years until 1918, when Congress passed the Pittman Act. Named for Senator Key Pittman of Nevada, the Act authorized the melting of up to 350,000,000 silver dollars and the sale of the resulting silver to Britain, whose monetary regime in India was stressed after a run on silver. The Pittman Act also called for the melted dollars to be recoined, precipitating the reintroduction of the Morgan dollar and the introduction of the Peace dollar in 1921.
270,232,722 Morgan dollars were melted under the terms of the Pittman Act. This was done without regard for date, making rarities of some previously common issues. For decades, collectors regarded the 1904-O Morgan dollar as this kind of rarity, as few Mint State 1904-O Morgan dollars entered the market, and prices reflected this belief. For instance, an ad published in The Numismatist in August 1951 by B.M. Douglas, a Washington, D.C.-based coin dealer, offered “Brilliant unc” 1904-O Morgan dollars (under the heading “RARE MORGAN DOLLARS”) for $50 USD.
This view held sway until the early 1960s.
Initially stored in the New Orleans Mint’s vault, the surviving coins were moved to Philadelphia in 1929. In October of 1962, large numbers of Mint State Morgan dollars were released – including many examples of the once-scarce 1904-O. The glut of supply drove prices down. In April 1963, a Philadelphia-based dealer offered 1904-O Morgan dollars in “BU” for just $2.00 in The Numismatist.
What are 1904-O Morgan Dollars Worth Now?
Today, examples grading MS-65 routinely sell at auction for between $100 and $200.
Large numbers of 1904-O Morgan dollars survive in grades up to MS-66 and the date becomes conditionally scarce in MS-67. It is one of the most abundant issues in Mint State. According to Q. David Bowers’Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia, more Mint State 1904-O Morgan dollars exist that any other date from the New Orleans Mint after 1885.
PCGS CoinFacts gives an estimate of 372,000 surviving examples, 100,000 of which grade MS-60 or better, with 40,000 grading better than MS-65. PCGS has certified more than 133,000 1904-O Morgan dollars; NGC has certified more than 151,000.
CAC has applied its sticker of approval on 353 coins and has certified nine examples since the company began accepting regular submissions in the summer of 2023.
As for collectible varieties, VAMWorld, a website dedicated to VAM varieties, lists 66 individual VAM varieties for the 1904-O Morgan dollar. A book dedicated to the VAM varieties of 1904-O Morgan dollars was written by Alan Scott and published in 2010; a new edition was released in 2014.
Randy Campbell, Senior Grader and Numismatist at Independent Coin Graders (ICG) and an expert on Prooflike (PL) Morgan dollars, stated in a phone interview that 1904-O Morgans with Deep Mirrored Prooflike (DMPL) obverses and reverses are rare; many coins exhibit DMPL or PL qualities on one side, but rarely both.
CoinFacts claims 9,900 surviving dollar coins are PL, all of which are MS-60 or better; 1,880 are MS-65 or better. DMPL 1904-O Morgan dollars number 1,761 in grades MS-60 and better. Three hundred and ninety-six examples grade MS-65 and better. VAMWorld explains that “Prooflike coins are quite available in terms of absolute population, but they comprise just under 3% of the uncirculated population at PCGS and NGC. Contrast on these tends to be poor.”
In his Getting Started column published in the December 2018 issue of The Numismatist, Mitch Sanders discussed “micro” and “macro” numismatics. Micro numismatics, Sanders wrote, involves “a highly detail-oriented examination of differences among coins with the same date and mint mark, usually focused on die varieties.”
Macronumismatics “emphasizes depth over breadth” and is interested in “coins as representations of the larger economic, political, technological and artistic contexts in which they were produced and used.” 1904-O Morgan dollars have something to offer to both camps.
Collectors can hunt well-struck examples, VAM varieties, and PL and DMPL coins, making the date a worthy endeavor for those who want to delve into the series’ technical minutiae with one of its penultimate dates – and the last date struck at the New Orleans Mint. The 1904-O Morgan dollar marked the beginning of the denomination’s hiatus and the beginning of the end for the New Orleans Mint.
1904-O Morgan Dollar Price Records
The following record prices are still current as of the time of publication:
The obverse of the 1904-O Morgan dollar exhibits the characteristic left-facing Liberty Head motif seen on all issues of this classic dollar series. Lady Liberty bust wears a Phrygian cap encircled with a ribbon adorned with the inscription LIBERTY. Miss Liberty also wears a “vegetal” crown of wheat and cotton, which were two of the nation’s most lucrative natural agricultural assets in the 19th century.
The phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM is inscribed along the upper half of the obverse rim, and the date 1904 is centered at the bottom of the obverse adjacent to the rim. Seven stars appear between the left side of the date and the inscription E PLURIBUS UNUM, while six stars fill the gap between the date and motto on the lower right side of the coin. In total, the 13 stars represent the 13 colonies that combined to form the original Union of the United States. At the base of Liberty’s neck is the “M” monogram representing Morgan’s initial.
Morgan designed the Liberty head bust after the likeness of Anna Willess Williams, a Philadelphia schoolteacher who modeled for the coin. Williams received significant public recognition after her face appeared on the Morgan dollar, but she rejected the attention that was heaped upon her. She refused offers for acting roles and apparently had turned down an offer for marriage following her engagement to an unknown suitor. Before dying at the age of 68 in 1926, Williams, who sat for Morgan on the sworn condition of anonymity, rebuffed her single stint as a coin design model as little more than an “incident of [her] youth.”
