Vintage Coin Articles

By GovMint:The story of the 1943 Copper Penny is one of a fascinating mint error created by historical events. During World War II, the composition of the U.S. penny underwent a dramatic change due to a critical shortage of copper, leading to one of the most sought-after mint errors in American numismatic history. Learn more about what sets the 1943 Copper Penny apart from other coins of the era and how it became one of the most idealized and sought-after coins today.The History of Copper Pennies Before World War II Before World War II, pennies were predominantly made of copper, which was abundant, affordable, and worked well for minting. Beginning in 1864, these pennies had a consistent composition of copper, tin, and zinc, ensuring durability and ease of minting.After decades of consistent copper alloys, the start of World War II forced the U.S. Mint to use different materials when striking cents. As copper became essential for producing wartime equipment like shell casings and…

By GovMint:The 1964 Kennedy Silver Half Dollar is one of the most historically significant and poignant coins in U.S. numismatics history. The U.S. Mint designed the half dollar coins to honor President John F. Kennedy, who had tragically been assassinated the year prior. The approval and production process was expedited to meet public demand, resulting in an unusually high mintage that year. Learn more about the background and significance of the Kennedy Half Dollar here.The History Behind Kennedy Half Dollars Just days after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the U.S. Mint began discussions with the Kennedy family to create a commemorative coin. They considered various denominations for the design, but ultimately the half dollar won as it was the only coin that didn’t already feature a U.S. president. As the public heard about the coin honoring one of the most popular presidents in U.S. history, anticipation quickly grew. When the Mint started production in January 1964 and…

By GovMint:Aside from having one of the lowest mintages of any U.S. Mint coin in the 20th century, the  1916 Standing Liberty Quarter also has a controversial history. Everything about the coin’s inception is unique, from the invitational competition that pitted three talented coin designers against each other to the discrepancies between the initial design and the final product. Learn about the history, controversy, and limited mintage of the 1916 Liberty Quarter here.The History Behind Standing Liberty Quarters The 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter succeeded the Barber Quarter, which was celebrating its 25th year of issue in 1916. Production didn’t begin until the final two weeks of 1916, though technically, the Standing Liberty Quarter shouldn’t have appeared until 1917. The U.S. Mint only struck very few coins because of the unconventional timing, making the 1916 Liberty Quarter one of the lowest mintage U.S. coins of the 20th century. The Standing Liberty Quarter design came…

By GovMint:The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is among the rarest and most mysterious coins worldwide. Private collectors and museums have chased the five known instances of the coin for decades despite the lack of knowledge about the design’s creation. In some cases, these 1913 Liberty Nickels have been valued at millions of dollars apiece. Learn more about this iconic coin here.The Origins of Liberty Head Nickels The Liberty Head Nickel design appeared on U.S. Mint nickels from 1883 to 1912, replacing the Shield nickel design. Coin artist Charles Barber created the Liberty Nickel (also known as the V Nickel), which depicts a left-facing portrait of Lady Liberty on the obverse and the Roman numeral “V” encircled by a wreath on the reverse. The original design was missing the word “CENTS,” which the U.S. Mint quickly added after some people started gold-plating liberty head nickels and passing them off as five-dollar gold pieces. Production of the Liberty Nickel continued until…

By GovMint: What is the Fairmont Collection? This guide will cover everything you need to know about the vintage gold coin collection, including its history and significance, as well as tips on how coin collectors can acquire a piece of this incredible find.Table of Contents What Is the Fairmont Collection? When Was the Fairmont Collection Made Available? Where Was the Fairmont Collection Minted? Are Fairmont Collection Coins Rare? How to Collect Fairmont Collection Coins What Is the Fairmont Collection Reserve+? What Coins Belong to the Fairmont Collection Reserve+? $5 Liberty Gold Coin $10 Liberty Gold Coin $10 Indian Gold Coin $20 Liberty Gold Coin $20 Saint-Gaudens Why Buy Coins of the Fairmont Collection Reserve+? What to Avoid When Collecting Fairmont Collection Coins Ready to Build Your Coin Collection? Visit GovMint Today!What Is the Fairmont Collection? The Fairmont Collection is an astonishing hoard of U.S. vintage gold coins, amassed and hidden from the…

