US Quick Coin Guide - 2008 - Google...
101
Transcript of US Quick Coin Guide - 2008 - Google...
2
Contents
1. Coin Grading .......................................................................................................... 5
2. Cents
- Half Cents ........................................................................................................... 7
- Large Cents ........................................................................................................ 9
- Flyin Eagle Cents.............................................................................................. 11
- Indian Head Cents ............................................................................................ 13
- Lincoln Cents .................................................................................................... 15
- Two and Three Cent Pieces ............................................................................. 17
3. Nickels
- Sheild Nickels ................................................................................................... 19
- Liberty Head Nickels ......................................................................................... 21
- Buffalo Nickels .................................................................................................. 23
- Jefferson Nickels............................................................................................... 25
4. Dimes
- Early Half Dimes ............................................................................................... 27
- Seated Liberty Half Dimes ................................................................................ 29
- Bust Dimes........................................................................................................ 31
- Seated Liberty Dimes........................................................................................ 33
- Barber Dimes .................................................................................................... 35
- Mercury Dimes.................................................................................................. 37
- Roosevelt Dimes............................................................................................... 39
5. Twenty Cent Pieces ............................................................................................. 41
6. Quarters
- Bust Quarters.................................................................................................... 43
- Seated Liberty Quarters.................................................................................... 45
- Barber Quarters ................................................................................................ 47
- Standing Liberty Quarters ................................................................................. 49
- Washington Quarters ........................................................................................ 51
- Statehood Quarters........................................................................................... 53
7. Half Dollars
- Early Half Dollars .............................................................................................. 55
- Seated Liberty Half Dollars ............................................................................... 57
- Barber Half Dollars............................................................................................ 59
- Walking Liberty Half Dollars.............................................................................. 61
- Franklin Half Dollars.......................................................................................... 63
- Kennedy Half Dollars ........................................................................................ 65
8. Dollars
- Bust Dollars....................................................................................................... 67
- Seated Liberty Dollars....................................................................................... 69
- Trade Dollars .................................................................................................... 71
- Morgan Dollars.................................................................................................. 73
- Peace Dollars.................................................................................................... 75
- Eisenhower Dollars ........................................................................................... 77
- Susan B. Anthony Dollars ................................................................................. 79
- Sacagawea Dollars ........................................................................................... 81
- Presidential Dollars ........................................................................................... 83
9. Silver American Eagles ........................................................................................ 85
10. Early U.S. Commemorative................................................................................ 87
11. Modern U.S. Commemorative............................................................................ 89
12. Colonial .............................................................................................................. 91
13. Links................................................................................................................... 93
14. What coins to look for?....................................................................................... 95
15. Famous Coins .................................................................................................... 97
16. The Mints ........................................................................................................... 99
5
Coin Grading
6
Coin Grading
7
Half Cents
Liberty Cap – Left Facing
Liberty Cap – Right Facing
Draped Bust
Classic Head
Braided Hair
8
9
Large Cents
Flowing Hair – Chain Reverse
Flowing Hair – Wreath Reverse
Liberty Cap
Draped Bust
Matron Head Braided Hair
Classic Head
10
11
Flying Eagle Cents
12
13
Indian Head Cents
1859 – No Shield
Normal Shield
14
15
Lincoln Cents
16
17
Two and Three Cents
No star outline Star outline
18
19
Shield Nickels
With rays on reverse
Without rays on reverse
20
21
Liberty Head Nickels
With Cents Without Cents
1883 Only
22
23
Buffalo Nickels
1913 only – Buffalo on Mound Regular reverse
Three Legged buffalo
24
25
Jefferson Nickels
26
27
Early Half Dimes
Flowing Hair Draped Bust, Small Eagle
Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle Capped Bust
28
29
Seated Liberty Half Dimes
1837 – 38 Without stars Normal
30
31
Bust Dimes
Draped Bust Small Eagle – 1796 - 1797 Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle – 1798 - 1807
Capped bust
32
33
Seated Liberty Dimes
1837/38 – No Stars Normal Design
Date with Arrows
34
35
Barber Dimes
"The 1894-S dime is one of those few American numismatic treasures that has transcended it's particular series to become one of the most famous of all U.S. coins. Just like the 1804 silver dollar and 1913 Liberty nickel, the 1894-S has an undeniable and mystical appeal which will excite collectors for years to come. It's often the case with such sought-after coins that they are not the rarest -- certainly there are U.S. coins with only one known survivor (for example, the 1866 no motto quarter and half dollar). But it's the story that makes the coin, and the 1894-S dime is no exception.""First of all, the 1894-S dime is the only true rarity in all the Barber series (dimes, quarters and halves). Of the 24 pieces minted, just 9 coins are known to exist today and it is unlikely that any more will surface. Two of these are low-grade specimens while the others have survived without wear, though most have been mishandled in some way. The 9 specimens are well known and bear the "pedigrees" of some of the most famous numismatic collections ever assembled."
