Week Twenty-Nine

 

Coin of the Week: 1921 Morgan Dollar

This coin was the last in the series of the popular Morgan dollar design. With about 86,730,000 minted, this is the year with the highest mintage of any Morgan dollar, making it one of the most commonly encountered silver dollars on the market. The coin had been on a mintage hiatus since 1904, and coincided with the Peace dollar of 1921 as well. Minted at P,D, and S mints.

 

 

Coin News: The “Change”ing Face of Europe

The European continent’s coins have had quite the shakeup. With the abdication of king Juan Carlos of Spain, a new effigy of the new king, Felipe VI, has been places on some Spanish coins.

The Netherlands have seen a recent “change” as well, with their new king, King Willem-Alexander.

And, the Royal Mint (UK) has announced that it will use a new portrait of Elizabeth II on their coins starting in 2015. No photographs are available at this time. For more information on this, go to http://news.coinupdate.com/royal-mint-announces-plans-for-new-queen-elizabeth-ii-effigy-4555/.

Week Twenty-Eight

 

Coin of the Week: 1814 Platinum Half Dollar

The early 1800’s were the years when American coinage was still in it’s testing stages. What metals, designs, and sizes would work the best?

One of the many metals used to make test coins was Platinum. This “Platina” Half Dollar is unique as the only U.S. pattern coin to be made of Platinum, and the only Platinum coin authorized by the U.S. government for 183 years.

The countermarks are all letter “P”s for Platinum, and the engraving on the back says “Platina”, which stands for… well, you can probably guess what.

 

Wonderful World: Turks and Caicos Islands 1976   20 crowns

I have always had this obsession with coins on coins, so this silver beauty is right up my alley. The reverse features the four busts of Queen Victoria used on coinage during her reign. They are:

Young Victoria

 

 

Gothic Victoria

 

 

Jubilee Victoria

 

 

Mature Victoria

 

Approximate actual size:

 

Add the fact that this coin is from a very obscure country, and we have a winning numismatic item!

 

Rooting Through the Lost Art: Freedom Dollar

Frank Gasparro’s pet project, this was the Dollar coin that never was. Several test designs were made before congress did an about-face and supported the Susan B. Anthony Dollar.

Of course, because this coin was never made, we don’t really have a base image to give. Here was the final design:

And here are the other patterns:

These photos are from the National Numismatic Collection, one of the finest coin collections in the world, and all the designs are made by Frank Gasparro.

Week Twenty-Seven

 

Coin of the Week: 2015 U.S. Marshalls Commemorative Half Dollar

This coin is not even on the market yet, but production has started. The obverse features two U.S. Marshalls while the reverse shows Lady Justice holding a set of scales, next to a lot of other law-and-order related things like the Constitution. This coin will be available in early 2015. It is made of the standard clad half-dollar composition. Can’t wait!

 

Wonderful World: 1913 Napoleon Defeat Silver 2 Mark Prussian Commemorative Coin

This coin was struck in the Germany state of Prussia in 1913 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Prussia joining the fight against Napoleon Bonaparte’s European conquest. It is one of my personal favorite German coins, struck just before WWI. The reverse eagle is one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen, and the obverse battalion scene is super cool.

 

 

Today’s is a short post. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, feel free to put them in the box below!

Week Twenty-Six

Coin of the Week: Lafayette Silver Dollar
Struck in 1900 (most of them were really struck in 1899), the Lafayette Silver Dollar was the only silver dollar (though not the only dollar coin) in the early commemorative years (1892-1953). It features busts of the Marquee de Lafayette, who helped us win the revolutionary war, and George Washington, obviously the less famous of the two (roll eyes here). Interesting note: Charles E. Barber modeled the bust of Washington on the same bust that the Washington Quarter was modeled on. The reverse shows Lafayette on horseback. The pieces were struck to help fund a statue of Lafayette being built in Paris. 36,000 of the authorized 50,000 coins struck were sold. Today, these coins are extremely expensive, climbing into the ten-thousands when offered for sale.

Pay the Bills: 1896 Educational Series
Out west was a great place to be in the 1890’s…. if you didn’t want a proper education.
That line just about summed up the feelings about the wild west in big cities on the east coast. The people who live there must be uneducated slobs (I would have resented this. I live in the wild west). So how can we make them smarter, more refined, more appreciative of art?
Well, what things do they even use over there?
Guns!
Oh, wait. If we educate them via guns, then that might put the wrong idea into their heads. Sighhhh…
Cows!
Okay, really? Who wants to see art on cows? They give milk, not education.
Cash!
Hey, you might be on to something there… what if we put fancy designs on money? That’ll get those people to appreciate it!
And so the Educational Series was born. They are 1896 1,2, and 5 dollar bills with absolutely beautiful designs. And here they are: (Sorry for the low resolution pics)

Week Twenty-Five

 

Coin of the Week: Britannia Bullion Coins

One of the many bullion coin programs in the world, the Britannia is a classic. Why? Because of the popular image of Britannia that graces the reverse of the coins, and the ever changing image of Britannia as well.

