So you think you know your coins?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by davidh, Sep 22, 2008.

  1. davidh

    davidh soloist gnomic

    Try this quiz.

    These questions refer ONLY to regularly circulating, post-Colonial coins, and do not include commeratives, pattern or bullion coins. Some questions are easy, some maybe not so easy.

    1. What coin first showed the words "In God We Trust?", and in what year?

    2. Most, but not all, US coinage minted since that year have contained those words. What exceptions have there been?

    3. What two vastly different coins used identical wreath designs on their reverse sides?

    4. Over the years, many coins, gold, silver and copper, have featured stars, some 5-pointed, some 6-pointed, as part of their design. Which coins of each metal first showed the 5-point star and which were first with the 6-point star?

    5. What are the only three coins to have ever depicted the same person on both the obverse and the reverse of the same coin?

    6. Which coin types had no indication of their value included on their design?

    7. Besides Monticello being found on the Jefferson Nickel, what other coins (excluding the State Quarters series) depict a building and what coin and building are they ?

    8. What coin shows two people on the obverse?

    9. How many different US presidents have appeared on coins (excluding the Presidential series dollars), and what coins were they?

    10. What was the shortest-lived coin series?

    And a bonus question;

    11. which coin series have depicted an Indian on the obverse?
     
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  3. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    Bronze 2c - 1864
     
  4. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    Flying Eagle 1c and $3 gold
     
  5. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    St. Gaudens $20 has the Capitol building on it.
     
  6. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    20c (if "series" means "denomination")

    If "series" means "type", there are many single-year types. Perhaps the shortest in terms of calendar time was the Chain cent.
     
  7. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    All the early gold and silver until the advent of the Draped Bust Left designs - interestingly enough, this allowed the reverse dies for different denominations to be interchangeable ! For instance the reverse dies for the silver 10c and gold $2.50 were used for both denominations. This was the focus of the recent Heritage sale of the Ed Price collection of early silver 10c and gold $2.50 die varieties. I've been meaning to post up a thread on this topic.

    The silver 50c and gold $10 were also interchangeable. No coins have been found with identical reverse dies to tie the two denominations together, so there is no indication the mint actually interchanged them.

    plus the 1883 Liberty "V" nickel.
     
  8. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    Indian 1c
    Buffalo 5c
    Indian princess gold $1, $3
    Indian chieftain gold $2.5, $5, $10
     
  9. rlm's cents

    rlm's cents Numismatist

    Sacagawea
     
  10. rlm's cents

    rlm's cents Numismatist

    Lincoln Memorial cent - Lincoln Memorial
    Kennedy half (1976) - Independence Hall
     
  11. rlm's cents

    rlm's cents Numismatist

    20¢ were minted for 4 years 1975 - 1978. Stella's ($4) were only made for 2 (1879 and 1880)
     
  12. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    Stellas are patterns and do not qualify. Flying eagle cent two years only 1857 and 58. (1856 was a pattern)

    Indian head cents, nickel and silver three cent pieces, seated half dime, V Nickel, Buffalo Nickel, Seated dime, Barber dime, Seated quarter in 1865, seated half in 1865, seated dollar in 1865 and some 1866. gold dollars, quarter eagles until 1908, Eagles and double eagles of 1907 and some double eagles of 1908.

    Copper five point 1794 Starred reverse cent S-48 Six point 1808 Classic head large cent
    Silver five point Barber quarter and half in 1892. Six point 1794 dollar
    Gold five point that's tough but I think 1907 double eagle Six point 1795 eagle

    Lincoln Memorial cent, New Jersey Quarter, South Dakota quarter

    If we assume the edge is part of the design, flowing hair half dime, Heraldic eagle half dimes, same on the dimes, 1796 quarter dollar,and all of the gold coins through about 1808.

    Sacagawea dollar

    Seven. Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Theodore Roosevelt. Lincoln on the cent and the SD quarter, Jefferson on the five cent and SD quarter, FDR on the dime, Washington on the quarter, Kennedy on the half dollar, Eisenhower on the dollar, and Teddy Roosevelt on the SD quarter.
     
  13. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    True. But the terms of the contest were for regularly circulating coins, and exclude patterns. Would that exclude Stellas ? :confused:
     
  14. 900fine

    900fine doggone it people like me

    Also true. But the flying eagle 1c is a type. As a denomination, it is long lived. There are many single year types.

    Perhaps we still need clarification on the term "series". I think he meant it as "denomination", but I thought it usually was synonymous with "type". I dunno.
     
  15. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    If by series he means denomination then it would be the two cent piece, ten years 1864 to 1873.
     
  16. crispy1995

    crispy1995 Spending Toms like crazy**

    The Post 1959 cents have the Lincoln Memorial, the bicentennial half and Ikes have Independence Hall.

    The Buffalo nickel series and the Native American-head cents (Indian pennies).
     
  17. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    Ikes don't have Independence Hall on either the regular or bicentennial designs. The Bicentennial Ike has the moon and the Liberty Bell.
     
  18. Magman

    Magman U.S. Money Collector

    Guys...
    Next to the quote button, there is a button that looks like a quotation mark and a plus sign, this will let you multi-quote.
    just click it and any others you want to quote, and on the last one you want to click the actual quote button.
     
