Indian Head Bronze Cents 1864-1909

The shots at Fort Sumter that launched the Civil War didn't enclose out pending April 12, 1861, but preparations for war were under way well before that-plus financial preparations. Expecting the conflict, edgy Americans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line began sign gold and silver

coins. The stride of this activity accelerated following the choice of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in November of 1860, for he was perceived as a hard-line Unionist suspect to compromise with southern politicians. It reached fever pitch after Dec. 28, 1861, when New York banks suspended specie payments in reponse to the issuance of national paper money which was not redeemable in coin. By the summer of 1862, precious-metal coins all but disappeared from circulation.

Not being made of precious metal, cents sustained to circulate for a few months longer. In verity, it seemed inconceivable the Americans would pile cents. The large, intrinsically effective copper cents used since the inception of the realm's change were replaced in 1857 by the slighter copper-nickel Flying Eagle cents-fiat issues, merit minus as metal than, as money. That was curious in the mid-19th century; most U. S. Coins had high intrinsic appraise, and Americans had come to assume and even insist this in their penny. Nonetheless, the broadcast had welcomed the large cents' demise, considering the coins too cumbersome for usual use.

The new small cents-known as "colorless cents" because of their pale incline-became even more accepted in 1859 when, due to striking problems, the Mint replaced the creative Flying Eagle affect with a new one depicting a female clothed in a feathered Indian crown. This "Indian Head" portrait, not a native American profile but apparently modeled after the Greco-Roman model Venus Accroupie, had widespread urge, reinforcing the acceptance the colorless cents already enjoyed because of their versatile dimension.

Production levels were high-far superior to those of the large cents they replaced-and it was common education that the metal in each coin was worth excluding than one cent. Nevertheless the Civil War shattered many accepted beliefs, counting the perception that small-limit, low-assess cents were immune from notice.

Initially, bags of cents served as one of the central means of payment for anxious merchants deprived of silver coins. Before long, however, the cents too became a target for hoarders. They were, after all, government-release coins, and as such were preferable to the all-but-irredeemable "shinplasters" (scrip and wildcat pile comments) being generally presented. Furthermore, the worth of nickel-fueled by wartime pressure-was rising promptly, giving these nickel-alloy coins bigger intrinsic cost. By December 1862, cents had coupled gold and silver coins on the step.

That was when need gave birth to invention-not by Uncle Sam but by secretive entrepreneurs. To stuff the vacuum left by the departure of federal money, merchants and promoters began producing cent-sized model tokens, normally effect an oblique or even exact potential of redemption in cargo, navy or money. These "Civil War tokens" gained broad acceptance as a money substitute. Mint officials were duly impressed, and in 1864 they reshaped the cent in these tokens' aura, replacing the copper-nickel "ashen cent" with a slimmed-down rendering made of figurine.

Besides being darker in paint, the new cent was one-third lighter in substance. Its diameter was unchanged, however, and it still bore the same Indian Head face model and unadorned circlet and shelter transpose fashioned for its predecessor by the Mint's chief engraver, James B. Longacre. The new coin's components were less expensive than nickel, and this mutual with its sink emphasis made it much cheaper to fabricate. It was also easier to reach, as figure is much softer than nickel. And like the tokens it successfully replaced, it enjoyed ready acceptance from the municipal, effectively finale the dearth of cents in circulation.

Both kinds of cents were issued in 1864, with the sculpture outnumbering the copper nickel by about 3-to-1. Despite its higher mintage, the image cent provided the year's scarcest class: one on which Longacre's first "L" appears on the ribbon of the Indian's boater. The designer didn't add this until recent in the year, so relatively few 1864 cents have it. Apparently, a large mass of these "L" cents went to England, for many pieces were improved from there in the 1950s and 60s.