By Jeff Garrett Building A Southern Gold Collection I have been buying and selling coins for over 35 years. One of my early mentors was the late, great coin dealer, Jack Hancock. I first met Jack in the early 1970's on the southern coin show circuit. Jack was a wonderful character and one of the biggest advocates ever for collecting Southern gold coins. He specialized in Dahlonega gold coins, and had a lake house in Gainesville, Georgia, not too far from where these fascinating coins were minted. Over the years Jack and his partner, Bob Harwell helped collectors put together many superb sets of Dahlonega gold coins. One customer decided to assemble the finest set ever and tasked Jack and Bob to hunt down and purchase the coins. The result of that effort was the Duke's Creek collection of Dahlonega, Bechtler, and Templeton Reid gold coins. A complete set of the gold coins minted from gold of the Georgia Gold Rush of 1830. Sadly, Jack died of a heart attack around 15 years ago, well…

By Ray James The Walking Liberty Half Dollar is one of the most beloved designs in Twentieth-Century American coinage. The silver half dollar debuted in 1916 and was struck through 1947. The Barber Half Dollar preceded it, and the Franklin Half Dollar followed it as circulating half dollar designs. The silver Walking Liberty Half Dollar was one of the final issues that were part of the "Renaissance of American coinage"—the coinage redesign put into motion by President Theodore Roosevelt in the previous decade.Walking Liberty Silver Half Dollar Design   The Walking Liberty Silver Half Dollar design was brought to fruition by Adolph A. Weinman, the designer of the famous Mercury Dime, which also debuted in 1916. Both designs won a public competition for the selection of new coin designs. Mr. Weinman was a student of famed artist and coin designer Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who was responsible for the iconic Double Eagle Twenty Dollar design.   The obverse design is widely thought…

By Ray James   The United States Mint struck the Winged Liberty Head or "Mercury" Dime design from 1916 until 1945. The Mercury Dime is one of the most collected and beloved American coin series ever struck! This series was preceded by the famous Barber dime and was followed by the Roosevelt dime design, which is still circulating today.     The designer of the Mercury dime was noted American artist Adolph A. Weinman. For more information about Adolph A. Weinman and his many numismatic accomplisments, read this Coin Authority article Mercury Dime Design     The obverse depicts Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap. The wings on the cap symbolize "Freedom of Thought." The wing imagery was the design element that caused this depiction of Liberty to be mistaken as a depiction of Mercury, the Roman messenger of the Gods.   The reverse features a fasces ,or ax, and an olive branch.How much is a Mercury Dime worth?    The Mercury dime contains .07234 oz. of actual…

By Louis Golino   During times of economic dislocation and massive stock market volatility, such as the present coronavirus crisis, investors often flock to gold as a safe haven and buy gold coins, which has recently led to an influx of new buyers. Unlike the last major economic crisis that began in 2008, when spot gold prices declined by 30% as the economy and markets tanked, this time gold is increasing in value after a brief period in March when equities suddenly turned sharply down. Investors needed to raise cash by selling their gold. Since then, gold has reached as much as $1750 per ounce -- its highest level since 2012, only $150 below its all-time high of $1900 in August 2011.There has also been an unprecedented increase in demand for physical gold, which has resulted in a shortage of gold coins on the market and pushed their premiums up substantially. While the premiums on modern gold bullion pieces, especially popular American Gold Eagle coins, are at their highest…

By Louis Golino The story of modern U.S. dollar coins is mostly one of failure in terms of circulating issues and one of mixed results as a numismatic collectible. American consumers have largely rejected the coins for commerce, preferring to use the dollar bill. As for collectors, some of these coins, such as the first, the Eisenhower dollar, remain quite popular with collectors, while others never really took off with them. The most famous – some would say infamous – example of a flop in both regards is the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which debuted 40 years ago on July 2, 1979. The coin was conceived as a solution to the failure of the Eisenhower dollar, which was issued into circulation from 1971 to 1978, due to its large size and heavy weight. Ike dollars were widely used in casinos, especially in slot machines, just as Morgan and Peace dollars of the same size had been used for those purposes before that. Susan B. Anthony Dollar Origins In 1975 the Treasury department…