Capped Bust coins: the silver after Draped Bust
Capped Bust is the US silver look from the late 1800s teens into the 1830s: half dime, dime, quarter, half,…
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Stars and shields on US coins (not a constellation prize)
Thirteen stars are the original states. A Union shield is the country. Count them if you want. A missing star…
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Fasces, olive, torch, arrows: the small symbols on US coins
A fasces is a bundle of rods. An olive branch is peace. Arrows are war ready. A torch is enlightenment.…
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E Pluribus Unum and In God We Trust: the mottos on US coins
E Pluribus Unum is the older motto. In God We Trust arrives in the Civil War and becomes required later.…
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Why Liberty is on United States coins
Liberty is not a portrait of one woman. She is the idea the Mint was told to put on the…
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Mint State: MS-60 to MS-70 without the registry fight
Mint State means no wear. The number is marks, strike, and luster. MS-60 can look awful. MS-70 is a modern-coin…
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Circulated grades: AG, Good, Fine, VF, XF, AU
If a coin spent time in a pocket, the grade is about what is left of the design. AG through…
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The Sheldon scale: what AG-3 through MS-70 actually means
Dr. William Sheldon’s 1–70 scale is the language of US coin grades. Wear, not shine. Why G-4 is not “a…
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The 1907–1933 twenty-dollar gold. Liberty walking with a torch. High relief first, then a coin banks could stack. Pre-33 gold,…
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