Welcome to my blog. If you have an interest in collecting US coins, then you have come to the right place. I plan on blogging about popular coins like the Lincoln Cent or Morgan Dollar as well as making collecting coins interesting for a beginners or people who have been away for a long time.
I started collecting in the 1970’s with my two closest friends. I still talk about coins with one of them. We collected on and off through the 1980’s and 1990’s. When I was laid off in 2001, I had pretty much stopped collecting for the next 13 years except for the Washington State Quarters. In 2014, I started again and in 2015 joined the Pawcatuck Valley Coin Club in Pawcatuck, CT.
So, is there any coin that interests you? Maybe something simple like Jefferson Nickels or a short collection like Peace Dollars (24 coins) or Franklin Half Dollars (35 coins)? Let me know what you would like to know more about.
I am fascinated by your website and I will be coming back in the future. As an Australian citizen, I have no idea about American coins but I would like to learn about them. What are Jefferson nickels? Or Franklin Half Dollars? Do they come from a significant time in American History?
Jefferson nickels are the current 5 cent US coin. They have been around since 1938 and have our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson on the front and his home, Monticello, on the reverse. I actually just finished a set of Wartime Jefferson Nickels from 1942 – 1945. With nickel being in demand during World War II, they put silver in the Jefferson nickels. About 35% of the coin was silver. Jefferson Nickels are one of the easiest US coins to collect.
Franklin Half Dollars were around from 1948 – 1963. The front had the bust of one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin and the reverse had the Liberty Bell which was a symbol of America’s Independence from England. This was a short set, only 35 coins, but a popular one. They would be replaced by the Kennedy Half Dollar in 1964 in honor of President John F. Kennedy.
Thanks for the comment and if there is anything else you would like to know about US coins, please ask.
Kevin
Hi Kevin, great niche you have here.
I have always been curious about silver dollars, having read about them in a number of American fiction novels. Can you tell me if they do, in fact exist? Or are they fiction?
Thanks for sharing, It is obviously something you care deeply about!
Kris
Thanks for the comment Kris. I started collecting when I was 11 and have always enjoyed.
US Silver Dollars were around from 1794 – 1935. The most popular set was the Morgan Dollar which was minted between 1878 and 1921. My favorite though is the Peace Dollar from 1921 – 1935. After that, there were no dollar coins released until 1971. There was talk of a 1964 Peace Dollar but was never released. The only modern dollars that had silver were some of the Eisenhower Dollars between 1971 and 1976 (they were only 40% silver) and commemorative coins. One of the most popular coins in US History was the 1804 Silver Dollar. I hope to talk about it in one of my future posts.
Kevin