Reverse:
The reverse of the 1904-O Morgan dollar is dominated by a heraldic eagle, its wings spread across the upper half of the coin. Between the upper tips of the eagle’s wings appears the national motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The eagle clutches an olive branch in its right claw representing peace and in its left claw are three arrows symbolizing the nation’s ability to defend itself. The central eagle design is partly encircled by a laurel wreath.
Along the rim of the upper two-thirds of the reverse is the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with the tip of the eagle’s left wing (which virtually touches the coin’s rim) penetrating the space between UNITED and STATES; the right wing visually divides the words OF and AMERICA. The words ONE DOLLAR, seen at the bottom center of the reverse, are flanked by a single, six-sided star on either side of the denomination inscription.
The mint mark “O” for New Orleans is located below the wreath and above the word DOLLAR.
Edge:
The edge of the 1904-O Morgan dollar is reeded.
Designer
Engraver George T. Morgan was born in Birmingham, England in 1845. He emigrated to the United States and began work as an assistant to Mint Chief Engraver William Barber and continued to produce patterns and commemoratives under the administration of Barber’s son, Charles. Morgan himself became Chief Engraver in 1917. George Morgan died in 1925.
While large silver dollar coins saw little practical circulation in America’s more populated regions, the coins did see use in the American West, where the durability of metal over paper gave coins a clear advantage. Nowhere did American silver dollars flow more freely than at the gambling cities of Reno and Las Vegas, where silver dollars were the currency of choice for casino slot machines.
However, as demand for these silver dollars increased, the supply began to dwindle. Treasury stockpiles of the coins dwindled in the 1960s, which left the gaming industry with a bit of a dilemma. With the March 1969 death of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Congressional openness to reintroducing a circulating dollar coin to honor the former president took root.
Mint Director Mary Brooks initially lobbied for the coin to be struck in silver, continuing with tradition. However, Congress had no interest in continuing to produce circulating coins in silver. The Coinage Act of 1965 called for the removal of silver from America’s dimes and quarters and reduced the silver content of half dollars from .900 fine to a 40% silver-clad composition. In the five years since the composition change, silver coins all but disappeared from circulation and the silver-clad Kennedy half dollars saw very limited use.
Signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 31, 1970, the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 authorized the production of the Cu-Ni clad Eisenhower dollar for circulation. The Act also allowed for the production of numismatic versions struck from a 40% silver composition to be sold at a significant premium over face value to collectors. These coins would be produced at the San Francisco Mint and sold directly by the United States Mint. The Act also carried an important provision that authorized the General Services Administration (GSA) to sell 2.8 million Carson City Morgan dollars from the vaults of the United States Treasury.)
1971-D Eisenhower Dollars Were Struck First
The Denver Mint was the first mint to strike Eisenhower dollars in 1971, beating the Philadelphia Mint by a few weeks. In total, the Denver Mint produced 68,587,424 1971-D Eisenhower dollars, while the Philadelphia Mint struck 47,799,000 coins. These were significant numbers compared to the mintages of the later mintages of America’s Morgan and Peace silver dollars.
Creating a Cu-Ni Eisenhower dollar–a large, silver-dollar format coin–proved to be quite a technical challenge. Despite the fact that the Denver Mint’s presses were older than the presses at the newly finished Philadelphia facility, the Denver Mint typically produced better dollar coins.
Coins struck at Denver typically have a sharper, cleaner look. Many are fully lustrous, and some were struck on highly polished planchets. By contrast, most Philadelphia issues appear dull, lacking in luster, and have residual annealing chatter marks on the high points of the relief (typically on Eisenhower’s chin and hair).
Despite this overall cleaner look, the 1971-D Eisenhower dollar does have a tendency to show significant amounts of die sink along the bottom periphery. On the coin illustrated above, you can see evidence of this along the bottom of the design through the date and flattening the first few letters of the motto: IN GOD WE TRUST.
How Much are 1971-D Eisenhower Dollars Worth?
For coins struck after World War II, Mint Sets have serves as the primary source for high quality uncirculated coins for any given date. The tradition of producing mint sets dates back to the late 1940s, when they first debuted. Initially, these sets included two examples of each coin – one mounted face up and one face down in cardboard holders. This allowed collectors to admire both sides of the coin without removing them from the packaging.
In 1959, the Mint replaced the cardboard-mounted double mint set with a single coin mint set that housed one coin of each denomination from each mint in a cellophane holder. Curiously, the Mint did not redesign this packaging to include Eisenhower dollars until 1973. The implications of this is that the 2,193,396 uncirculated sets sold of the Mint’s 1971 coins do not include uncirculated examples of the Eisenhower dollar, which means that there are far fewer uncirculated 1971 and 1971-D Eisenhower dollars in the market than there are for coins issued from 1973 to 1978.
Americans did save quantities of the 1971-D Eisenhower Dollar, however. It is common that the American public demonstrates added enthusiasm for saving the first or last coin in a series. The first coin is saved out of enthusiasm for a new design and the desire to save one, or more, as souvenirs. The last coin is saved as a way to preserve a moment in time. By our estimation more 1971 Eisenhower dollars were saved in Mint State than 1972 dollars.