The program has been going on since 1997. The silver coins bear a face value of 2 Pounds, while the gold ones bear a 100 Pounds. Here are some of the more famous designs from this popular series.

Several fractional gold and silver pieces have also appeared on the market.

 

Rooting Through the Lost Art: South Carolina and New Hampshire State Quarters

New Hampshire Original:

Proposed:

South Carolina Original:

Proposed:

Week Twenty-Four

 

Coin of the Week: Capped Bust Half Dollar

Designed by U.S. Mint engraver William Kneass, the Capped Bust Half Dollar shared a uniform design with the dime and quarter of the same period. It was minted from 1807 to 1839, with a few minor modifications along the way. The design shows a depiction of Lady Liberty sporting a nice cap. A similar design was used on the gold coins of the time as well, although these coins show only the head of Lady Liberty.

Capped Bust Half Dollar

 

Capped Bust Half Eagle

The first coin struck at any branch mint of the U.S.A. was a 1939-O (New Orleans) mint Capped Bust Half Dollar, worth thousands of dollars today.

1839-O Half Dollar

 

 

Coin News: Kennedy Silver Coin Set to be released

The long awaited 4-coin silver Kennedy Set will be released by the U.S. Mint on October 28th. This set features 4 specially made Kennedy Half Dollars, one from each branch of the mint, and each with it’s own special finish.

The set will be available at 12:00 am Eastern Standard Time on the 28th, selling for $99.95+$4.95 s/h.

Week Twenty-Three

 

Coin of the Week/Cool Commemoratives: Goddesses on American Coinage

Americans, and indeed, the world, have often used goddesses to illustrate freedom, liberty, peace, and several other ideals. These goddesses can be portrayed in almost any way. Most of the time, they are portrayed as beautiful young women, sometimes accompanied by a flag, or an infant, or some other representation. This blog post will explain the goddesses shown on United States commemorative coins.

LADY COLUMBIA

Lady Columbia was the first goddess to grace American coins. She appeared on the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition Half Dollar, opening a golden gate with an infant behind her, and the same year's Quarter Eagle ($2.50 gold) riding a mythical Hippocampus.

One other coin that I think she appears on is the Monroe Doctrine Centennial Half Dollar. Two goddesses appear on the reverse, and they form the shape of the Americas. But to be perfectly honest, I really don't know if they represent Lady Columbia.

MINERVA (ATHENA)

Minerva also debuted in 1915, featured on the obverses of the two $50 gold pieces, and made her second appearance on the California Expo Half Dollar.

Her hand appears on the obverse of the 2000 Library of Congress bi-metal $10.

LADY LIBERTY

Lady Liberty was the first subject on the first coin of the United States. But she did not appear on a commemorative coin until 1926, the sesquicentennial (150) of the United States, when she graced the obverse of the sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle.

Since then, she has made at least five other appearances: on the Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial Half Dollar,

on the 2012 Star-Spangled Banner $1,

and the 1986 Statue of Liberty coins (Half Dollar, Silver Dollar, Gold $5 Half Eagle).

Lady Liberty appears on several formerly circulating United States coinage as well, and the many depictions of her from around the world seem rather similar to those of the United States.

OTHERS: LADIES JUSTICE, FREEDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE

These goddesses are not as familiar to most people. Every good coin collector knows about Lady Liberty and Minerva, but these three, Justice, Freedom, and Knowledge are slightly more quirky, as they have never appeared on particularly famous commemorative coins or circulating coinage. All three of these goddesses appear on only one or two coins apiece:

Justice appears on the Columbia, South Carolina sesquicentennial Half Dollar, as a slightly aged woman holding a set of scales.

Freedom shows up on the 1989 Congress bicentennial Half Dollar and Silver Dollar, shown as the statue of the same name atop the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

Knowledge debuts on the 1996 Smithsonian Silver Dollar reverse, seated on the globe and holding a torch.

 

 

Rooting Through the Lost Art: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland State Quarters

Connecticut:

Original:

Other Designs:

 

Massachusetts:

Original:

Other Designs:

Maryland:

Original:

Other Designs: