Library
-
January 23, 2017
One of the most misunderstood terms in numismatics is the word “restrike.” In its strictest sense, a restrike is a coin made from original dies at a later year. However, the word is used for a wide variety of other reproductions, copies, recreations and later issues. This article will describe the various types of restrikes and how they are perceived by the numismatic marketplace.
-
January 16, 2017
Elgin, Illinois is not a city of particularly national importance. Nonetheless, Elgin became the subject of a US Mint-issued commemorative coin in 1936 thanks to the efforts of Trygve Rovelstad, a native of the town. Rovelstad, the son of Norwegian immigrants, sought to erect a memorial sculpture in Elgin honoring the city’s earliest settlers. He was familiar with the concept of commemorative half dollars, which were commonly issued at that time to raise funds for a specific cause. In 1935, Rovelstad was successful in lobbying his Congressman to introduce legislation authorizing a half dollar with the intent of raising funds for his memorial.
-
January 09, 2017
Thomas Jefferson’s government did not originally intend to acquire the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson was chiefly concerned with preserving American trading access to the Mississippi River and the city of New Orleans. Amid the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and a slave revolt in what is now Haiti, it was unclear whether France would be capable of defending its possessions in North America against Great Britain. Jefferson initially offered to purchase just New Orleans and a small amount of land for $10 million, but Napoleon replied with an offer of the entire territory for just $15 million.
-
January 02, 2017
It’s by no means the scarcest or most expensive of all U.S. coins, but the storied 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Cent may very well be the most famous. The coin is ubiquitous among collectors, but it’s also well-known outside of numismatic circles too. Many Americans either fantasized of stumbling upon one in everyday pocket change – or buying one to complete their Wheat Penny collections.
-
December 26, 2016
Ezra Meeker traveled the Oregon Trail by ox-drawn wagon with his family as a young settler in 1852. Concerned that the history of the pioneers that traversed the Oregon Trail was becoming lost, he retraced his route from Iowa to Oregon in 1906-1908, attracting much publicity. For the remainder of his long life, he sought to memorialize the Oregon Trail through a variety of means.
-
December 19, 2016
As a young nobleman in France, the Marquis de Lafayette was inspired by the nascent rebellion in Britain's American colonies. At the age of 19, the wealthy Marquis sailed to America and obtained a commission as a Major General in the Continental Army. He distinguished himself in battle and was useful in obtaining official support from the French monarchy later in the war. He commanded forces at the decisive Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and returned to France the following year as a "hero of two worlds."
-
December 12, 2016
There’s something about the dollar bill that is beloved by Americans. Despite a variety of efforts to replace it with a dollar coin, most Americans still prefer the dollar bill.
One recent effort to reintroduce a dollar coin into circulation was the Sacagawea dollar. Legislation authorizing a new dollar coin was introduced in Congress in 1997. The law specifically requires the new coin to be “golden in color, have a distinctive edge, [and] have tactile and visual features that make the denomination of the coin readily discernible.” One major reason for these requirements was the perceived design failure of the 1979-1981 Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, which were often considered to be indistinguishable in their appearance from quarters. To maintain compatibility for machines accepting and dispensing Susan B. Anthony dollars, the Sacagawea dollar has nearly identical dimensions and electromagnetic properties, despite its golden color. The Sacagawea dollar is not actually gold; it is mostly copper, with a manganese brass cladding.
-
December 05, 2016
It is fitting that President William McKinley is honored on a gold coin. McKinley highlighted his successful 1896 bid for the Presidency with his support of “sound money” – the gold standard, in other words. This stood in contrast to his opponent in that year’s election, William Jennings Bryan, who campaigned fiercely for a “bimetallic” standard of silver and gold. Economic issues largely dominated the 1896 campaign, as the economy was still mired in depression after the Panic of 1893.
-
November 28, 2016
The first term of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration saw a flourish of new commemorative half dollars issued. For the most part, the intent of the Mint in issuing these commemorative half dollars was to benefit some organization or cause of national interest. In theory, an association of some sort would purchase the full issue at face value, and in turn sell the commemorative coins on the secondary market at a premium price. The profits generated were intended to benefit the issuing organization and the cause or mission it represented.
-
November 21, 2016
The Lincoln Cent is the longest-running coin design in American numismatic history. Its story begins with another US President, Theodore Roosevelt, who was instrumental in its creation.
Roosevelt pushed for the redesign of all US gold coinage, as well as the cent, during his time in office. The Mint actually contracted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the cent, but he had only completed designs for gold coins before his death in 1907. There was a greatly renewed public interest in Abraham Lincoln as 1909, the centennial of his birth, approached. Teddy Roosevelt was a great admirer of Lincoln and sought to honor him on the cent.