Week Four

Coin of the Week: Indian Head Gold Coins

In 1901,Theodore Roosevelt became president after the assassination of William McKinley. Roosevelt was very progressive, and he thought that the coin designs currently being produced were, in a word, boring. So he turned to the artists Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor David Brenner, George T. Morgan, and Bela Lyon Pratt. These artists would design, in order, the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, Lincoln Head Cent, (for George Morgan See Week One) and the Indian Head Gold Coins.

These Coins, designed by Mr. Pratt, are special in a few ways. They were two of the only four 1900’s coins that show an Indian. But what really sets them apart is the way that they are made. These coins were the only U.S. coins that are incused. The best way that I have heard the word incuse described is like a belly button. The ones that stick out are outies, and the ones that poke in are innies. Most coins are outies, with the design sticking out. But these coins are innies. The two denominations that they come in are Quarter Eagle, or $2.50, and Half Eagle, or $5. These coins never circulated much, but the Quarter Eagle became a very popular Christmas present. The Quarter Eagle was about the size of a dime, and the Half Eagle was about the size of a nickel.

Indian Head Quarter Eagle

 

Indian Head Half Eagle

 

Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

 

Original Lincoln Cent Design by Victor D. Brenner (Wheat Penny)

 

Trial and Error: $1.25 Coin

In May of 2000, a new coin of interest showed up. Production of the Sacagawea Dollar had just begun, when a man in Mountain Home, Arkansas, discovered a Sacagawea dollar coin with the image of George Washington (on the quarter) on the front! A pandamonium followed as 10 more people found examples, and the Mint, realizing the “error” of it’s ways, melted another several thousand. Coins like these show two different values, Quarter Dollar on the front, and One Dollar on the back, making it’s face value $1.25. These coins were showing up as recent as 2011, so there could be more out there…

Washington-Sacagawea Error Coin

(this kind of coin is called a mule, an error coin with two designs from different coins)

 

Making A Mint: The Different Facilities

Since it’s creation, the U.S. Mint has made coins at 8 different places. Each coin made there has a distinct mintmark, telling you where the coin was made. Here they are:

 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (No mintmark 1794-1978, P mintmark 1979- present, except on the penny, still with no mintmark) Established 1794.

2011 P Quarter (mintmark under “In God We Trust on front)

 

1895 Morgan Dollar (No mintmark, indicating that it was made in Philadelphia)

 

Denver, Colorado (D mintmark) Established 1906.

1910 D Indian Head Cent (mintmark underneath wreath on back)

 

San Francisco, California (S mintmark) Established 1854.

1913 S Barber Half Dollar (mintmark underneath eagle on back)

 

West Point, New York (W mintmark) Established 1937.

2000 W Sacagawea Dollar (mintmark underneath date on front)

 

All four of these mints are currently active, with P and D mintmarks in circulation, and S and W producing specials, such as commemoratives and bullion, as well as circulating coinage in their earlier years. Other Mint facilities that no longer produce coins are:

Charlotte, North Carolina (C mintmark) Established 1838, halted production in 1861, after seized by Confederates in the Civil War

1853 C Gold Dollar (mintmark underneath wreath on back)

 

 

Dahlonega, Georgia (D mintmark) Established 1838, halted production in 1861, after seized by Confederates in the Civil War. Not to be confused with Denver mintmark, this mint made only gold coins from 1838 to 1861.

1859 D Half Eagle (mintmark underneath eagle)

 

Carson City, Nevada (CC mintmark) Established 1863, but was not put into operation until 1870, halted production in 1893 due to lack of coinage materials and unstable economy.

1878 CC Dime (mintmark underneath wreath on back)

 

New Orleans, Louisiana (O mintmark) Established 1838, halted production in 1909 due to insufficient funds.

1856 O Half Dime (mintmark above knot in the wreath on back)

 

At one point, the U.S. Mint also had a base in Manila, Philippines, and made coins for the Philippines there. It was shut down after the decolonization of the Philippines by the U.S.A.

