It still makes me laugh. In fact, it was not the coin itself that was funny but rather the way the 1979-P and other Susan B. Anthony dollars from the first year were promoted and trumpeted as "the Dollar of the Future."
As it turned out, the 1979-P and other 1979 Anthony dollars probably had one of the worst receptions in history and that made the claims and promotion on the part of officials seem all the more ridiculous ...
Full Article: SBA Reception Not Exactly Warm - NumisMaster
Before the first coinage act in the United States, citizens of the U.S. exchanged goods and services through the barter system. At this time no coins were available except for various foreign coins such as the widely traded and trusted Spanish real dollars. With the signage of the constitution and with a newly formed nation that allowed Congress to coin money, the first coinage act was proposed and passed Congress under the Presidency of George Washington. This article will cover a brief history of coins and events ...
Full Article: History Of Coinage In The U.S. - San Francisco Chronicle
David Vagi finishes his discussion of some of the most familiar designs of ancient Greek coins in the last of a multi-part series.
1. Celts. Some of the most fascinating coins of the ancient world were struck by Celts and contemporary Iron Age cultures in Spain, Britain and Europe north of the Mediterranean rim. The Celts have long been admired for their ...
Full Article: Ancients: Classic Greek Coins, Part V - Numismatic Guaranty Corporation
There’s been little research done on the circulation of USA coins in other countries, so David W. Lange casts some light on this still-intriguing topic. Read on for the first part in a new series.
Books and articles have been written about the various World coins that formerly circulated as legal tender in the United States, but very little has appeared regarding the circulation of USA coins in other countries. Unlike the former practice, which effectively ...
Full Article: USA Coin Album: America’s Coinage Abroad, Part One - Numismatic Guaranty Corporation
The Morgan silver dollar, minted from 1878-1904, then again in 1921, may be the single most collectible coin or coin series in the United States today. It certainly remains a collector favorite, one that is easy to spot at large shows, and one that no dealer seems to be without.
An aficionado today can only wonder if designer George T. Morgan had any inkling when creating his design that he was making an image that would be world famous a century after its unveiling...
Full Article: Philadelphia Morgans Offer Solid Entry Point - NumisMaster
The Walking Liberty half dollar has become an American classic. Everyone likes the design of the Walking Liberty half dollar to the point where it along with the Saint-Gaudens double eagle and James Earle Fraser’s Buffalo nickel have become a trinity of designs to be used a second time.
Of course, liking the design makes it a design that is in constant demand especially in top grades and that makes the Walking Liberty half dollar a collection that can be assembled in circulated grades by most hobbyists but one which is very difficult and expensive if you want only the highest grades...
Full Article: Good-Looking Walker Tops With Collectors - NumisMaster
Lesser known but so rich in history the Seated Liberty dollar continues to be in the shadows of other silver dollars. It’s natural. Where there are millions of Morgan and Peace dollars to promote, the Seated Liberty dollar, which only had two mintages of even 1 million pieces, is always in short supply.
Those limited supplies make ...
Full Article: Seated Liberty Silver Dollars Not Inexpensive - NumisMaster
The Philadelphia mint began producing the familiar Liberty Head half eagle design in 1839. After a quick modification in 1840, this issue continued without change until 1866 when the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the reverse.
The branch mint No Motto half eagles from the 1840’s are very popular with collectors. But their Philadelphia counterparts have ...
Full Article: Philadelphia No Motto Half Eagles From the 1840’s: A Date by Date Analysis - RareGoldCoins.com
For 24 years, Richard Doty has been entrusted with the keys to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s legendary coin vault, which houses some of the most important coins in the world. Doty’s “America’s Money, America’s Story” is one of the most respected books on the subject of U.S. coins and currency, and his next book with Whitman Publishing, “Pictures From a Distant Country,” will focus on obsolete U.S. currency. You can see samples from the Smithsonian’s U.S. coins collection at their ...
Full Article: An Interview with Smithsonian Coin and Currency Curator Richard Doty - The Collectors Weekly