36
37
Mercury Dimes
Rare 1942 over 1 Mercury dime
38
39
Roosevelt Dimes
40
41
Twenty Cent Pieces
The Twenty-Cent Piece was an unusual denomination struck between 1875 and 1878. Because the size of the coin and the design elements were so similar to those on the Quarter Dollar, these coins caused alot of confusion with the general public (similar to the situation that occurred over 100 years later with the Susan B. Anthony Dollar). For this reason, Twenty Cent Pieces were struck for circulation only in 1875 and 1876. In 1877 and 1878, they were available only as Proofs.
42
43
Bust Quarters
Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle Capped Bust
1796 Only – Draped bust with no shield
44
45
Seated Liberty Quarters
No Motto above eagle
Arrowhead on Date, Rays on Reverse
With motto on reverse
46
47
Barber Quarters
48
49
Standing Liberty Quarters
Variety 1 – No stars below Eagle Variety 2 – Stars below eagle
Bare Breasted Liberty Covered Up Breast
50
51
Washington Quarters
52
53
Statehood Quarters
54
55
Early Half Dollars
Flowing Hair
Draped Bust
Capped Bust –Lettered Edge
Capped Bust –Reeded Edge
56
57
Seated Liberty Half Dollars
Arrows at Date
No Motto above eagle Motto above eagle
58
59
Barber Half Dollars
60
61
Walking Liberty Half Dollars
62
63
Franklin Half Dollars
64
65
Kennedy Half Dollars
66
67
Bust Dollars
Draped Bust Small Eagle
Draped Bust Heraldic
1795 Only – Flowing Hair
68
69
Seated Liberty Dollars
1836, 38 and 39 Gobrecht Type
No Motto With Motto
70
71
Trade Dollars
Federal officials faced a dilemma in the years after the Civil War. The Comstock Lode and other Western mines were producing large quantities of silver, but the government could use only limited amounts of it in coinage. This seems puzzling in retrospect, for silver coins were few and far between in circulation (a lingering legacy of wartime hoarding), and Americans presumably would have welcomed major infusions of silver coins. But Mint officials feared that new silver coins would be subject to hoarding as well, since the marketplace was awash with paper money, including fractional currency born of wartime need. People would have been only too happy to exchange these notes, which brought less than full face value, for precious-metal coinage.For a time, the miners found outlets for their silver, often in coinage form, in foreign markets. Canada, Latin America and Europe all absorbed significant quantities during the 1860s. But then, for various reasons these markets became glutted. In Europe, forexample, Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck established a gold standard for Germany after unifying the country in 1871 and promptly dumped huge amounts of silver on the international market.For the miners and their powerful allies in Washington these developments were doubly disturbing: Not only was it hard to sell their silver, but the market price was steadily declining. Initially, coinage did offer one escape valve: Under a long- standing law, silver could be deposited with the Mint for conversion into silver coins, for which it could then be exchanged. Having no other ready outlet, miners took advantage of this one. Invariably, they chose silver dollars, the one denomination that hadn't been changed when silver coins were reduced in weight (and precious-metal content) in 1853. As a direct result, silver dollar mintages soared above one million in both 1871 and 1872.But with the Coinage Act of 1873, Congress closed this loophole by suspending further production of silver dollars. And that's where the trade dollar came in: Flexing their muscle, the mining interests won approval for this new silver coin-one that would, in theory at least, not only provide an outlet for the metal, but also open a whole new market for it in an area that was already receiving Congressional attention.The market in question was Asia, particularly China. Some U.S. silver had found its way to that region previously, but now a full-fledged offensive was planned. The Chinese had shown a decided preference for silver coins, and up to then the bulk of American trade with China had been carried out with Spanish and Mexican dollars. The trade dollar's architects set out to supplant those rivals by giving the new coin a higher silver content. They even had it inscribed on the coin: "420 GRAINS, 900 FINE."At first glance, the trade dollar looks much like a regular silver dollar. It's the same diameter and about the same weight as its predecessor, the Seated Liberty dollar, and its portraiture is similar: a seated female figure representing Liberty on the obverse and a naturalistic eagle on the reverse-designs prepared by Mint Chief Engraver William Barber.Spurned abroad and despised by many at home, the trade dollar soon faded into oblivion. After 1878, production was suspended except for proofs-and even those dwindled to just ten in 1884 and five in 1885.Like many other "fantasy" coins before them, the 1884 and 1885 pieces were clandestinely struck for Mint crony William Idler andwere unknown to the numismatic community until six pieces from Idler's estate were sold by dealer John Haseltine in 1908. Notwithstanding their questionable origin, these two dates are viewed as great rarities today.In all, fewer than 36 million trade dollars were struck during the coin's 13-year lifespan, including about 11,000 proofs. Production took place at Philadelphia, Carson City and San Francisco. The rarest business strike is the 1878-CC with a mintage of 97,000, many of which appear to have been melted. All high-grade business strikes of the trade dollar are rare to non-existent, leaving proofs to fill most of the demand from type collectors.