1903 Philippines One Peso

 

Wonderful World: Maria Theresa Silver Thaler

The Maria Theresa Thaler is truly a coin to be noticed. First minted in 1741 in Austria, it became a popular trade coin, even though it was not used as currency in it’s home country. The coin was used as official currency in the following countries: Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Oman, and several more. In fact, the coin was so popular, that several different countries, including Germany, England, France, The Czech Republic, India, Italy, and Slovakia started making their own Maria Theresa Thalers. This coin is still produced today, but bears the date 1780, as it always has since that year.

Maria Theresa Thaler

Week Three

 

Coin of the Week: Silver War Nickel

If you have done your history homework (and if you didn’t, you probably shouldn’t be on the computer) you will know about World War II. Well, during that war, nickel was a very badly needed war material. So the solution was simple. Take the nickel out of the nickel! But then, what would you put in the coin? Uhhh… Aha! I know! Silver and Magnesium!

All right, it’s 1942 and your idea sounds O.K., but how are we going to tell the difference? After all, the war isn’t going to last forever, and people might want to know when the blingy material was put in. Hmmm… How about a new spot for the mintmark (a little letter on the coin that tells you where it was made, like D for Denver, Colorado)? Fine, we’ll do that, and we have our silver nickel!

The story above tells you how to find a silver nickel: first, check the date on the coin. Nickels between 1942 and 1945 are made of 9% magnesium, 35% silver, and 56% copper. Second, look at the back of the coin and look for a large P, D, or S above the house, signifying the change of metal. In 1946, nickel nickels resumed, but that’s not to say that they were perfect. It was not until recently that an error coin was discovered, a 1946 nickel struck on a silver nickel planchet, or blank coin. So never underestimate your chances of finding something new, because it does still happen.

 

Silver War Nickel

 

Example of a Blank Planchet

Coin News/Cool Commemoratives: 2014 Commemoratives

In 2014, two new commemorative coin programs were created: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of the biggest steps towards desegregation in the U.S.A. Just ask your Grandparents what segregated school was like. African Americans had to sit in a designated spot, and they even had to use separate drinking fountains and bathrooms, because they were considered less that white Americans. But President Lyndon B. Johnson decided that it was time to end that. So on July 2, 1964, Johnson signed the bill into law, and today, although still not perfect, segregation has all but ended in the U.S.A.  So to celebrate 50 years of this act, the Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar was created.

Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar

The Baseball Hall of Fame? Who needs a reason? Baseball is fun! The mint held a competition to see what designs everyone could come up with, and the winning design would be put on the real coin. Hundreds of people, including kids, sent tons of designs, including me! The winning design was made by Cassie McFarland. These coins were struck with the denominations of Half Dollar, Silver Dollar, and $5 Gold Coins. They are the first coins officially produced by the U.S. Mint that are curved! The dome shape of these coins is nearly unique, which may have been a factor in the selling out of the gold one in two days!

Baseball Hall of Fame Half Dollar

 

Baseball Hall of Fame Silver Dollar

 

Baseball Hall of Fame $5 Gold Coin

 

Baseball Hall of Fame Coin from all sides

 

Trial and Error: $4 Gold “Stellas”

In the 1870’s, lots of coins, such as the British Sovereign, French 20 Franc, and Italian 20 Lire were being used in international trade, but the U.S. trade dollar was not doing so hot in the trade world. So the government came up with a new plan; the $4 Gold Stella. This coin would function as an international trade piece. Two designs were developed by designers Charles E. Barber and George T. Morgan. Though beautiful, these coins were a flop, due mainly to the fact that $4 was not a standard U.S. denomination. A Quintuple Stella was also developed, with a $20 face value, which also proved impractical, because of the already existing Double Eagle. Notice the motto beneath the star: Deo Est Gloria, or God Is Glorious. 460 Stellas were made in Gold, Copper, and other metals.

