SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT COINS PART II
When the U. S. Mint was established the law required that all coins be made of gold, silver or copper. For a considerable period of time afterwards, gold was used in the $10, $5 and $2.50 pieces, silver was used to make the dollar, half-dollar, quarter, dime and half-dime while the penny and half-cent coins were made of copper.
In 1933, during the Great Depression, the U.S. Mint stopped making gold coins altogether. In 1965, as a result of a severe silver shortage, Congress dictated that silver no longer be used in making quarters and dimes. In addition, the silver content of the half-dollar (previously 90%) was reduced to 40% in 1965 and then eliminated entirely in 1971.
As previously mentioned, all of these coin denominations are now composed of copper-nickel clad with an outer layer of a 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy and a pure copper core. Nickels are made of the same copper-nickel alloy but without the copper core.
The penny’s composition was altered in 1982 from 95% copper 5% zinc, to the current 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper mix. This was done as a cost cutting measure and to make the penny lighter in weight.
The 25-cent (quarter), 10-cent (dime), five-cent (nickel) and one-cent (penny) pieces are the coin denominations commonly in use today in the U.S. Half-dollar and dollar coins continue to be issued but rarely circulate in everyday commerce. Foreign coins exist in all sorts of denominations, so it’s impossible to list them all here.
U.S. coin denominations issued in the past but no longer in use include the half-cent, two-cent, three-cent, and 20-cent copper pieces and a small silver coin called a half-dime. Gold coins in denominations of $1, $2.50 (“Quarter Eagle”), $3, $5 (“Half Eagle”), $10 (“Eagle”), and $20 (“Double Eagle”) were issued from time to time from 1793 until 1933.
Silver half-dollars have been minted in large quantities since 1793 and peaked in popularity with the introduction of the Kennedy half-dollar in 1964. Silver-less half-dollars were first introduced in 1971.
Silver dollars have been issued at various times since 1793, were discontinued in 1933, and then re-introduced in 1971 in the form of the silver less Eisenhower dollar. The Eisenhower dollar was replaced in 1979 with the silver less Susan B. Anthony coin, in honor of the famed women’s suffrage pioneer.
A new dollar coin replaced the Susan B. Anthony coins. That coin portrays Sacagawea, the Native American woman who contributed to the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The coin is golden in color and made from a manganese brass metal alloy.
In addition to the above, various so-called “commemorative” coins have been issued from time to time in various denominations to honor a particular noteworthy person, place or event. The first such coin was issued in 1892 to commemorate the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. These coins are usually made in limited quantities, sell at a premium and rarely circulate as normal coinage.
With the exception of commemorative coins and the Susan B. Anthony dollar, U.S. coins currently minted portray past famous U.S. Presidents. These coins are the Lincoln penny, introduced in 1909, the Washington quarter, first issued in 1932, the Jefferson nickel, adopted in 1938, the Franklin D. Roosevelt dime, introduced in 1946, and the Kennedy half-dollar, which was first minted in 1964.
In 1792, Congress required that all American coins show on one side “an impression emblematic of Liberty, with an inscription of the word Liberty, and the year of coinage”. This requirement has been followed since.
The phrase “In God We Trust” was first used on U.S. coins in 1864. This motto now appears on all U.S. coins.
In 1999, the design of the U.S. quarter changed. Reverses of circulating quarters will be replaced with designs representative of each of the fifty states. Each year from 1999 through 2008, five different quarters, commemorating five states will be issued in the order in which the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted to the Union. These “State Quarters” are intended for general circulation but special silver proof coins will also be sold to collectors.
The coins of other countries can reflect many different images including animals, scenes, famous buildings, and more. They often reflect the history of the country and are interesting for the novice collector because of their uniqueness.
The first international convention for coin collectors was held in August of 1962 in Detroit, Michigan. It was sponsored by the American Numismatic Association and the Canadian numismatic Association. It was estimated that over 40,000 people attended this first convention
As you can easily see, this hobby is a very popular one and the numbers are sure to be growing every day as interest is piqued. Now that we’ve got some facts about coins in general, let’s look specifically at the art of numismatics beginning with the terms you’ll need to know.

Wow, excellent post! I am intrigued.
Thank you I am glad you like it!
As a Newbie, I’m constantly searching online for articles which can assist me. Thank you
If you are searching online for articles which can assist you in collecting coins, you have come to the right blog. I will be posting more articles on my blog. I also have a website with more articles. Check out this website http://allcoincollection.com.
Hi,great article,thanks for your share! and I want to know if i can this text in my website if I place a link back to yours? Waiting for your comment!
Hi, Will you be writing a follow-up article? The partner and myself have put in some time looking over your webpage and funnily enough you highlighted a little something i was referring to only the other day with our dentist. We very often notice ourselves arguing on the smallest of points, isn’t it childish?
I was not planning on writing a follow-up article, but you have given me something to think about. Arguing on the smallest of points can be childish but its ok as long as you agree to disagree.
gold coins are very nice and they are collectibles too*~”
Awesome Information, thanks for this fine Post. I will come back later . Great information about locksmith : surprise locksmith
my grand father used to have those old spanish gold coins in stock;*.
collectible coins are quite expensive and we have some of it that date backs from the 1800s ;
What can I say. I do like the sight of Gold, specially gold coins such as Ameican gold eagle but also Lunar Coins espcecially Year of the Dragon and dont forget Canadas Maple Leaf gold coins and Australia Gold Nugget
gold coins are very nice and they won’t tarnish over time too “”
Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own. ~William Hazlitt
my father have lots and lots of collectible coins that are very precious and rare -**
What a riot! I was just discussing the same thing with my sister a couple days ago. Looking forward to knowing what they thinks about your thoughts. Thanks for the info!