So what are 1971-D Eisenhower dollars worth? The answer is surprising. At a minimum, a 1971-D Eisenhower dollar has a face value of $1, which means that it can be used to buy $1 worth of goods, even today. Coin collectors are willing to pay between $3 and $10 for 1971-D Eisenhower dollars in About Uncirculated / Uncirculated condition.
The value of the coin increases dramatically in high uncirculated grades starting at MS65 and above. One caveat though, generally speaking, when modern coins are attributed as being graded MS65 or MS66, collectors expect that coins have been professionally graded and encapsulated in CAC, NGC, or PCGS holders.
This 1971-D Eisenhower Dollar was sold at a April 2023 Stack’s Bowers auction for $840.
In Mint State 65, the 1971-D carries a price of about $30 according to CoinWeek IQ’s current market analytics. It is a first-year-of-issue and type coin that carries a significant numismatic premium in ultra-high grades (or if it is a gem-quality “Friendly Eagle Variety” – more on that in a moment).
In Mint State 67, auction records indicate that the value of this issue at this level has fallen dramatically from where it was four or five years ago when a typical example might bring $1,500. These prices dropped to about $600 in 2020 and has since come back to about $900 today. Stack’s Bowers sold a mid-range example graded PCGS MS67 for $840 in April 2023.
The three finest examples that we’ve ever seen are the two MS67s from the Richland Ikes Collection, assembled by Ike Group founder Andy Oskam, and another MS67 that was part of Troy Weaver’s amazing registry set (now owned by Del Loy Hansen). Weaver’s example was a Peg Leg (die polished R) variety with a Talon clash mark on Ike’s forehead.
But perhaps the best of all was the modestly-toned NGC MS68 that brought an eye-popping $8,225 at a March 2020 Legend Rare Coin Auction. This has to be the highest price ever paid for a 1971-D clad Ike dollar and to date, PCGS has certified no coins at this level.
The 1971-D (RDV-006) “Friendly Eagle Variety”
Discovered in 1999 by variety specialist Dr. James Wiles and popularized in the subsequent decade by the Ike Group, the 1971-D “Friendly Eagle Variety” is a naked-eye-visible variety that is not as easy to cherrypick as it once was (you can blame CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan for lobbying for the coin to get into the Cherrypicker’s Guide’s 5th edition and the Red Book).
The Friendly Eagle features a rounded Earth (the regular issue is not as perfectly round at the upper left area of the globe). On that rounded Earth, you will see a rounded and distinctly carved out Gulf of Mexico and a distinct chain of islands in the Caribean. The eagle’s brow is softer (one might say “friendlier”) than the standard issue. There is no heavy separation apparent in the relief between the top two of the eagle’s tailfeathers on this variety. Also, the lines leading up to the impact ejecta “lines” of the crater are longer, more distinct, and bracket the second L in DOLLAR. In Very Early Die State, some FEVs show a contrail-shaped die scratch bordering the upper left portion of the globe. This feature was discovered by Ike Group member Brian Vaile.
As for scarcity, the Friendly Eagle is not rare but probably represents no more than one million to 1.5 million of the issue’s 68,587,424 struck. Ike dollar specialists consider this a major variety and a semi-key to the series, the key being the 1972 “Type 2” variety.
In MS65, the FEV sells for $100-$125. To date, PCGS reports 66 examples in MS66 with 3 in MS66+. No MS66+ has sold at public auction. MS66 examples have sold for $500 or more. One example, sold in July 21, 2022 by Heritage Auctions slipped through the cracks after the firm misrepresented its population data and offered collectors no information about the variety in the lot description. In that instance, the lucky buyer was able to acquire a $400-$500 coin for $204.
To our knowledge, no finer coins have been certified by NGC. Both services charge a fee to attribute this variety.
Description
Obverse:
Frank Gasparro’s portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower (as president); Eisenhower facing to the left. Gasparro’s initials “FG” appear raised in the bust truncation. Beneath Eisenhower’s chin, to the left, is the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” LIBERTY wraps around the top of the coin in the space between the rim and the top of Eisenhower’s head. The date wraps around the bottom of the design, between the rim and the bottom of Eisenhower’s bust truncation. While Philadelphia-struck pieces bear no mintmark, coins struck at Denver and San Francisco will bear small mintmarks of “D” or “S” above the space between the last two digits of the date. On Eisenhower dollars, mintmarks were hand-punched and may vary in exact location and orientation.
Reverse:
The reverse is based on Michael Collins’Apollo 11 Mission Patch design.
In the center, a bald eagle in descent. In its talons, an olive branch. Its left wing is raised. The lunar surface lies below. Above the eagle’s head is a depiction of the Earth. North America is prominently visible. Wrapping around the top of the coin adjacent to the rim is the legend “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” Thirteen small five-point stars circle around the eagle. Below the ring of stars but above the eagle is the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM”. Wrapping around the bottom of the design is the denomination “ONE DOLLAR”.
Edge:
The edge of the 1971-D Eisenhower dollar is reeded.
Designer
Frank Gasparro was a friend to numismatists and served as Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1965 to 1981 (View Designer’s Profile).