Bronze Indian cents remained in production lacking interruption for near half a century before giving way to the Abraham Lincoln kind in 1909. The invent remained the same for the intact run except for instant changes in 1886, when the then chief engraver, Charles Barber, faintly lowered the relief and made a small change in the stand of the bust. For all but the last two time, Indian Heads were struck only at the chief mint in Philadelphia; in 1908 and 1909, the San Francisco office struck cents, the period in very limited quantities. On these, the "S" mint show appears below the garland on the switch.

Total mintage for the string reached almost 1.6 billion, along with 96,848 proofs. Annual production topped 100 million only once, in 1907, and sank below one million for just two issues: 1877 and 1909-S. At 309,000 pieces, 1909-S has the lowly mintage, but the 1877-at 852,500-is more valuable, because fewer examples were set departure. Other scarce issues include the 1869 with a doubled 9, 1872 and 1908-S. Proofs were struck every year, usually in the thousands, except for the prior days which saw mintages under 1,000. The 1864 coins had the minimum testimony mintages: 150 for the no "L" form and only 20 for the with "L" coin, making it a major scarcity. Counterfeits subsist, particularly of coins dated 1877 and 1909-S, and to a smaller extent, the 1864 "L," the 1866 to 1878 issues and 1908-S. Questionable pieces should always be authenticated.

When grading Indian Head cents, the first chairs to show bear on the obverse will be the locks above the ear and the twist to the right of the ribbon; on the annul, bill the bow tether.

Mint asserted examples survive in substantial quantities in grades up to MS-65, but their population drops sharply in MS-66 and above. Fully red coins, of course, are rarer still. Although the chain is relatively long, it encompasses just 51 pieces-even plus 1864 L, 1869/9 and the Open 3 and Closed 3 cents of 1873-because there are only two twig-mint issues. Given this fact and the limited number of high-priced rarities, many collectors assemble undivided date-and-mint sets. The chain relics one of the most accepted of all United States issues.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 19 millimeters Weight: 3.11 grams Composition: .950 copper.050 tin and zinc Edge: Plain

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bowers, Q. David, A Buyer's and Enthusiast's Guide to Fly Eagle and Indian Cents, Bowers & Merena Galleries, Wolfeboro, NH, 1996. Breen, Walter, Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Snow, Richard, Flying Eagle & Indian Cents, Eagle Eye Press, 1992. Steve, Larry R. & Flynn, Kevin J. Flying Eagle and Indian Cent Die Varieties, Nuvista Press, Jarrettsville, MD, 1995. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1966. Vermeule, Cornelius, Numismatic Art in America, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1971.

Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.

Seated Liberty/No Motto Silver Dollars 1840-1873

The year was 1840. Martin Van Buren was completing a Presidential word ruined by terrible financial depression. This era, called the Hard Times, resulted from time of reckless Western land speculation and the evolution of unregulated banks issuing a flood of unsecured paper money. The prolonged depression ravished America's agriculture and trade and saw hundreds of thousands starving and unemployed.

Inheriting from President Andrew Jackson was the Van Buren Administration's loyalty in "hard money"- silver and gold-as the only unfailing warehouse of assess in compare to shaky thanks and worthless paper money. Expressing this hard money outlook, the Mint strove from 1836 to start a new circulating silver cash. No cash coin had appeared for circulation since 1804, when the last of the 1803-square Draped Bust dollars were released.

Mint Director Robert Maskell Patterson viewed the new money as the pinnacle of America's silver penny. After all, it was a fortunate worker who made even four dollars for a workweek of 76 to 80 hours of unremitting slog in this harsh era. A silver bucked was indeed a keep of wealth to millions of impoverished running-classify Americans.

An admirer of the seated Britannia on British copper penny, Patterson supposed that a seated female character would be just as "emblematic of liberty" as the heads and busts adorning the residents's money. He engaged the great study musician Thomas Sully to make sketching for his seated Liberty. Sully floating her on a sway in Grecian robes, left arm supporting a Union guard with a scroll adorned LIBERTY. Her right arm was raised and detained a staff topped with a small Liberty Cap. The Mint's assistant engraver, Christian Gobrecht, adapted the Sully sketches to bas-relief art fitting for money. The effect was the Seated Liberty create worn at one time or another on half dimes, dimes, 20-cent pieces, quarters, half dollars and dollars from 1836 through 1891.