Charles E. Barber’s Stella

 

George T. Morgan’s Stella

 

British Sovereign

 

French 20 Francs

 

Italian 20 Lira

 

Quintuple Stella (compare to James Longacre’s $20)

 

Amazing Artists: Frank Gasparro

Frank Gasparro was born on August 26, 1909, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a natural artist, but his father wanted him to carry on the family tradition of being a musician. Young Frank won that argument, and eventually traveled to Europe to refine his skills. He was hired by the mint under John R. Sinnock, and his first successful coin design was the back of the Lincoln Cent, which replaced the sheaves of wheat that had been there since 1909.

Gasparro also designed the Eisenhower and Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, both of which flopped, as well as the back of the Kennedy half dollar.

Frank Gasparro died on September 29, 2001. Since his death, only the reverse of the Kennedy half dollar remains on circulating coins, with the replacement of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the penny with the Union Shield, and the older dollar coins with the Sacagawea dollars.

(Bonus bit of trivia: look on the back of a Lincoln Memorial penny, and you will see the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the center, making this the only U.S. coin with two pictures of the same person on it)

Lincoln Cent Reverse

 

Kennedy Half Dollar

 

Susan B. Anthony Dollar

 

Eisenhower Dollar

Week Two

Coin of the Week: Flying Eagle Cent

In the early 1800's, the one cent coin was just a chunk of copper with a design on it, about the size of a half dollar coin. But rising copper prices were a problem, and so the penny was almost eliminated. But wait! Out of the ashes of the cent rises... the small penny!

Made to replace these big pennies, or large cents, as the collecting world calls them, small cents just sort of... made cents! Designed by the illustrious James B. Longacre (see Amazing Artists), this coin features an American Eagle in flight, hence the name. On the back, it shows a wreath, probably made of corn and cotton plants. This design, while beautiful, only lasted for three years, and the wreath shows two of the most productive plants grown in the South, showing the growing use of slavery in the south, which eventually tore the country apart during the Civil War.

These coins are fairly common, but a little pricey. When buying, expect to pay about $20 for a nice example.

(P.S. These coins, even though created to lower the copper content, still contained 88% copper. The coins of the same size today contain less than 1%.)

Flying Eagle Cent

 

Trial and Error: Trade Dollar

So the U.S.A. is one of the strongest countries finances. Well, was anyway. And all of the strong countries need a way to trade with other countries. The solution to this problem? The trade dollar. It would be a sort of exchange, so that the U.S.A. could still use its silver dollars, and shell some out in other countries, particularly in places like China, India, and nearby nations known as the Orient. But finding the perfect design was hard. Here are some of the proposed designs from the 1870’s

And as for the official design:

It’s rather safe to say that the trade dollar was a flop. The people who used them in the Orient gave them “chop marks”, or seals of approval, which made them virtually worthless as mutilated coins. They were also too valuable. Many people made copies of these coins to spend as real money (this is called counterfeiting) and succeeded. So if you have one, I advise that you get it authenticated. These coins are very expensive, hitting the $120 mark at least, another reason to get it authenticated.

Trade Dollar with Chop Marks

Wonderful World: Canada Maple Leaves

In 1978, the South African Krugerrand came into the coin market as the world’s first official Bullion Coin, a coin sold only for it’s value in precious metals. But collectors who wanted one were faced with a problem: South Africa was going through Apartheid, a time of nasty segregation between the South African white government and the African people. So to protest, many countries quit buying things from this country. But the collectors still wanted bullion coins. So the Canadian Government authorized the creation of the Maple Leaf coins. They are made in four different types of precious metal: Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium. In 2007, as a publicity stunt, the Royal Canadian Mint made the largest coin in the world, which happened to be a 100 kilo Gold Maple Leaf. This stood as the world’s largest coin until 2011, when the Australian Kangaroo coin showed them up.