Description In mid-to-late 1904, an article appeared in newspapers across the country with the blaring headline: “Passing of the Good Old American Silver Dollar.” Under the subtitle “It Is Probable That No More of Them Will Ever be Coined by the Government,” the author, Katherine Pope, reported “that ponderous and more or less troubling coin, […]
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The Liberty Head nickel–or “V” nickel, as it’s more commonly known–was the second design style of the United States five-cent nickel coin. The design, the work of Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, was a modest improvement over James B. Longacre’s Shield nickel, which had entered production in 1866 and served the nation for 17 years. […]
Despite the Bicentennial Coin Program that resulted in the redesigning of half the United States circulating denominations, the Lincoln cent remained unchanged. While the Philadelphia Mint reported an official mintage of 4,674,292,426 Lincoln cents for 1976, this is slightly deceiving. In fact, as stated in the Annual Report of the Director of the Mint for […]
While the Walking Liberty half dollar was well received by the public, a general lack of demand and the silver dollar production requirements of the Pittman Act of 1918 resulted in a decade of sporadic production figures. Throughout the 1920s, the United States Mint’s San Francisco facility was responsible for striking nearly 60% of all […]
The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of its production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and Third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. He […]
The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of its production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and Third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. He […]
With the opening of their brand-new facility at 1700 Spring Garden Street, 1901 was a big year for the United States Mint in Philadelphia. This new facility afforded the Mint a much larger production capacity through massive upgrades in equipment. Most importantly, all aspects of the production line would now be powered by electricity, and […]
By 1904, the United States’ large format gold double eagle had begun to fall in popularity and had practically ceased to circulate. As a result, production far outstripped demand, and while gold coins were still used in many of the western states, most US citizens would not use gold coins in regular commerce. This was […]
The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of its production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. He […]
On February 9, 1977, Frank H. MacDonald, then-Deputy Director of the United States Mint, announced that the Denver facility would cease production. Two days later, the branch mint in Colorado shut down. This was mainly due to the suspension of die cutting at the Philadelphia Mint on February 1 caused by the nationwide natural gas […]
The specific design of the Franklin half dollar–Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse–was heavily advocated for by the pioneering United States Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross, who served from 1933 to 1953. Unfortunately for Ross, the law required the reverse design of the US half dollar to […]
In 1944, the United States Mint was working overtime to accommodate not only the wartime needs of the United States but also the needs of its allies. The need was so great that “nearly three billion domestic coins” and “nearly 800,000,000 coins” for 17 other countries were produced “at cost”, which combined to make the […]
By 1997, events were already in motion that would completely overhaul the Washington quarter series. By December 1, 1997, President Bill Clinton had signed the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act, making 1997 the penultimate year of the Heraldic Eagle Washington quarter. This came on the back of a very important couple of years at […]
History of the 1861 Dahlonega Gold Dollar During the lead-up to the Civil War, branch mints in the southern United States began preparing for the war. While the Treasury Department decided not to send any additional bullion, the Philadelphia Mint shipped two pairs of dies to the mint in Dahlonega, Georgia. But two weeks after […]
The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456, the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks or other national sites in each state, the […]
Description: On July 30, 2015, the United States Mint will issue a 1 ounce .9999 gold coin struck in high relief and bearing the notional denomination of $100. This high-relief gold coin was not specifically authorized by Congress, but instead will be issued under the authority granted under 31 U.S.C. § 5112(i)(4)(C), which gives the […]
At the height of the Great Depression and resulting from the dramatic decline in the public’s demand for coins, the Denver Mint’s operations nearly ground to a halt. This resulted in an 88.8% drop in mintage figures for the Lincoln Cent, from over 40 million pieces to almost 4.5 million coins. Adding to this initial […]
In 1979, one year prior to the issue of the 1980-D, the Susan B. Anthony dollar was released with a large amount of fanfare. The new design depicted the eponymous American suffragette as the first historically real woman on a circulation strike coin. In preparation for the assumed massive demand, a combined total of 757,813,744 […]
The story of America’s $2.5 gold Indian, also known as the Pratt-Bigelow quarter eagle, is at its core, a story of two presidential cousins. Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt were responsible for the inception and termination of the series. In a 1904 letter, Theodore Roosevelt called 19th-century US coinage “atrocious hideousness” and began his crusade to […]
In 1864 when the Two Cent coin was first issued, the US Civil War was still raging. One effect of the war was a massive shortage of hard currency. While specie coins had disappeared from circulation quite early in the war, by ’64 even small copper cents were thin on the ground as evidenced by […]
Charles Barber’s quarter dollar design was introduced in 1892, a beneficiary of the provision of the Mint Act of 1890, which allowed for the design of a coin to be changed every 25 years. Though not mandated by law, Barber’s designs for the dime, the quarter, and the half dollar were set aside in 1916. […]
While not necessarily a well-known year in American history, 1886 saw a series of interesting and important historical events: the dedication of the Statue of Liberty by President Grover Cleveland, the introduction of Coca-Cola by John Pemberton, and the Chicago Haymarket Affair, which forced the implementation of the eight-hour workday. Even at the United States […]
Description: The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456, the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks or other […]
