October 26th, 2009 — US Coins, commemorative coins
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
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September 19th, 2009 — Bullion, Coin Collecting, Silver Bullion Coins, US Coins
American Silver Eagles have been minted in the United States since 1986. These are the official silver bullion coins of the United States, guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of silver that’s 99.9% pure. A troy ounce is actually slightly heaver than a typical ounce of weight, because it’s not measured by weight but rather by grains. A grain is a unit of measure used where absolute precision is crucial, as in archery to weigh arrow heads, and in ballistics to weigh powder and bullets. An ounce is between 28 and 29 grains, and is a very specific number that goes out to 9 decimal places. A troy ounce is over 31 grains, in a number that goes out to 7 decimal places. A troy ounce is the measurement always used for black powder, precious metals and gemstones.
Silver Eagles have their one troy ounce weight and silver content certified by the United States Mint, and are authorized by the US Congress. A proof version of these coins is produced specifically for collectors. These coins have been produced by three mints. Coins marked with a P were minted in Philadelphia, with earlier coins bearing an S for San Francisco and the most recent silver coins marked with a W on the reverse side, which stands for West Point.
The front or obverse of Silver Eagles is based on the “Walking Liberty” design that appeared originally on half-dollars minted between 1916 and 1947. Designed the Adolph Weinman, it became a favorite and one of the best-loved coin designs in American history, so it was chosen for the Silver Eagles. The back or reverse of the coins feature a heraldic eagle.
The face value of Silver Eagles is $1, but the silver content causes the value of these coins to vary with the markets. Because of the different minting, it’s best to look into reference books to find the value of any coins you’re interested in purchasing. Because these coins have been struck in such huge numbers, the value is often not as high as one might expect, even for proofs. Most can be purchased for $25, with that number fluctuating along with the silver market prices. Some years with lower minting can go for over $100, and the boxed anniversary set issued in 2006 that went for $100 each now commands over three times that, because only 250,000 were created. Some rare dates can cost thousands of dollars, but without an up to date reference book it’s difficult to know which are more valuable.
When looking at Silver Eagles do your research and become familiar with the more rare coins, and those which can be found almost anywhere. As with most things, eBay is an excellent source for Silver Eagles of the more rare varieties. One good strategy for investors is to buy the current year’s Silver Eagles and work your way backwards through the years. This can make the collecting more fun and interesting, and give you time to investigate the more valuable minting and dates.
Originally posted 2008-12-14 14:00:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 15th, 2009 — 1896 Silver Dollar, Coin Collecting, US Coins
An 1896 silver dollar is one of the Morgan dollars that were minted from 1868 to 1904, and then later again in 1921. The image on these coins was designed by George T. Morgan, and while his dollar is a collector favorite today, easily found in online auctions, they were virtually ignored when they were created.
By 1873, the American collar coin was discontinued. Paper money was favored over coins. So when the large, Morgan dollar came onto the scene in 1878, few people were interested in using them. After the Comstock lode was discovered in Nevada, America’s richest silver strike to date, it was necessary to use that silver to keep Nevada’s economy from collapsing. Pressure was put on the government to make a silver dollar, so the US Treasury, despite the veto by President Rutherford B. Hayes, purchased a few million dollars worth of the silver for coinmaking. Some of that silver was used in the 1896 silver dollars, as well as other dollars from that era.
Morgan, a native of England, was brought over to be an engraver for the director of the Philadelphia Mint. Morgan’s design competed with the design by the normal designer and Chief Engraver, William Barger. Morgan’s coin was chosen, with its head of Lady Liberty on the front and a small eagle on the back. Soon after, Morgan became Chief Engraver and remained there for over 40 years, then became Chief Engraver for the United States Mint in his 70s. The 1896 silver dollar as well as all Morgan dollars produced, bear the distinction of being the only American coin Morgan ever designed.
Less than two weeks after Congress authorized the minting, the first Morgan dollars were struck, on March 11, 1878. Philadelphia produced most of the Morgan dollars, but a small mint in Carson City near the silver Comstock lode produced some dollars of that era. Though that mint closed in 1893, after the mine was essentially emptied of silver. The 1896 silver dollars was one of the 500 million Morgan dollars minted between 1878 and 1904. Despite their numbers, the coins weren’t popular with consumers. There were many used coins, in fact, that in 1918, over 270 million were melted to provide Great Britain with silver during the war. Morgan dollars were produced again in 1921, to the tune of 86 million, but stopped the following year so that the Peace dollar, which became popular, could be produced to commemorate the end of World War I.
Millions more Morgan dollars, including the 1896 silver dollar, were melted down for their silver content in the following years. In fact, it wasn’t until 1972, when the General Services Administration auctioned 2.9 million Morgan dollars, the rare ones produced by the Carson City mint that closed in 1893, that the Morgan dollar interested collectors at all. Then LaVere Redfield, a stock investor who had hoarded 400 bags of Morgan dollars, died in 1974 and his 11 tons of Morgan dollars were auctioned for $7.3 million dollars, giving the Morgan dollar real status in the coin world.
Originally posted 2008-10-14 14:00:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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