Liberty Head V nickels: 1883 without CENTS, and the ones that are not a 1913
Liberty Head nickels (1883–1912) are copper-nickel, not silver. 1883 comes with and without CENTS. 1885, 1886, and 1912-S are the…
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Barber dimes, quarters, and halves: one face, three sizes
Barber dimes, quarters, and halves (1892–1916) share Charles Barber’s Liberty head. All are 90% silver. Common worn dates are junk-plus.…
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Franklin halves: the Liberty Bell half, 1948–1963
Franklin half dollars (1948–1963) are 90% silver. Common dates are junk-plus. Full Bell Lines is a grade talk. The 1955…
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Standing Liberty quarters: Type 1, Type 2, and the 1916
Standing Liberty quarters (1916–1930) are 90% silver. Type 1 (1916–early 1917) has an exposed breast; Type 2 adds chainmail. 1916…
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Cayman Islands coins: those dollars are not US dollars
Cayman Islands coins say Cayman Islands. The Cayman dollar is pegged near US$1.20–1.25, not 1:1 like the Bahamas or Bermuda.…
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Obsolete and broken-bank notes: pretty paper from banks that closed
Obsolete notes (broken-bank notes) are private and state-bank paper from before national bank notes took over in the 1860s. Many…
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Confederate notes: Southern paper, not US legal tender
Confederate States notes (1861–1864) are Southern wartime paper. They are not US legal tender and they are not “gold.” Common…
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Indian Head cents: 1859 to 1909, and the dates that are not a coffee-can coin
Indian Head cents ran 1859–1909. Most later bronze dates are common. 1877, 1908-S, and 1909-S are the keys. 1859 has…
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Two-cent pieces: the first coin that said IN GOD WE TRUST
The US two-cent piece (1864–1873) is a bronze coin with a shield. It was the first US coin to carry…
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