As reworked by Gobrecht and Robert Ball Hughes, Liberty emerged with a rounded president and her dangling right arm appearing immensely long, her left patently shorter. Pattern obverses of 1836 and 1839 showed no frontage stars but placed the musician's signature in the turf or on the base. Gobrecht's novel reverses of 1836-1839 open a magnificent snatched eagle in a shining or patent sky. Unfortunately, the "No Motto" silver money of 1840-1865 deleted the innovative flying eagle, substituting the unimaginative but relaxed "sandwich lodge" bird with dropped wings and a safeguard on its breast. Liberty had no artist's signature and sat coyly in a crowd of 13 stars with the court placed below. The coins of 1840-65 do not have the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the converse.

Mintages were commonly small by recent standards, adding only 2,895,673 coins for the cycle. The Philadelphia Minted (no mintmark) struck all dates from 1840 to 1865 inclusive; New Orleans (O), struck dollars square 1846, 1850, 1859 and 1860; the San Francisco Mint (S), struck this category money only in 1859. Mintmarks are located under the lime sphere, between the eagle's feet on the rearrange.

Tiny figures of proofs were struck of most early Philadelphia dates, but they are of great shortage. Numbers struck are not known with certainty and are gone from general handbook books. Proofs were first made for public selling in 1858 when perhaps 80 pieces were struck; later resistant mintages never exceeded 1,000 excluding for 1860, when 1,330 pieces were coined. Proof restrikes were made of the 1851 and 1852 coins. The last No Motto meeting was 1865, with 46,500 company strikes and 500 proofs made. Two 1866-dated No Motto coins are known, but these "fantasy pieces" were made somewhat later for auction to wealthy collectors. In recent years, the reality of a sole resilient 1851-O specimen has come to light, however researchers postulate that this was accidentally made by the Philadelphia "Midnight Minters," (possibly engraver George Eckfeldt and his son, Mint night watchman Theodore). In their swiftness clandestinely to sell the popular 1851 arise, they overstruck a vacant New Orleans Mint cash, the crushed 'O' mintmark still being quietly visible.

Seated dollars never circulated to any great point in the East, although facts were in daily use west of the Mississippi. The Civil War advanced restricted their circulation as the numbers of subject strikes and proofs struck contracted sharply. Bullion buyers snapped up most new silver coins for export as firmly as they were made. These coins were shipped overseas for melting, and the only U.S. Mint result most citizens saw were the new figurine cents. Coin collectors derided the Mint as "Uncle Sam's copperhead factory."

These large silver coins had some odd striking characteristics. The actual view of Liberty's lead may basis feeble detail even on perfect specimens. The fluff on the eagle's leg and the claws may also show mark of weak beat. Wear first appears on Liberty's thigh, right breast and the top of her precede. The tops of the eagle's wings chart. Because of their size and mass, uncirculated coins stored in Mint bags will show scattered link symbols. Proofs regularly are hairlined from the careless conduct of early non-numismatic owners or will show evidence of cleaning by old-time collectors.

Seating Liberty dollars have gained popularity with the utter antenna kinship since the 1970's, when the great U.S. Treasury reserve of silver dollars was liquidated, though few of them early type were found. To collectors more easy with Morgan and Peace dollars issued in the tens of millions, these formerly coins may appear scarce and vague, and indeed they are. Only a small marginal of all Seated Liberty dollars struck remain in existence today. Researcher Weimar W. White estimated that just a division continue-even in low grades.

Assembling an extensive date and mint set in reduce circulated grades is within reason, given patience and perseverance. A total set in mint kingdom will be costly, especially for examples of the 1850-O, 1851, 1852 and 1859-S. A complete run of proofs is a theoretically viable goal but one which will be unrealistic for any but the best-financed antenna.