Hindsight is 20/20, and despite the Great Depression looming right around the corner, it was business as usual at the United States Mint in 1929. In fact, that year the Philadelphia facility struck 185,262,000 cents coins alone, and when combined with the other mint facilities, the mintage topped 277 million pieces. This was the largest […]
As United States Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross’s brainchild, she continually pushed the government to design and release a half dollar depicting Benjamin Franklin and the Liberty Bell. However, there was a law that required the reverse design of the US half dollar to include an eagle. Ross was so attached to the idea of […]
With the US Treasury’s stockpile of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins dwindling rapidly, the United States Mint was charged under the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997 to create a new dollar type coin. Accordingly, the Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee, appointed by Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, held a public design competition in the […]
First released in 1916 with a minuscule mintage, the Standing Liberty Quarter garnered almost immediate controversy. As the newly appointed Director of the Mint, Robert W. Woolley held a public competition to replace the earlier Barber designs on the dime, quarter, and half dollar. While anyone could submit designs, the famous American sculptor Hermon Atkins […]
The choice to memorialize President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the dime, made shortly after his death in 1945, was a fitting one. Having served as president of the United States for 12 years from 1933 to 1945, he successfully led the nation through several of its most tumultuous periods, from the Great Depression to World […]
Suspended in 1904 due to a significant drop in the demand for silver resulting from the passage of the 1890 Sherman Silver Act, no further Morgan dollars would be struck until 1921. The series was thought to be dead. Yet because of World War I, the government of Great Britain was facing an economic crisis. […]
As the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth in 1932 drew closer, the United States Mint began preparing the Nation’s numismatic arena. With the Act of March 4, 1931, the US Senate decreed that the portrait of George Washington “shall appear on the obverse, with appropriate devices on the reverse” (U.S. Mint Report, 1932, pg. 134). […]
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 […]
Description: Even though the United States had no real need for a large dollar coin at the start of the 1970s, the gaming industry developed an acute need to find a replacement for the silver dollars it used to feed tens of thousands of slot machines. This “need”, and the recent passing of beloved war-hero-turned-President […]
The Saint-Gaudens $20 gold double eagle is one of the most famous of all American coin types, acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and artistic numismatic designs ever realized in the United States. Its existence came only at the insistence of President Theodore Roosevelt, who sought for years to beautiful America’s humdrum coin designs. […]
Demand for domestic coinage continued to grow in 1936 and the United States Mint responded by adding shifts and ramping up production. In Philadelphia, cent production was higher than it had been at any time since 1920. In total, 309,632,000 pieces were struck, all from blanks that were manufactured in-house. This production level largely satisfied […]
As the Roosevelt dime entered production in 1972, the design had served its statutorily-mandated minimum service life of 25 years. The four-term president was a fitting choice to replace Weinman’s Winged Liberty design in 1946, and sentiment about the longest-serving U.S. president remained high as the generation he led through the Great Depression and World […]
By January 1861, the process of southern secession was underway, signaling the onset of America’s deadliest war. Throughout this tumultuous year, the country experienced a multitude of historic events: Abraham Lincoln would become the 16th president, the Confederate States of America was born, and the Civil War commenced. Despite the loss of its branch facilities […]
As one of the key dates of the series, the 1949-S Roosevelt dime is second in rarity only to the Philadelphia Mint’s 1955 mintage of 12,450,181 pieces. But with an issuance of 13,510,000 pieces, this coin is not exactly “rare”. However, it is one of the more interesting pieces from the series and commands something […]
1967 marked the beginning of a return to normalcy for the United States Mint. The Coinage Act of 1965 radically recalibrated American coinage, dropping the 90% silver standard in favor of base metal dimes and quarters and a 40% silver-clad alloy for halves. As legislators and bureaucrats sought to remedy the ongoing national coin shortage, […]
With the passage of the Coinage Act of 1864, the United States Congress authorized the design and production of a brand-new denomination, the short-lived Two Cent coin. As part of the government’s experimentation with odd denominations (including the three-cent nickel, the silver trime, the 20-cent piece, and the three-dollar stella gold coin, the two-cent piece […]
While still a fledgling design, the Philadelphia Mint struck nearly 50% more 1910 Lincoln cents than in 1909 or 1910. In fact, it was the largest single issuance of Lincoln cents by the Philadelphia Mint until 1917. With a mintage of 146,801,218 pieces, this coin is easily obtainable in both general circulated and Mint State […]
To honor the 200th anniversary of President and General George Washington’s birthday, Congress passed a joint resolution in 1924 that was signed by then-President Calvin Coolidge. The resolution was to ensure the country hosted adequate celebrations in 1932, the deceased president’s bicentennial year. One of the sponsored actions was to replace the Standing Liberty series […]
To honor the 200th anniversary of President and General George Washington’s birthday, Congress passed a joint resolution in 1924 that was signed by then-President Calvin Coolidge. The resolution was to ensure the country hosted adequate celebrations in 1932, the deceased president’s bicentennial year. One of the sponsored actions was to replace the Standing Liberty series […]
The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of its production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and third president of the United States Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. He […]
The 1969-D Kennedy Half Dollar was the last of the silver-clad half dollar struck in quantity for circulation. The silver-clad half dollar would take its final bow in 1970 when the Denver Mint struck the coin one last time, but the mintage was limited to that year’s annual Mint Set and the published mintage of that set […]
