Cal’s Coin Trivia Quiz #2. Try to answer from your mind or paper sources first before asking Prof. Google. And please, only one answer per member gives more folks a chance to participate. 2-1. Name a U.S. coin that did not have “UNITED STATES” inscribed on it. 2-2. What is the heaviest coin produced in a U.S. mint prior to the recent 5 oz coins? 2-3. What U.S. sculptor, who was never a mint employee, designed a sitting liberty U.S. coin? 2-4. What was the first U.S. coin designed by a woman? 2-5. What is the largest diameter coin produced in a U.S. mint prior to the recent 5 oz coins? --------------- Some definitions applicable to the quiz: A coin is a cast, milled or struck metal, glass or plastic object that, within approximate limits, is a cylinder (including elliptical) or right polyhedron, has a design or inscription, and was created by a government as a medium of exchange or has a monetary value inscribed. The object must have a width significantly greater than height. Objects having the foregoing physical characteristics, created under authority of a noble, company or military organization, and widely used as a medium of exchange are also coins. Counterfeits are not coins unless later accepted by governmental or military authorities to be one as described above. Paper, plastic or other fabric currency, stamps, checks, and bonds are not coins even if encased in metal, glass or other hard substance. Objects found in nature, like shells, rocks, gems, and wood, even if carved, stamped, milled, inscribed or otherwise altered, are not coins. Native metals are an exception if processed into a coin as described above. “U.S.” means United States … the country that began 4 Mar 1789 when the Constitution took effect. “U.S. coin” means a coin minted in a U.S. mint, said mint under the authority of the U.S. Government … colonial, Confederation, Confederate, territorial, private, assay office, etc. don’t count. Objects produced by U.S. mints and designated by the U.S. government as medals are not U.S. coins. Coins produced by U.S. mints for U.S. territories or protectorates, or for foreign governments are not U.S. coins.
2-1. Name a U.S. coin that did not have “UNITED STATES” inscribed on it. That shall be the 1860 J-267 transitional Seated dime, with a mintage of 100. 2-2. What is the heaviest coin produced in a U.S. mint prior to the recent 5 oz coins? I believe it's the gold 1/2 union from 1877. Only 2 were made, but both were struck in 2.5 ounces of gold. 2-3. What U.S. sculptor, who was never a mint employee, designed a sitting liberty U.S. coin? That's a tough one. I don't really know the answer to it. 2-4. What was the first U.S. coin designed by a woman? To my knowledge, it was Bela Lyon Pratt. 2-5. What is the largest diameter coin produced in a U.S. mint prior to the recent 5 oz coins? I believe that the Draped Bust dollar and the Silver Eagle hold that crown, with both being 40 mm.
You're right on 2-1. In fact there were a lot patterns meeting this criterion. Some quarter, half and one dollar pattern coins in the “standard” series of 1870 lack the name of the country. They had a sitting liberty or sitting Indian princess obverse design and either a wreath or eagle on the reverse. These weren’t the first “no country” U.S. patterns though. Some of Anthony Paquet’s liberty seated half dollar patterns of 1859 didn’t mention the country. There are other later patterns without United States on them. Of course, none of these coins were adopted for large scale minting. You're right on 2-2 as well. 1915-S Pan Pac gold $50 coins weigh in at a beefy 83.6 g. Want one? Often in auctions … going for about $100K. Two gold $50 patterns, J-1546 and J-1548, also weigh 83.6 g. Want one? Sorry, the only existing coins are in the Smithsonian. On 2-4: Bela Lyon Pratt was a man. On 2-5: nope Good show! Cal
The transition pattern half dimes and half dimes of 1959-60. The Pan-Pac octagonal and round $50 gold coins. I think that Thomas Sully made drawing of a seated liberty figure for the Gobrecht Dollars. 1988 Olympic coins by Elizabeth Jones? A lady designer was picked to do the Pan-Pac $2.50 coin, but she has to withdraw for health reasons. Pan-Pac round $50 gold piece.
2-1 and 2-2 are correct! 2-3: Good guess but Sully was not a sculptor. 2-4 and 2-5: Not right, but Pan-Pac $50s were the second largest.
2-4 = Alabama Centennial half dollar designed by Laura Gardin Fraser, wife of my favorite coin designer.
I do wonder why a lot of those coins lacked the inscription, but you are definitely right about the Standard pattern coins. That's exactly the obverse I would have for my circulating coin designs, except Liberty would be petting an eagle. I can't really afford those, but I love looking at 'em on Julian Coin through Ebay. Also, I was wondering why those pictures of Pratt looked so much like a man. The name sounds just like a woman's name, which is what threw me off. Nice catch, though! I didn't know she designed that coin! I don't own one of them, but the Alabama halves are definitely cool pieces. Here's a side question about Fraser: what was the first coin that her portrait of Washington appeared on? It's quite a tricky one as well.
In the last half of the 1800’s, a lot of patterns were sold “out the backdoor” of the mint or went into collections of mint officials. So, as many combinations as possible of dies were used to generate as many unique patterns as possible. Sometimes the resulting coins had both obverse and reverse without “UNITED STATES” on them. For example, among 50-cent patterns, J-933 had liberty sitting on the obverse and no U.S. inscription and an eagle on the reverse with “UNITED STATES” near the edge. J-939 had a bust of liberty with “UNITED STATES” near the edge on the obverse with “50 CENTS” in a wreath on the reverse but no U.S. So, to make another unique pattern to sell, those clever boys paired the obverse die of J-933 with the reverse die of J-939. And voila! … they created J-927 which doesn’t have “UNITED STATES” on it anywhere. There was never any intention that such a coin might become a production coin for general circulation. See the pics below. Cal
I would have to look that one up to be sure, but I'm certain it's a coin that was minted quite recently.
OK. There are still two unanswered questions. 2-3. What U.S. sculptor, who was never a mint employee, designed a sitting liberty U.S. coin? 2-5. What is the largest diameter coin produced in a U.S. mint prior to the recent 5 oz coins? The Pan Pac $50s were suggested as largest diameter, but those were the second largest diameter coins. Hint: Answer to both involves patterns. Cal
Right person, wrong coin. She didn't design the buffalo nickel; her husband James Earl Fraser did. But she was indeed the first woman to design a US coin: she designed the Alabama centennial commemorative half dollar in 1920 (actually minted in 1921). She also designed the 1922 Grant memorial half dollar and $5 gold piece, and she co-designed the 1926-1939 Oregon trail memorial half dollar with her husband. Also, she designed the original Washington quarter, although her design wasn't used... until 1999, where her original obverse and reverse meant for the quarter was used for the $5 gold commemorative marking the 200th anniversary of Washington's death. Her original Washington obverse has also been used since 2022 for the American women quarters.
Guess I already answered this in my last post without knowing about the question lol, but for the record: If unused patterns don't count, then the 1999 $5 gold commemorative marking the 200th anniversary of George Washington's death (which also features her original design for the reverse of the Washington quarter). Her portrait of Washington has also been used since 2022 as the obverse of the American women quarters.