The Seated Liberty series endless from 1866 to 1873 with the transpose motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The coinage acted of Feb. 12, 1873 ended the silver buck and abolished the official tender condition of all silver dollars struck from 1794 to 1873. This is the law later savagely denounced by the vocal partisans of released and unlimited coinage of silver as the "Crime of '73." Legal tender category was restored to the colors silver dollar under the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, which prompted the coining of millions of Morgan Dollars.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 38.1 millimeters Weight: 26.73 grams Composition: .900 silver.100 copper Edge: Reeded Net Weight: .77344 oz untainted silver

BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, David T. DeLorey, Thomas K. And Reed, P. Bradley, Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, New York, World Almanac-Pharos Books, 1990. Bowers, Q. David, Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States, Bowers & Merena Galleries, Wolfeboro, NH, 1993. Breen, Walter, Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Vermeule, Cornelius, Numismatic Art in America, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1971. White, Weimar W. The Liberty Seated Dollar 1840-1873, New York, Sanford J. Durst, 1985.

Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.

Coin Collecting on a shoe-series finances

Probably everyone at one time or another has calm coins. Some people conserve old wheat pennies they find in change and hurl them in a jar. Other people amass position quarters, and some others amass certain coins like nickles or dimes, and try to develop an exact collection over time. A lot of people think coin collecting is the hobby of queen's and truthfully, it's regularly called that. An emperor may be able to build a giant collection of coins, but I pledge you, that the small collection a little boy has that may only be amount a team of dollars, appeal just as much to that boy as a King's coins mean to him.

I can tell you right now, everyone can save coins and you don't have to be creamy. In actuality I have sweet a large coin collection, and I have had a very low paying job all my life. There are a lot of behavior superstar can create a great coin collection over time, while still paying the bills.

Coins are so neat looking, I memorize when I was an offspring boy, my grandad would go upstairs and open a protected we had, inside was a metal drawer containing some old Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars. My grandad would let me sit and play with the coins regularly. I would storage one by the brink on the enter top and flip it on the side with my identify and the coin would spin wildly around on the submit like a toy top. The coins were freezing silver or ashen colored and were superb to look at, they were large and grave, not like the little coin we have today. I often wondered how many persons actually accepted these things around in their pockets everyday, it only took a few of them to weigh extremely a lot.

After my grandad accepted away back in 1969, my dad sold the old silver dollars, I don't think he certainly hunted to, but my grandad had left the family ranch pretty absorbed indebt, so dad had a mart and sold about everything excepting our house and the shed, to pay off the mammoth bills. It wasn't too long after that when dad got bitten by the coin collecting bug. At first it coins but paper money that got dad ongoing. I memorize dad saw an ad in the back of some magazine, where a guy was offering to pay $2 for the money fees you sent him that had a certain treasurer's name on it, that name was: " Joesph W. Barr ." My dad looked in his wallet at some buck bills he had, and loyal enough he had one that had the signature " Joesph W. Barr " on it. Dad took the money from his wallet and kept it in an envelop in his old revolve top counter, and after scrutiny his money for numerous time afterwards, dad found some more of them. Sometime later dad mailed the money bills to the address in the magazine ad, and steady enough he rapidly got a verify for the dollars benefit a very dough each. Dad repeated sharp and transfer in them " Joesph W. Barr " dough bills for a while, then after an episode of time, the guy no longer was accepting them.

Dad then happening industry a few Indian precede cents and some bully nickels. Then as he got older and money seemed to get a lot more tighter, dad abandon business coins and turned to a new hobby, doing sweepstakes. Nevertheless by this time, I was hooked, I just loved the look of the old coins, the silver ones and the old copper large cents, they just seemed so neat compared to the boring coins of everyday use. Now, as I am text this editorial, I stumbled across an interesting expose about the " Joesph W. Barr " cash bills from the 'American Numismatic Association' it said, the following: "At one time, it was speculated that the remarks signed by Treasurer Joseph W. Barr would eventually control a high numismatic quantity since he was in workforce for only 23 days in 1968-69. However, during that period, an entire of 484 million notes were formed with his signature. The high quantity formed dictates that the notes will never be considered scarce in our duration. Interestingly, in 1995, numismatic dramatist Alan Herbert avowed, "A $1 Barr document deposited in a notice-course account in 1969 would have been merit over $4.00, figuring 6% appeal compounded annually. A circulated Barr hint kept in an anodyne-deposit box for 26 being value $1 today."

