News — Coin History
The 3 legged Buffalo Nickel: A Happy Mistake
Posted by Derek Sawchenko on
Whilst attempting to create this coin, somehow, the coin feeder which sends blank planchets to the coin press failed to feed any blank planchets to the press. This allowed the two dies for this coin to clash and receive impressions of each other. When this occurred, under pressure, Mr. Young tried to use an emery board to attempt to polish off any evidence of the dies clashing, instead of following normal procedure and simple switching the dies. This led to the minting of one of the most interesting coins the country has ever seen.
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Civil War Money Trouble: Part 1
Posted by Derek Sawchenko on
Times of strife and war have an immense impact on any given culture. This holds true for the American Civil War. More American lives were lost during the Civil War than any other conflict in history. More than either world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the currently ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan. Besides the loss of human life, war has, as you would imagine, a monumental effect on the economies of those involved. And it affects currency, as it did with American currency during the Civil War.
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The Short-Lived $3 Indian Gold Coin
Posted by Derek Sawchenko on
The $3 Indian Princess Head came into existence after being authorized by the act of February 21, 1853, becoming the only $3 coin ever minted in the United States. The first of this coin series was struck in 1854, but it sadly never grew to popularity with the general public and saw very little circulation. The obverse of this coin features the design of James B. Longacre, depicting the head of an Indian Princess with her hair tightly curling over her neck. Her head is crowned with a circle of feathers, the band of which is inscribed with the word “Liberty.” The reverse features a wreath of tobacco, wheat, corn, and cotton.
The History of Proof Sets
Posted by Derek Sawchenko on
The United States began printing proof sets in the year 1936 specifically for coin collectors. “Proof” simply refers to the special manufacturing that goes into making these dazzling coin collections. In order to create the sharp relief that can be found on proof coins, as well as the mirror-like background, the proof minting process requires that burnished coin blanks be fed manually into presses. Once in the press, each coin is struck multiple times with slow, heavy pressure to gain the illusion of the detailed images floating above the field. Proof sets have become the ultimate standard in coin collecting, as proof coins are struck with the intent that they will be used for presentation, souvenirs, exhibition or other numismatic purposes, as opposed to other coins that are meant to be circulated.
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The History of U.S. Trade Dollars
Posted by Derek Sawchenko on
In the late 1800’s many countries were minting large silver coins for trade in the emerging markets of China and the Orient. The United States was no different in this respect. The US Trade Dollar was our response. The trade dollar was minted between 1873 and 1885 and it was partly minted due to an increased amount of gold in circulation worldwide. Gold overflowed the normal market channels, which decreased gold’s value and increased the value of silver. The large majority of the coins minted were exported to China where they were assayed by Chinese officials and accepted into circulation and...
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- Tags: Coin Collecting, Coin History, Silver