South African Krugerrand

 

Canada Gold Maple Leaf

 

 

Canada Silver Maple Leaf

 

Canada Platinum Maple Leaf

 

Canada Palladium Maple Leaf

 

Cool Commemoratives: 1926 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

In 1926, the U.S.A. turned 150 years old. And What better way to celebrate this than to make a commemorative coin? So the coin was made, featuring George Washington, our first President, and Calvin Coolidge, the President at the time. This was one of only three times in U.S. history that a living person was placed on a coin, and the only time that a President has been on a coin while alive, not to mention in office. This was one of the best selling Commemorative coins ever, and still commands a high price today. ( F.Y.I., the word “sesquicentennial” means 150 years old) This Coin was designed by John R. Sinnock, and the Liberty Bell on the back was later used on Sinnock’s Benjamin Franklin Half Dollar.

1926 Commemorative Half Dollar

 

Amazing Artists: James B. Longacre

Every collector learns about the coin artists, and then decides on a favorite. Mine? Just look at the caption above.

James B. Longacre was born on August 11, 1794 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He found home life distasteful, and ran away at age 12, then became an apprentice at a local bookstore. The owner took young James Longacre into his family, and discovered that Longacre had an artistic talent. Longacre became a well known artist after drawing portraits of such people as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. He gained the notice of the powerful John C. Calhoun, and when the U.S. mint opened, he was one of the first engravers there. Longacre became chief engraver of the mint in 1844, after the death of Christian Gobrecht, and some of his many designs include:

Indian Head Cent

 

2 Cent Coin

 

3 Cent Coins, Silver and Nickel

 

$1 Gold Coins, Liberty and Indian Heads

 

$3 Gold Coin

 

$20 Liberty Double Eagle Gold Coin

Longacre died on January 1, 1869, and was replaced by William Barber. Today Longacre’s coins are considered very pretty, but not progressive enough in the coin artistry world.

Week one

Coin News
Coin auctions are great places to find coins for your collection, but they can get a little pricey. The top auction price since 2002 was $7,590,020, for one coin! Ask your parents how much your mortgage is, and you'll see how big a number that really is. What was this legendary coin? It was the extremely rare 1933 Double Eagle, or $20 gold coin. But no more is this coin the least affordable (or most expensive, same principle), for after standing over a decade, it was debunked, replaced by the 1794 Flowing hair silver dollar. How much did someone pay for it? The tidy sum of $10,016,875. Wow. This coin was based largely on the Spanish pieces of eight coin, and was about the same size and weight as said Spanish coin as well. Don't worry if you feel like you can't ever afford that price. If you start saving your pocket money now...  

 

1794 Silver Dollar

 

1933 Double eagle

Coin of the Week: Liberty Head $1 gold coin
Okay, so let's not get confused. Today we have a dollar coin, and yes, it is gold colored, but not real gold. So it may or may not surprise you that once upon a time, we had a real gold dollar coin. Designed by the famous James B. Longacre, and was about the size of a dime, only smaller! This coin was valued more than it's silver and paper counterparts, and many stores had separate prices payable in silver, gold, or paper money, which made shopping a thorn in the side. If you want one for your collection, expect to pay between $200 and $16,000, depending on how nice you want it to look.

1849 Gold Dollar

Amazing Artists: George T. Morgan
George Morgan was born in Birmingham, England, on November 24, 1845. He moved to the U.S.A. in 1876.
He caught the attention of the mint, and became chief engraver of the mint in his own right, despite resistance from former chief engravers, in 1917. Some of my personal favorite designs of his are as shown:

Morgan Silver Dollar

 

1878 Morgan $10 gold

 

1879 "Schoolgirl" Silver Dollar

 

Coiled Hair "Stella" $4 gold

 

$100 gold union

To learn more, check out these websites: www.usacoinbook/georgetmorgan, coinupdate.com/george-t-morgan, www.acoincollection.com/george-t-morgan

Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you learned something, and can read my next post!