72
73
Morgan Dollars
8 Tail feathers
7 Tail feathers
74
75
Peace Dollars
In 1964, the Denver Mint struck 316,076 Peace Dollars but, before they were released into circulation, all of the coins were destroyed. A few may have been purchased or "taken" by Mint employees and rumors persist of this coin's existence. However, for fear of confiscation by Treasury officials, none have yet appeared on the market. Were it legal to own, the 1964-D Peace Dollar would become one of the most valuable of all United States coins.
76
77
Eisenhower Dollars
Regular Reverse Bi-Centennial Reverse
78
79
Susan B. Anthony Dollars
80
81
Sacagawea Dollars
82
83
Presidential Dollars
84
85
Silver American Eagles
86
87
Early US Commemoratives
88
89
Modern US Commemoratives
90
91
Colonial
Connecticut Copper
Massachusetts Pine Tree Schilling - Silver
Massachusetts Copper
New York Copper
New Jersey Copper
92
Colonial
Vermont Copper
North American Token
Virginia Copper
Continental ‘Fugio” dollar
1792 Half Disme
93
Useful Online Links
www.coinfacts.com
This site has incredible information and details on every type of US coin ever produced. Has great pictures for reference.
www.coinresource.com
This site has incredible in-depth information and history on US coins.
94
95
What coins to look for?
-Save all pennies minted on 1982 and earlier, these are made of mostly copper and for the metal value can be worth around 2 cents or more a piece!
-Save all 1942-1945 nickels, they are war time nickels from world war 2 and are made of 35% silver. Mintmark is on the reverse above the building.
-Save all 1987 P and D half dollars. They were only made for mint sets. Also, all have dollars dated after 2001 were not made for circulation and are worth keeping.
-1969-S Lincoln Cent with a Doubled Die ObverseThis coin is exceedingly rare. The early specimens were confiscated by the Secret Service until the U.S. Mint admitted they were genuine. Counterfeits abound, but usually have the wrong mint mark. How to Detect: Look for clear doubling of the entire obverse except for the mint mark. If the mint mark is doubled, it is a double strike, rather than a doubled die, and not worth much. (Mint marks are punched in the dies separately).
-1970-S Small Date Lincoln Cent with a Doubled Die ObverseAs with virtually all true doubled die varieties, only one side of the coin shows doubling. If both sides exhibit doubling, the coin is probably double struck instead, and worth little. How to Detect: The rarer Small Date variety is most easily distinguished fromthe common type by the weakness of LIBERTY. The Doubled Die Obverse is best demonstrated by doubling in LIB and IN GOD WE TRUST.
-1972 Lincoln Cent with a Doubled Die ObverseThe 1972 (no mint mark) Lincoln Cent doubled die variety shows strong doubling on all elements. The "Cherrypicker's Guide to Rare Die Varieties", which was an important source for this article, suggests using a "die marker" to help verify your finds. A die marker is a gouge or crack that identifies a particular die. How to Detect: Clear doubling of all obverse elements; look for a tiny gouge near the edge above the D in UNITED as a die marker.
