The United States Mint gains authorization from the United States Congress to produce what are known as commemorative coins, which are produced rather regularly throughout the years for a myriad of different purposes. These coins are produced to commemorate, to celebrate or to honor people, events, places and institutions for a number of reasons. When it comes to commemorative coins and coin collections, these coins are typically divided into two different eras, Old and Modern. Old commemorative coins are coins between 1892 and 1981, and Modern commemorative coins are coins from between 1982 and present day.
There have been a wide variety of different people that through the years have been memorialized in the form of United States commemorative coins. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Leif Erickson, Christopher Columbus and Chief Justice John Marshall are all examples of people that have been commemorated in this fashion. Ulysses S. Grant, Queen Isabella of Spain and Daniel Boone have also been commemorated in this way in the past as well.
There have also been a number of places that have been honored through the creation of commemorative coins, including the White House, West Point and the Smithsonian. The White House was honored with a 200th Anniversary commemorative coin in 1992. The West Point military school was honored in 2002 for their Bicentennial. The Smithsonian was honored in 1996 for their 150th anniversary.
There have also been a number of events that have been honored through the creation of commemorative coins. The Korean War was commemorated in the form of a Silver Dollar in 1991, and then the Vietnam War received a similar Silver Dollar commemorative coin in 1994 after its memorial’s 10th anniversary. These commemorative coins were created not only to commemorate the creation of the memorials, but also to honor the men who died during those wars.
The Statute of Liberty has also been honored through the creation of numerous commemorative coins. In 1986, three commemorative coins were created to honor the Statue of Liberty, including a half dollar coin, a silver dollar coin and a $5 golf coin. The Statue of Liberty is not only a place worthy of being honored, but the commemorative coins are also meant to honor freedom, democracy and the gift from France to the United States represented by the gift of the statute.
Collectors may choose to collect different commemorative coins depending on what concepts their collections are aimed to symbolize. There are commemorative coins for many different purposes including the Olympic games, the bill of rights, World War II, the civil war battlefields, the Bicentennial of the constitution, desegregation at the Little Rock Central High School, the first flight on the behalf of the Wright Brothers and many others. No matter what type of coin collection you are creating, there are commemorative coins that will fit right in.
Photo Credits: kevindooley
Originally posted 2009-06-27 05:43:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Enjoying a World Coin Collection Most people who begin to collect coins actually do so by collecting regional coins from their own mother country. So for example, if you are from the United States, then you may want to collect United States coins first and foremost. This is because you are already familiar with the...... -
Half Dime Money -> Coins-US -> Dimes You might think a half dime is simply a modern nickel. But half dimes were actually silver coins worth 5 cents that were minted before the coins that eventually became our modern nickels. They were authorized in 1792, much smaller than the dimes of the...... -
Euro Coins Coins & Paper Money -> Coins: World -> Europe Euro coins were first put into circulation in 2002 by the European Union. There are 8 coins: 1, 2 5, 10 and 20 cent coins, as well a the 100 and 200 cent coins, which equal 1 and 2 Euros, respectively....... -
Rare Coins to Add to Your Collection The wide variety of coins and paper money that can be added to your collection come in the forms of both easy-to-access money and rare coins. Rare coins are a special part of coin collecting, providing individuals with goals to set and coins to chase. There are some coins that...... -
Wheat Penny Money -> Small-Cents -> Lincoln-Wheat-1909-1958 Probably one of the easiest coins to acquire for a coin collection is the wheat penny. This coin was a United States penny minted from 1909 to 1958. The coin goes by many names, including the Lincoln Wheat Cent and Wheatie, and was worth 1......
Related Websites -
3 Reasons Why Hawaiian Coins are a Coin Collectors Paradise Hawaii is now a state of the United States. As a result the state uses all of the same currency which is used throughout the United State. Of course before becoming a territory and then a state, Hawaii had its own gold system. This includes a dala which was the...... -
The 3 Most Sought After Collectors Coins from the Old West The coins produced during the period of time in American history when the Western United States was being settled are some of the most sought after collectors coins for those who are Old West enthusiasts. Below is some information about three of the currently most sought after collectors coins from...... -
Get to Know the Most Collectible Coins in the World There are quite a few people in the world collecting coins. The coins which are being collected range from the ordinary to the extremely rare. The kind of people collecting coins also range from the child collecting the coins they find in pocket change to the serious collectors spending millions...... -
3 Things You Should Know Before Collecting Coin There are many great hobbies you can get started with. One of the hobbies which seems to be gaining a lot of popularity is the hobby of coin collecting. This is for a few different reasons. For instance, you are able to discover a lot about the history of the...... -
What you Need to Know about Coin Prices When people first enter into the world of coin collecting, they have many questions which need to be answered regarding coin prices. This is understandable since coin pricing is one of the main issues which coin collecting itself is centered around. Whether one is buying, selling, or just sitting on......
- Seated Liberty (1839-91) Halves Coins: US Coins & Paper Money
- Primitive House Decorative Flags & Flagpoles Garden Décor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Crying Outdoor Statue For Flower Angels & Cherubs Statues & Yard Art Garden Décor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Medals, Ribbons United States Original Period Items WW II (1939-45) Militaria Collectibles
- Personal Gear United States Original Period Items WW II (1939-45) Militaria Collectibles
