Susan B. Anthony Dollars
By 1977 a Treasury-sponsored study had documented that the Eisenhower dollar was too large and heavy for everyday commerce and recommended a smaller dollar. Congress authorized a new small-diameter…
Dollars
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Nickels
Jefferson Nickels
In January 1938, the Mint announced an open competition for the nickel's new design, specifying that entries must feature Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and his home, Monticello, on the reverse,…
Two & Three Cents
Two-Cent Pieces
By the end of 1862, essentially all United States government coinage had left circulation. Gold and silver were hoarded first. The Flying Eagle and Indian Head copper-nickel cents that followed had…
U.S. Gold Coins
Capped Bust Gold $5 Half Eagles
When John Reich joined the Mint as Assistant Engraver in April 1807, Mint Director Robert Patterson gave him the half eagle as his first redesign assignment. Reich's obverse placed Liberty facing…
Half Cents
Liberty Cap Half Cents
The half cent was authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792 and entered production in July 1793, by which point the Mint had already been striking Chain cents and Wreath cents for several months. The…
Quarter Dollars
Standing Liberty Quarters
When Mint Director Robert W. Woolley invited three sculptors to submit designs for the quarter in 1915 and 1916, he was responding to the same broad campaign for coinage reform that had produced…
Half Dollars
Barber Half Dollars (Liberty Head)
The Mint Act of September 26, 1890 authorized coin design changes after 25 years of continuous use, making the dime, quarter, and half dollar eligible for redesign in 1891. Mint Director Edward Leech…
Quarter Dollars
Washington Quarters (America the Beautiful)
The America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-456, signed December 23, 2008) authorized a 56-coin quarter program running from 2010 through 2021, honoring one…
U.S. Gold Coins
Indian Head Gold $5 Half Eagles
Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow, a Boston physician and art collector and one of President Theodore Roosevelt's close friends, had observed the incuse relief of ancient Egyptian carvings at the Boston…
Half Dollars
Flowing Hair Half Dollars
Every Flowing Hair half dollar carries lettering on its edge that no other United States coin has ever replicated: FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR. Not just a denomination mark, not a motto, but a…
U.S. Gold Coins
Liberty Head Gold Dollars
The Act of March 3, 1849 responding to California gold added two denominations to the federal coinage simultaneously: the one-dollar piece and the twenty-dollar double eagle. Chief Engraver James B.…
Half Dollars
Walking Liberty Half Dollars
Adolph Weinman came to the Walking Liberty half dollar with a specific formation. He had studied under Augustus Saint-Gaudens around 1896, and Saint-Gaudens' influence runs visibly through the…