-2004-D Wisconsin State Quarter With an Extra LeafHow to Detect: There is some defect on the die that makes it appear as if there's an extra leaf on the lower left-hand side of the ear of corn on the reverse. The leaf is very clear. Known in two varieties, the High Leaf and the Low Leaf type.
96
What coins to look for?
-2005-D Speared Bison Reverse New Design Jefferson NickelThis variety results from a gouge or crack in the die that has created a long, straight line from the edge of the reverse, all the way through the bison, and ending between the bison's front and hind legs. It looks like a spear has been sent through the bison! How to Detect: Beginning at an angle aligned along the E in STATES, the "spear" continues in a straight line all the way through the bison.
-1999 Wide "AM" Reverse Lincoln CentThis variety is known for 3 dates, 1998, 1999, and 2000, with 1999 being by far the rarest. The mint erroneously used a proof die to strike normal circulation coins. How to Detect: The AM in AMERICA on the reverse is clearly separated in the Wide variety. In the normal variety for these dates, the letters AM are very close or touching.
-1982 No Mint Mark Roosevelt DimeAt the point in time that these coins were made, the dies sent to the individual branch mints would be punched with the proper mint mark letter for that branch. This variety is believed to be caused because one or more un-punched dies were sent to one of the branches. (The letter P was being used for Philadelphia on dimes at this time.) How to Detect: The 1982 dime is missing a mint mark.
-State Quarter Die Axis Rotation ErrorsThis error has been seen in many different State Quarter types, so it's worth checking them all for this oddity. How to Detect: When you hold the coin with the head straight up and turn the coin over from top to bottom, the reverse design should be right-side up. If the dies weren't set properly in the machine for striking, the reverse will be rotated somewhat from true.
-1995 and 1995-D Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln CentsThis doubled die variety generated a lot of mainstream interest when it was featured as a cover story in USA Today. Specimens are still being found in circulation, and lesser doubling is seen in the much rarer and more valuable 1995-D. How to Detect: Clear doubling in LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. Note that the mint mark is also doubled on this variety, as the mint began punching mint marks into the master hub in 1990.
97
Famous Coin Types
The 1955 Double Die The Rarest Morgan - 1895
1916/17 Bare Breasted SLQ The worlds most valuable coin
1943 Copper penny (should be steel)
Mis-strike NY quarter
98
Famous Coin Types
1776 Silver Continental Dollar
1913 Nickel. Production stopped for this design in
1912.
1974 Aluminum penny
1804 Silver Dollar. Real 1804 dollars were actually stamped with the 1803 die with the 1803 date. The coins that say 1804
were actually stamped in 1834
1909 S VBD Lincoln Cent The ‘Mule’
99
The Mints
Philadelphia
The Coinage Act of 1792 was entered into law on April 2. Within, it proclaimed the creation of the United States Mint. Philadelphiaat that time was the nation's capitol; therefore the first mint facility was to be built there.
David Rittenhouse, a leading American scientist, was appointed the first Director of the Mint by President George Washington. Two lots were purchased by Rittenhouse on July 18, 1792, at Seventh Street and 631 Filbert Street in Philadelphia for $4,266.67. The very next day demolition of an abandoned whiskey distillery on the property began. Foundation work began on July 31, and by September 7, the first building was ready for installation of the smelting furnace. The smelt house has gained the honors of being the very first public building erected by the United States government.
A three-story brick structure facing Seventh Street was constructed a few months later. Being the tallest and most visible structure of the mint the words "Ye Olde Mint" were painted on. Measuring nearly 37 feet wide on the street, it only extended back 33 feet. The gold and silver for the mint was contained in basement vaults. The first floor housed deposit and weighing rooms, along withthe press room, where striking coins took place. Mint official offices were on the second floor, and the assay office was located on the third floor.
Between the smelt house and "Ye Olde Mint" a mill house was built. Horses in the basement turned a rolling mill located on the first floor.
January 1816 saw the destruction of the smelt and mill houses from a fire. The smelt house was never repaired and all smelting was done elsewhere. The mill house, which was completely destroyed, was soon replaced with a large brick building. It included anew steam engine in the basement to power the machinery above.
Until 1833, these three buildings dutifully provided America with spendable hard currency to undertake the exploration and growth of a nation. Operations moved to the second Philadelphia mint in 1833 and the land housing the first mint was sold. In the late 19th or early 20th century, the property was sold to Frank Stewart, who approached the city asking them to preserve or relocate the historic buildings. With no governmental help "Ye Olde Mint" was demolished between 1907 and 1911. A small plaque now is the only thing memorializing the spot upon which the largest economy to date was conceived.