Hey dude! Really enjoyed that comment http://www.testthisblogtoseeifitworks.com/ . Please let me know if you write any more.
I am not able to see the comment because my firewall is blocking it, I am really busy right now with other things but yes I still write.
See, I would like it if the majority of the blogs I checked out would just be truthful in what they say. I suppose thats why I continue coming again right here as a result of not solely is the material you provide helpful, you additionally hold it “real” I’m not sure that I agree one hundred% inside your blog post, however I did discover it intriguing
Thank you, I appreciate what you said, We try our best to give you the best material
Penny auction sites are amazing! I have saved so much money by utilizing them.
Whether or not it can be and also definitely not, all the best . discovering!
I adore tumblr, I by no means understood I can depart other Well-rounded running a blog solutions (wordpress, blogger, typepad) for it young support when I first registered in it.. And for the urls, tumblr now extracts them from the post titles, and tags are becoming enhanced too. You can even now use it for micro running a blog and aggregator to sites you enjoy.
You deserve some acknowledgement for this nice article
Glorious info here. It attention-grabbing put up forced me grin. Perhaps for those who chuck in a couple of photos it’s going to make the complete thing more fascinating. Anyway, in my language, there are usually not a lot good provide prefer that .
Thanks for your help with my personal research project! Don’t worry, I defintely won’t be copying your posting but I found some very helpful ideas with my report. It is interesting you were the 2nd result shown for my search term.
I really enjoy looking through on this web site , it has got fantastic content .
thanks, great to find some folks putting efforts in their writing still. agree with everybody else.
Damn ! I just found a error in your site! Check if your addons is placed correctly!
Whoa! Thank you! I always wanted to publish at my website something like that.
Can I simply say what a reduction to search out somebody who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You positively know how to deliver a difficulty to mild and make it important. Extra people must learn this and perceive this aspect of the story. I cant believe youre no more widespread because you definitely have the gift.
I’d personally like to thank you for enough time that you have taken in composing this blog post.
Hello, This was a great thread thank u very much for sharing this info with me. We are going to bookmark your website for further reading. Thanks a bunch.
Mint stopped making gold coins altogether. This was done as a cost cutting measure and to make the penny lighter in weight. The coin is golden in color and made from a manganese brass metal alloy. coins currently minted portray past famous U. This requirement has been followed since. This motto now appears on all U. Reverses of circulating quarters will be replaced with designs representative of each of the fifty states. They often reflect the history of the country and are interesting for the novice collector because of their uniqueness. It was sponsored by the American Numismatic Association and the Canadian numismatic Association. I will be posting more articles on my blog. I also have a website with more articles. Arguing on the smallest of points can be childish but its ok as long as you agree to disagree. Looking forward to knowing what they thinks about your thoughts. Please let me know if you write any more. You can even now use it for micro running a blog and aggregator to sites you enjoy. You positively know how to deliver a difficulty to mild and make it important. Extra people must learn this and perceive this aspect of the story. I cant believe youre no more widespread because you definitely have the gift. We are going to bookmark your website for further reading.com is Proudly Powered by WordPress.Hey i do like the post it is very nice . I do read this and enjoyed it let me know if you post any new.
Thanks for this wondrous post, I am glad I observed this website on yahoo.
Spot on with this write-up, I actually suppose this website wants far more consideration. I’ll most likely be again to read much more, thanks for that info.
That’s enormous, I not at any time deliberating hither Nostradamus in the OR
Thanks for the great post! Certainly come in handy. See my site http://www.lnet.eu/category/strony-www/. Bye!
Unquestionably imagine that that you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the simplest factor to take note of. I say to you, I definitely get irked whilst other people consider issues that they just do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also outlined out the entire thing with no need side-effects , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
thank you for sharing this. this is very good informations i like your website.
What i do not understood is in fact how you’re now not really a lot more smartly-liked than you may be right now. You’re very intelligent. You already know therefore considerably with regards to this subject, produced me personally consider it from so many various angles. Its like men and women are not interested except it’s something to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your individual stuffs outstanding. At all times care for it up!
I liked reading this. I really need to read much more about this issue. I’m appreciating effort and time you invest your blog, because its beneficial location just where I can get lots of important facts.
Hello there! Do you imagination merely have your website together with my myspace . com class? There’s a lot of people that I believe would probably actually enjoy your content. You should permit me to learn. Thank you
Exercise for me is about having fun. Zumba allows me to have alot of fun and its a great workout too!
I couldn’t currently have asked for a better blog. You’re ever present to provide excellent suggestions, going right to the point for straightforward understanding of your subscribers. You’re really a terrific expert in this subject matter. Thanks a lot for remaining there for an individual like me.
I discovered your own blog website on google and appearance several of your early articles Continue to maintain in the quite very good run I simply extra up your Feed to my MSN News Readers Looking for forward to reading more of your stuff afterwards
SciSeekFeed Australia sure seems like a secular nation Australia sure seems like a secular nation : Pharyngula – scienceblogs
You actually make it appear really easy with your presentation however I find this matter to be actually something which I believe I would by no means understand. It seems too complex and very large for me. I’m taking a look forward for your next publish, I will attempt to get the grasp of it!
The suggestions you shared here are quite valuable. Rrt had been such an enjoyable surprise to get that awaiting me when I woke up today. They are generally to the point and straightforward to grasp. Thank you so much for the thoughtful ideas you have shared here.
I couldn’t have really asked for an even better blog. You are ever present to offer excellent suggestions, going straight to the point for simple understanding of your readership. You’re really a terrific expert in this field. Thank you for remaining there for people like me.