Information & News About United States Coins
In previous Coin History articles, the focus has predominantly been on circulating coins of the past or today. For this article, I will focus on another modern coin, but on one of the bullion coins that is offered by the United States Mint: The American Buffalo. The American Buffalo, also sometimes referred to as a Gold Buffalo, was the first pure, 24-karat gold coin ever produced by the Mint for offer to the public. It …
Over the course of its history, the United States Mint has produced many Numismatic products that never captured the imagination of the general public or collectors. One could make the argument that the short lived Prestige Proof Sets would be such a product. Produced from 1983 through to 1997, the Prestige Proof Sets were aimed to give collectors an enhanced Proof set with a commemorative coin produced that year in a more elegant presentation leatherette …
The Roosevelt Dime is one of the longest production coins without any design changes in our nation’s history. Released in January 1946, aside from alloy changes from silver to the nickel-clad version of today, the 10 cent piece has remained unchanged as it honors President Franklin D Roosevelt. The move to change the Dime began almost immediately after President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. Historically, Roosevelt was a towering figure, leading the United States …
In the last Coin History article, we looked at the 1943 Lincoln Cent and its change from a copper to steel coin because of the needs for the United States military during World War II. Today we look at another coin that was altered temporarily because of the war, the Jefferson Nickel. Commonly referred to as the Jefferson War Nickel, the five-cent piece for the country underwent an alloy change from 1942 through 1945 that …
In this Coin History article, we take a look at a true one-off for the United States Mint: The 1943 Lincoln Cent. With the same Obverse and Reverse design since the coin’s introduction in 1909, the 1943 Cent was the only coin ever produced by the Mint in steel. The change in metal was one of necessity but it caused a fair number of challenges for the general public and the Mint itself. By 1943, …
Normally for my Coin History column, I look back at coins of the past. For this one however, I’m going to look forward to a new coin that is truly rolling out this year. The American Innovation Dollar Coin. The new Dollar coin came about through legislation passed in 2018 and is set to run through the year 2032. In all, there will be 57 coins released in the program with the first one released …
In 2004 and 2005, the Jefferson Nickel was significantly altered for the first time in its long history. Having been in production since 1938, The 5-Cent piece that had depicted the third President of the United States, had undergone virtually no changes from then up until 2003, some 65 years on. The only exception were in World War II when the composition of the Nickel changed to have 35% silver and the mint mark was …
Have you ever looked at a coin grade and questions, “Where did they get that number from?”. Well, there is a method to the madness and we have Dr. William Sheldon to thank for the 70-point coin grading system. It has an interesting history and Dr. Sheldon likely never intended it to go beyond what his original intent in 1949. Dr. Sheldon was a numismatist as well as a physiologist. His particular favorite coins were …
The story of the Eisenhower “Ike” Dollar is one of interest. It was the last big dollar coins that were produced by the United States Mint and when they were released in 1971, they were the first dollar coin struck since the Peace Dollar ended in 1935. But like many dollar coins in our history, the Ike Dollar never circulated well because of both its size and weight and production ended in 1978. The creation …
Continuing the Coin History series, we take a look at the relatively new Lincoln Shield Cent. Introduced in 2010 as a follow up to the 2009 Bicentennial Cents, the Shield Cent was meant to be emblematic of President Abraham Lincoln’s preservation of the United States after our Civil War. The change to the Lincoln Cent was mandated by the Presidential $1 Coin Act that passed in 2005. But how we got to the Shield Cent …