Background of the Washington Quarter Series Intended to be a circulating commemorative coin honoring the bicentennial of the birth of America’s first president, the Washington quarter as originally designed was struck from 1932 to 1998, save for a two-year run in 1975 and 1976, when the coin’s reverse was swapped out for the “drummer boy” design […]
The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of its production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and third president of the United States Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. He […]
Description – Washington Quarter Intended to be a circulating commemorative coin honoring the bicentennial of the birth of America’s first president, the Washington quarter as originally designed was struck from 1932 to 1998 – save for a two-year run in 1975 and ’76, when the coin’s reverse was swapped out for the “drummer boy” design […]
The 1999-D Delaware quarter, released on January 1, was the first issue in the 50 States Quarters series struck at the Denver Mint. Delaware became the first state on December 7, 1787, when all 30 delegates of the Delaware Constitutional Convention ratified the United States Constitution. 11 years earlier, key votes on the call for […]
Bicentennial quarters are still doing their job, nearly a half-century after their issue in 1975 and 1976. Introduced alongside redesigned half dollars and dollar coins to mark the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the quarters were struck in the largest quantities of the three. A slightly larger mintage and a […]
The 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar was the last of the regular-strike silver-clad half dollars and the last Kennedy half intended for circulation that contained any silver at all. Its release took collectors by surprise, as it was available only in mint sets that year. The United States Mint didn’t publicize this fact, and by the […]
Description: 1982 was a landmark year for the United States one-cent coin, as the metallic composition of the coin was changed from bronze to copper-plated zinc. It was the end of an era for the “penny,” which had become too expensive to produce with its 95-percent copper composition; the cost of making the one-cent piece […]
The California Gold Rush may have been set off by James Wilson Marshall’s January 24, 1848 discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, but the commercial extraction of oro fino in California had already been underway for eight years by this time. This fact is important to understand because contrary to popular belief, the 1848 “CAL” […]
Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and artistic numismatic designs ever realized in the United States, the Saint-Gaudens $20 gold double eagle is also one of the most famous of all American coin types. Its existence came only at the insistence of President Theodore Roosevelt, who, over Mint objections, sought for years to beautify […]
By CoinWeek IQ ….. The Philadelphia Mint struck 15,646,000 Kennedy half dollars in 1998. A typical year for a denomination that didn’t see much in the way of circulation but was still being struck in quantity, in the event that new halves were needed from the Federal Reserve. Most collectors, however, would acquire their 1998-P […]
The era of the big dollar coin was already coming to a close when the United States Mint struck the last 59,000,000 Eisenhower dollar coins for circulation at the Denver and Philadelphia Mints. Denver had the honor of striking slightly more, and as had been the case through the entire series, struck them better than […]
The Jefferson nickel’s 1938 debut marked the end of the 25-year production run of the Buffalo nickel. James Earl Fraser’s Buffalo design, a classic in terms of coin art and Americana, gave the Mint fits. It was a difficult coin to strike, was hard on dies, and the speed at which the coin’s date wore […]
The penultimate coin issued in the program’s penultimate year and the 44th overall, the Wyoming 50 State quarter was released in September 2007. Arguably, the coin is one of the most representative of its state, with its simple, albeit polarizing, design of a cowboy riding a bucking bronco. But as far as collectors are concerned, […]
Description The Lincoln cent is the United States’ longest-serving coin. Its 1909 debut marked the centennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and its elegant sculptural design served as the vanguard of a new wave of American coin art. And while the golden era of American coin design is most associated with medallic artist and […]
Description: The Mercury or Winged Liberty dime (1916-1945) has long stood as an iconic coin the U.S. series. The coin’s elegant design draws heavily from the French Beaux Arts movement of the late 19th century. Its release immediately preceded the Roosevelt dime (1946-Present), and it is the last U.S. dime to be struck entirely in .900 […]
Description: The 1999 Delaware quarter, released on January 1, was the first issue in the 50 States Quarters series and honors the first state to ratify the United States Constitution. Delaware became the first state on December 7, 1787, when all 30 delegates of the Delaware Constitutional Convention ratified the U.S. Constitution. 11 years earlier, […]
Description The 1928-S Peace dollar is among the most common later-date Peace dollars and one of the series’ major condition rarities. The last date struck from silver purchased under the terms of the Pittman Act, it’s more affordable than its counterpart from the Philadelphia Mint in circulated and lower uncirculated grades. But in MS-65, it’s […]
Description: The 1990 Eisenhower Centennial Dollar is the second United States coin struck to honor the 34th President of the United States, the first was the circulating Eisenhower dollar issued from 1971-1978. Authorized by Public Law 100-467 (Act of October 3, 1988), which authorized the striking of up to 4,000,000 silver dollars to commemorate the […]
Description Lincoln cents were in short supply as the United States entered its second year of war in Europe. Increased wartime economic activity drove up demand for circulating coinage, resulting in larger mintages. The more than 288 million cents produced at the Philadelphia Mint in 1918–the largest mintage in the series up to that point–were […]
Description – Washington Quarter Intended to be a circulating commemorative coin honoring the bicentennial of the birth of America’s first president, the Washington quarter as originally designed was struck from 1932 to 1998, save for a two-year run in 1975 and 1976, when the coin’s reverse was swapped out for the “drummer boy” design of Jack […]
Description – Washington Quarter Intended to be a circulating commemorative coin honoring the bicentennial of the birth of America’s first president, the Washington quarter as originally designed was struck from 1932 to 1998, save for a two-year run in 1975 and 1976, when the coin’s reverse was swapped out for the “drummer boy” design of Jack […]
