Sacagawea dollars: the golden dollar that is not gold
Sacagawea dollars are manganese-brass clad, not gold. 2000 on. Cheerios dollars and a few varieties are collected. A jar of…
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West Point: the W mint mark
W is West Point, New York. A bullion and commemorative mint. A W on a modern Eagle is a mint…
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New Orleans: the O mint mark
O is New Orleans. The mint ran, stopped for the Civil War, then ran again. An O on a Morgan…
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Carson City: the CC mint mark
CC is Carson City, Nevada. A small mint. A loud mint mark. Most CC coins are collected. Not every CC…
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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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