100
The Mints
Denver
The predecessors of the Denver Mint were the men of Clark, Gruber & Company. During the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, they coined gold dust brought from the gold fields by the miners. For almost three years, they minted gold coins (1860-61) and ingots (1862). They were formally bought by the US Treasury in 1863.
Established by an Act of Congress on April 21, 1862, the United States Mint at Denver opened for business in late 1863 as a United States Assay Office. Operations began in the facilities of Clark, Gruber & Company, located at 16th and Market Streets and acquired by the government for $25,000.
Unlike Clark, Gruber & Company, though, the Denver plant performed no coinage of gold as first intended. One reason given by the Director of the Mint for the lack of coinage at Denver was, "... the hostility of the Indian tribes along the routes, doubtless instigated by rebel emissaries (there being a Civil War) and bad white men.“
Gold and nuggets brought to there by miners from the surrounding area were accepted by the Assay Office for melting, assaying, and stamping of cast gold bars. The bars were then returned to the depositors as imparted bars stamped with the weight and fineness of the gold. Most of the gold came from the rich beds of placer gold found in the streams and first discovered in 1858, the same year Denver was founded.
When the supply of gold was exhausted from the streams, miners turned to lode mining, uncovering veins of ore with a high percentage of gold and silver. By 1859, the yearly value of the gold and silver deposited at the Assay Office was over $5.6 million. During its early years as an Assay Office, the Denver plant was the city's most substantial structure.
There was new hope for branch mint status when Congress provided for the establishment of a mint at Denver for gold and silver coin production. The site for the new mint at West Colfax and Delaware streets was purchased on April 22, 1896, for approximately $60,000. Construction began in 1897.
Appropriations to complete and equip the plant were insufficient, and the transfer of assay operations to the new building were delayed until September 1, 1904. Coinage operations finally began in February 1906, advancing the status of the Denver facility to Branch Mint. In addition, before the new machinery to be used at the Mint was installed for use, it was first sent to the St. Louis Exposition of 1904 for display. Silver coins were minted in Denver for the first time in 1906. During the first year, 167 million coins were produced, including $20 gold (double eagle) coins, $10 gold (eagle) coins, $5 gold (half eagle) coins, and assorted denominations of silver coins.
101
The Mints
San Francisco
The San Francisco Mint is a branch of the United States Mint, and was opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush. It quickly outgrew its first building and moved into a new one in 1874. This building, known affectionately as The Granite Lady, is one of the few that survived the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, served until 1937, when the present facility was opened.
The new San Francisco Mint building, built in 1937.
Within the first year of its operation, the San Francisco mint turned $4 million in gold bullion into coins, in its first building, containing sixty square feet of floor space. The building that was completed in 1874 was designed by Alfred B. Mullett in a conservative Greek Revival style with a sober Doric order. The building had a central pediment portico flanked by projecting wings in an E-shape; it was built round a completely enclosed central courtyard that contained a well—the features that saved it during the fire of 1906, when the heat melted the plate glass windows and exploded sandstone and granite blocks with which it was faced. The building sat on a concrete and granite foundation, designed to thwart tunneling into its vaults, which at the time of the 1906 fire held $300 million, fully a third of the United States' gold reserves. Heroic efforts by Superintendent of the Mint, Frank Leach, and his men preserved the building and the bullion that backed the nation's currency.
The new San Francisco Mint building as it appears today.In 1961 the Old Mint, as it had become, was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2003 the federal government sold the structure to the City of San Francisco for one dollar—an 1879 silver dollar struck at the mint— for use as the Museum of the City of San Francisco. Ground was broken for renovations that would turn the central court into a glass-enclosed galleria in the fall of 2005.
Beginning in 1955, circulating coinage from San Francisco was suspended for 13 years. In 1968, it took over most proof coinageproduction from the Philadelphia Mint, but continued striking a supplemental circulating coinage from 1968 through 1974. Since 1975, the San Francisco Mint has been used only for proof coinage, with the exception of the Susan B. Anthony dollar from 1979-81 and a portion of the mintage of cents in the early 1980s. The dollars bear a mintmark of an "S", but the cents are otherwise indistinguishable from those minted at Philadelphia (which bear no mintmarks).