In the fall of 1986, the first silver bullion coins produced by the United States were released, marking the beginning of a series whose enduring popularity is evidenced by rapid sellouts of U.S. Mint products that include them. The American Silver Eagle (ASE) remains one of the world’s most sought-after bullion coins, and its inaugural […]
Struck against the backdrop of war from an alloy developed to save copper and nickel, the 1944-P Jefferson nickel is one of the most abundant dates of the silver alloy subtype. Uncirculated examples are plentiful and can be purchased inexpensively, though fully-struck examples are elusive. The date was counterfeited in the 1950s by Francis Henning, […]
Description President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s portrait on the dime was a fitting choice in 1946. He was a revered figure for many of the “Greatest Generation”: those who lived through the Great Depression (1929-39) and prevailed in World War II (1939-45). Though his administration was not without criticism (numismatists might lament his 1933 Executive Order […]
Description: While the country-at-large’s desire for a large dollar coin at the start of the 1970s was hardly demonstrable, the gaming industry developed an acute need to find a replacement for the silver dollars it used to feed tens of thousands of slot machines. This “need”, and the recent passing of beloved war-hero-turned-President Dwight D. […]
Description In mid-to-late 1904, an article appeared in newspapers across the country with the blaring headline: “Passing of the Good Old American Silver Dollar.” Under the subtitle “It Is Probable That No More of Them Will Ever be Coined by the Government,” the author, Katherine Pope, reported “that ponderous and more or less troubling coin, […]
By CoinWeek IQ ….. The last Franklin half dollar struck at the San Francisco Mint, the 1954-S, offers a window into an evolving postwar United States Mint. Replacing the Walking Liberty half dollar in 1948, the Franklin half dollar obverse was designed by Mint Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock, and the reverse was created by […]
The 1933 double eagle $20 gold coin is one of American Numismatics’ most notorious coins. Only one surviving specimen was ever monetized and made legal to own, yet an uncertain number of examples still exist. When the United States made the controversial decision in 1933 to suspend the gold standard that it had based its […]
Consumers in San Francisco and along the West Coast were handling a rarity in the mid-1860s. As their counterparts in the east were vanishing from circulation during the Civil War, silver coins in San Francisco circulated much more extensively – including the 1864-S Seated Liberty quarter, which turned out to be a major rarity. Consumers […]
Even though the United States had no real need for a large dollar coin at the start of the 1970s, the gaming industry developed an acute need to find a replacement for the silver dollars used to feed tens of thousands of slot machines. This “need”, and the recent death of beloved war-hero-turned-president Dwight D. […]
Description Morgan dollar production continued at its Congressionally mandated pace in 1887, despite the fact that even 10 years into the series’ run it had failed to gain a meaningful place as a circulating coin for most Americans. The 1887 Morgan dollar, known more officially as the Liberty Head dollar, is a silver coin struck […]
Description A year after the initial buzz… and then thud… of the release of a new dollar coin, the United States Mint continued its work to refine and improve Frank Gasparro’s design. A number of subtle changes were undertaken by the Mint’s engraving department, including a mid-year change in the quality of die steel used […]
Description: Americans have long considered the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 as the birthday of the United States. And 1976 was a special year: the 200th anniversary, or bicentennial, of our nation’s founding. But Congress and the U.S. Mint were still leery of what they viewed as the abuses of […]
Description: Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and artistic numismatic designs ever realized in the United States, the Saint-Gaudens $20 gold double eagle is one of the most famous of all American coin types. Its existence came only at the insistence of President Theodore Roosevelt, who sought for years to beautiful America’s humdrum coin […]
Description: The small “white cents”, so-called because of their light color compared to that of the older large cents, had at first escaped the hoarding of coins that came with the Civil War. But by 1862, in spite of the production of millions of the coins, the cent had also disappeared from circulation, joining the […]
Description: The Seated Liberty (or Liberty Seated) dime debuted in 1837 and underwent a number of design modifications over the course of its 54-year run. In 1837, United States Mint engraver (and soon to be Chief Engraver) Christian Gobrecht’s design debuted with a fairly clean, yet simple obverse that featured a seated Liberty accompanied only […]
Description: The Albany Half Dollar is one of twenty 1936-dated commemorative silver coins issued by the United States Mint. The coin was authorized by Public Law 687, which authorized “the production of a minimum of 25,000 coins dated 1936 and bearing a special single design to commemorative the 250the Anniversary of the founding of the […]
Description: U.S. Circulating Coin Production in 1887 – Putting the 1887 Half in Context In 1887, the Philadelphia Mint handled U.S. coin production for all of the minor denominations, the silver dollar, and gold denominations up to $10, with the exception of the half eagle, which was only struck for circulation at the San Francisco […]
Description: 1976 was an important year in American Numismatics. The Bicentennial quarter, half dollar and dollar had been released, featuring Jack Ahr’s drummer, Seth Huntington’s view of Independence Hall and Dennis William’s Liberty Bell, respectively. But from the start, U.S. Mint Director Mary Brooks was against the idea of changing the designs of all six […]
Description: Throughout history, certain coins, often silver ones like the trade dollar, have circulated around large geographical regions far from their place of origin. The Maria Theresa thaler, the Spanish dollar, the Athenian owl – all were accepted as legal tender far and wide because of their precious metal content and reliability. During the Age […]
Description: While the country-at-large’s desire for a large dollar coin at the start of the 1970s was hardly demonstrable, the gaming industry developed an acute need to find a replacement for the silver dollars it used to feed tens of thousands of slot machines. This “need”, and the recent passing of beloved war-hero-turned-President Dwight D. […]