  19. davidh

    davidh soloist gnomic

    There may be some disagreement but here it is:


    1. What coin first showed the words "In God We Trust?", and in what year?
    A. The two-cent coin of 1864.​

    2. Most, but not all, US coinage minted since that year have contained those words. What exceptions have there been?
    A. The 1913-38 Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel.
    The Liberty Seated dollar and Half dollar didn't have the motto until 1866
    The 1856-89 "Princess Head" gold $1.
    The 1854-89 "Princess Head" gold $3.
    The 1840-1907 Liberty Head gold Quarter Eagle.
    The 1839-66 variety 1 gold $10 Half Eagle.

    3. What two vastly different coins used identical wreath designs on their reverse sides?
    A. The 1856-58 "Flying Eagle" one cent and the 1854-89 $3 Gold​

    4. Over the years, many coins, gold, silver and copper, have featured stars, some 5-pointed, some 6-pointed, as part of their design. Which coins of each metal first showed the 5-point star and which were first with the 6-point star?
    A. 5-point:
    Gold - the 1908-29 Indian Head gold quarter and half Eagles. (The 1879-80 $4 gold "Stella", was a pattern coin, not minted for circulation.)
    Silver - the 1892 Barber-designed quarter and half dollars;
    Copper - the 1794 starred reverse Liberty Cap Cent

    6-point:
    Gold - the 1796 Quarter Eagle;
    Silver - the 1794-95 "Flowing Hair" Half Dime
    Copper: the 1808 "Classic Head" Large Cent ​

    5. What are the only three coins to have ever depicted the same person on both the obverse and the reverse of the same coin?
    A. The 1959-2008 Lincoln Memorial cent shows a Bust of Lincoln on the obverse and the reverse shows a statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.
    The 1999 New Jersey State quarter has a bust of Washington of the obverse and Washington crossing the Delaware on the reverse.
    The 2006 South Dakota quarter has a bust of Washington on the obverse and Washington on Mount Rushmore on the reverse.​

    6. Which coin types had no indication of their value included on their design?
    A. The 1865-89 Three Cent Nickel had only a Roman numeral "III" but no "C" or "Cents".
    The three types of silver Half Dimes from 1794 through 1805 had no value shown.
    The 1883 Liberty Nickel, variety 1 had only a Roman numeral "V" but no "C" or "Cents".
    The "Draped Bust" dimes 1796 through 1807 did not show their value.
    The Quarter Dollars from 1796 through 1807 had no value shown.
    The $5 gold Half Eagle from 1795 through (Bust Right) 1807 had no depiction of value.
    The $10 gold Eagle from 1795 through 1804 had no depiction of value.

    7. Besides Monticello being found on the Jefferson Nickel, what other coins (excluding the State Quarters series) depict a building and what coins and buildings are they ?
    A. Independence Hall is on the reverse of the 1976 Kennedy Half Dollar.
    The Capitol Building is on the obverse of the 1907-33 St-Gaudens $20 gold.
    The Lincoln Memorial is on the reverse of the 1959-date Lincoln Cent.​

    8. What coin shows two people on the obverse?
    A. The 2000-date dollar coin showing Sacagawea and her son Jean Baptiste.​

    9. How many different US presidents have appeared on coins (excluding the Presidential series dollars), and what coins were they?
    A. Seven:
    Theodore Roosevelt - one coin, the reverse of the 2006 South Dakota quarter.
    Franklin Roosevelt - one coin, 1946-date Dime
    George Washington - two coins, the 1932-date Quarter and the reverse of the 2006 South Dakota quarter
    Abraham Lincoln - three coins, the 1909-date Cent, and the reverse of both the 2003 Illinois and 2006 South Dakota quarters.
    Thomas Jefferson - two coins, the 1938-date nickel and the reverse of the 2006 South Dakota quarter.
    Dwight Eisenhower - one coin, the 1971-1978 Dollar coin
    John Kennedy - one coin, the 1964-date Half Dollar

    10. What was the shortest-lived coin series?
    A. The two-year "Flying Eagle" cent series, 1857-1858 (the 1856 was a pattern only).
    (The two-year $4 gold "Stella", 1879-80, was a pattern coin, not minted for circulation.) ​

    And a bonus question;

    11. how many coin series have depicted an Indian on the obverse?
    A. Four:
    The Indian head, or "Buffalo" 1913-1938 nickel.
    The Indian head Quarter Eagle, 1908-1929
    The Indian head Half Eagle, 1908-1929
    The 2000-date Sacagawea Dollar
    (the 1859-1909 "Indian" cent, the $1 and $3 "Indian Princess" gold and the 1907-1933 "Indian" gold Eagle all actually depicted the head of Liberty wearing an Indian headdress)​
     
  20. cesariojpn

    cesariojpn Coin Hoarder

    To be technical, the 1883 V Nickels only had the Roman Numeral V for Five, but then this led to the "Racketeer Nickel" seeing that someone at the mint didn't think that adding CENTS to the design would prevent fraudulent shenanigans.

    To be fair, the Liberty Bell is a part of the Independence National Historical Park, specifically the Liberty Bell Center.
     
  21. davidh

    davidh soloist gnomic

    You are right, of course. My answer showing 1813 was a misprint on my part. There was no 1813 nickel. I've edited the answer to correct that - Thanks for keeping me honest.
     
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