So that explains why that guy perhaps abandon business the " Joesph W. Barr " dollar bills, it seemed they might of been collectible for a little while, but they just never trapped on. Today you can still buy them on eBay and other spaces, sometimes for slightly more than $1.00. Oh well, it is something that has mystified in my wits every since I was a little boy, I will forever memorize dad checking his wallet for " Joesph W. Barr " dollar bills. Now, as I wipe the tears from my eyes, yes I am sad to say dad has been vanished a the being now, and I still overlook him very much, especially when I sit here only and think about the time we spent together in the living departed by, oh well, at least it's forever great memories when it comes to you, dad.

Now, as I regain my mental composure, if I ever had one, I want to say that I never forlorn the longing to save coins. And as I got old enough to work plump time, and live on my own I started and built a quite large coin collection. I didn't have much money as I never went to train or trade school, and I have forever had a job effective as a drudge, so I had to gauzy habits that I could create up my coin collection cheaply.

One day, I was looking in the back of a Coin collecting magazine that I had purchased at an area reports abide, and I found an ad where you could connect a coin collecting penalize ceremony. They would propel you certain coins once a month, and you could choose the ones you wanted to buy and keep, and if you didn't want them all, just transmit the others back to them, and the next month they would remit some other coins for you to assess. What made this plan better than the other esteem military I had often seen was, you could tell them what type of coins you were interested in, and what estimate you were disposed to waste monthly. I elected miscellaneous U.S. coins, everything from old large cents from the 1800's to silver mercury dimes and bewilder nickels etc. And I chose only to spend $20 a month, for me this was perfect and for about a year or more I stayed in the course and over time I got a finicky bunch of coins from them, then something happened and the guests folded or went out of business, as I never received any more coins from them and I no longer saw their ad in the magazines.

Overtime I discovered other shoddy methods to aquire some good coins, one of the methods I still use, is something that everybody can do to edge building a fussy coin collection. Just gain incisive and probing your pinch change, I still find wheat pennies and silver war nickels, and many pre 1960 nickels, and sometimes a silver coin in concise change. One time about two time back, I was at a community deposit and got some change back, I noticed two of the quarters I received looked kinda colorless in flush, examining them compactly after I got back home, I discovered they were both pre 1964 silver Washington quarters. I figured somebody must of needed money to buy some cigarettes or milk or something, and must of worn some of their old coins, I was just fluky enough to had been there at the right time and place to get them in my change.

One place to find a lot of finicky coins is to go to different banks and buy rolls, explore through them tenderly, and you will be staggered of the neat finds you may come across, boon just add a few out of your compact change to supplant the ones you want to keep from the rolls, and you can excursion them back into a different rank for some different rolls of coins to pursuit through.

Another place that is honestly good for discovery some atypical coins is at home mite markets, be wise while as many of the people at these spaces are very sentient of the coins value, and they often ask for much more then what the coins mean. Read up on the coins you are interested in buying, or better yet, take along a sack coin price funnel with you when you go to buy coining, it's better to be sparing then foolish.

Anyway, now after collecting coins for fun over the time, I have almost every Lincoln cent that was made from 1909 up to exhibit, and I have every Jefferson nickel from the first one that was made in 1938 to nearby, and I have a good sized timber chest filled of miscellaneous U.S. coins, including silver dollars, mercury dimes, buffalo nickels, Large Cents and many more matchless and unusual coins. I figure the coins will make a nice gift soon, something to avoid to my daughter and her children, and possibly I can trigger that fire in them, that my dad started in me, the joy of coin collecting. So father checking your sack change today, you just never know what rare finds you may come across.