Description: In 2017, the United States Mint celebrated the 225th anniversary of its creation with the construction of the Philadelphia Mint as authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792. The highlight of the Mint’s celebrations was the 2017 American Liberty Proof Gold Coin. Part of a new series of coins and medals that showcase a […]
Description: On July 30, 2015, the United States Mint will issue a 1 ounce .9999 gold coin struck in high relief and bearing the notional denomination of $100. This high relief gold coin was not specifically authorized by Congress, but instead will be issued under the authority granted under 31 U.S.C. § 5112(i)(4)(C), which gives […]
Description: The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456 (source: PDF), the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks […]
Description – Washington Quarter Intended to be a circulating commemorative coin honoring the bicentennial of the birth of America’s first president, the Washington quarter as originally designed was struck from 1932 to 1998, save for a two-year run in 1975 and 1976, when the coin’s reverse was swapped out for the “drummer boy” design of Jack […]
Description – Washington Quarter Intended to be a circulating commemorative coin honoring the bicentennial of the birth of America’s first president, the Washington quarter as originally designed was struck from 1932 to 1998, save for a two-year run in 1975 and 1976, when the coin’s reverse was swapped out for the “drummer boy” design of Jack […]
Description: The Jefferson nickel debuted in 1938, replacing the Buffalo nickel in the 25th year of its production run. A design contest to commemorate Founding Father and third president of the United States Thomas Jefferson, open to “all American sculptors”, was held in 1937. German émigré and American artist Felix Oscar Schlag was the winner. […]
Description: 1982 was a landmark year for the United States one-cent coin, as the metallic composition of the coin was changed from bronze to copper-plated zinc. It was the end of an era for the “penny,” which had become too expensive to produce with its 95-percent copper composition; the cost of making the one-cent piece […]
Description: The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456 (source: PDF), the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks […]
Description: While the country-at-large’s desire for a large dollar coin at the start of the 1970s was hardly demonstrable, the gaming industry developed an acute need to find a replacement for the silver dollars it used to feed tens of thousands of slot machines. This “need”, and the recent passing of beloved war-hero-turned-President Dwight D. […]
Description: Americans have long considered the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 as the birthday of the United States. And 1976 was a special year: the 200th anniversary, or bicentennial, of our nation’s founding. But Congress and the U.S. Mint were still leery of what they viewed as the abuses […]
Description: The 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar was the last of the regular-strike silver-clad half dollars and the last Kennedy half intended for circulation that contained any silver at all. Its release took collectors by surprise, as it was available only in mint sets that year. The United States Mint didn’t publicize this fact, and […]
Description: The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456 (source: PDF), the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks […]
Description: The 2017 Lions Clubs International Centennial commemorative silver dollar honors the 100th anniversary of the world’s largest service club. Founded in 1917 by Chicago businessman and philanthropist Melvin Jones, Lions Clubs International has more than 1.4 million members working together to help improve communities around the world. There are more than 46,000 associated clubs […]
Description: The 2017 Boys Town commemorative $5 gold coin is one of three special United States Mint issues that honor the 100th anniversary of the famous Nebraska-based organization that provides care for at-risk youth. The non-profit organization was founded in 1917 by Father Edward Flanagan, who established Boys Town in Omaha as a home for […]
Description: The non-profit organization Boys Town, dedicated to helping at-risk youth and made famous by the 1938 movie of the same name, is commemorated on a clad half dollar, a silver dollar and a $5 gold coin celebrating the centennial of its founding in 1917. Established by Father Edward Flanagan, the charity’s main focus was […]
Description: Throughout history, certain coins–often silver ones–have circulated around large geographical regions far from their place of origin. The Maria Theresa thaler, the Spanish dollar, the Athenian owl – all were accepted as legal tender far and wide because of their precious metal content and reliability. During the Age of Exploration and subsequent Age of […]
Description: On August 27, 2015, the United States Mint issued the 2015 Lady Bird Johnson First Spouse 1/2 oz $10 Gold Coin. The coin is struck in .9999 gold and has a maximum authorized mintage of only 10,000 pieces across all ordering options. The coin was struck at the West Point Mint and carries the […]
Description: On July 1, 2016 the United States Mint issued the 2016 Nancy Reagan First Spouse 1/2 oz $10 Gold Coin. The coin is struck in .9999 gold and has a maximum authorized mintage of only 10,000 pieces across all ordering options. The coin was struck at the West Point Mint and carries the “W” […]
Description: The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456 (source: PDF), the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks […]
Description: The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program. Authorized by Public Law 110–456 (source: PDF), the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks […]
Description: The 2001 New York state quarter is a circulating commemorative coin that, by an awful twist of fate, became one of the most widely publicized, most popular issues in the 50 States Quarters series. The New York quarter was released on January 2, 2001 and became the first 50 States Quarters issue for that […]
Description: The Presidential Dollar Coin Act (Public Law 109-145) was passed into law on December 22, 2005. The Act compelled the Secretary of the Treasury to “mint coins in commemoration of each of the Nation’s past Presidents and their spouses, respectively, to improve circulation of the $1 coin, [and] to create a new bullion coin”. […]
This CoinWeek Coin Profile is Sponsored by Minshull Trading Description: The Mercury or Winged Liberty dime (1916-1945) has long stood as an iconic coin the U.S. series. The coin’s elegant design draws heavily from the French Beaux Arts movement of the late 19th century. Its release immediately preceded the Roosevelt dime (1946-Present), and it is the […]
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