Sheila Crismon Numismatist USA Coins

Coin collecting - or numismatics - goes back to the earliest days when coins were first minted, around 650BC in Asia. However, apart from their intrinsic value as currency, the collection of coins for their artistic and rarity value was a later development.

The Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, collected coins and gave them to favourites as presents. However, it wasn’t until the Renaissance that coin collecting, the ‘hobby of kings’, became more prominent.

Mint Condition

As America is a relatively new country in terms of civilization, US coins were not minted until 1793 (the mint was established a year earlier).

Over the years, the US Mint has produced a wide range of coins including half-cent, two-cent, three-cent, and 20-cent pieces. The original five-cent pieces were Silver Half-dimes.

Gold

The Mint also produced a set of Gold Coins ranging in value from $2.50 to $20. The last regular Gold Coins were struck in 1933. Silver coins were also used, the last being struck in 1964.

However, the US Mint has also produced commemorative gold and silver coins for special occasions such as the 23^rd Olympic Games which was held in Los Angeles in 1984 and the centennial of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. Also in 1986, the Mint issued silver and gold bullion coins for precious metal investors.

Native Americans

Almost every US coin is stamped with a mint mark to show where it was produced, and the year it was minted. A common exception is the Jefferson Nickel. Those minted from 1965 to 1967 had no mint mark.

All early coins had a depiction of Liberty (not the Statue of Liberty) on the obverse. In 1859 this was shown on the Cent Coin as a Native American complete with feathered headdress. Native Americans were also depicted on the $2.50 and $5 gold coins minted in 1908, and on the five-cent pieces minted from copper and nickel in 1913.

Presidents

1909 was the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and this began the practice of depicting deceased presidents on coins. However, many special commemorative silver coins were issued between 1892 and 1954 featuring the likenesses of many famous historical figures, not all presidents. These included the explorer and frontiersman Daniel Boone, and the showman P T Barnum. There was also a regular issue half-dollar featuring Benjamin Franklin issued between 1948 and 1963.

Coin Collecting

Coin collecting is a fascinating hobby. It’s exciting and can help relate to historical events. It can also be profitable if you know your subject well but you need some experience to know what to buy and what to avoid. In general, avoid commemorative and ‘mint’ collections produced by specialist companies, often sold on shopping channels.

You will generally get the best coins at the best and fairest prices from reputable coin dealers or from other collectors.

You can start collecting for only a few dollars. Once you have a little knowledge, you can decide if you want to specialise in any particular type of coin or country. It’s probably easiest to begin with your own country as you can create collections from the many coins in circulation. It will also easier and cheaper to acquire older coins.