The United States wasn't making coins in 1776 so this Spanish coin will have to do. Spanish America 2 Reales 1776 Mexico City mint (Silver, 27mm, 5.66gm) It has done the state some service.
I wish i had a nickel, 4 every time i was in my LCS, and the telephone rang. Person on the phone says- I have this coin: reads 1776-1976 is it worth anything? I guess that duel date really throws people off- EVEN DEALERS!! I was at a show last year and a dealer from Mi, offered me a dual date 1990-2015 anniversary Kookaburra as a 25 year old coin.I tried to explain to the guy that it was only a year or 2 old & he INSISTED that they minted it- circa 1990.
Okay it is not a coin, and well, it is not pretty but it is 271 years old and was printed in Ben Franklin's printing shop in Philadelphia by the man himself: I have other Ben Franklin notes from his partnership with David Hall - but they were printed by Hall as Franklin was in London from ca 1752-1764. This note from the Delaware province of Pennsylvania was actually touched by Franklin.
Again, not a coin, rather a medal honoring a great American coin designer. (Can't stop showing this) Happy 4th to all.
Here's a newspaper I own from three days before the Centennial exhibition. There are a few pages talking about the preparations and exhibits.
This was buried in our change jar- I rescued it a couple weeks ago before turning in the rest as I didn't have one and thought it was a cool circulation find. Happy 4th to all!
This note was issued when the rebellion was still in it's tenuous time - the "rebels" still recognized King George III as their monarch, but a mere four months later the signer whose signature in faded ochre would sign a document committing what the British would view as the penultimate act of treason - John Hart would add his signature to the Declaration of Independence: Seldom did Tories, those who continued to support the British continue to ply their trade let alone stay on in what would become the United States a few years later. But Hugh Gaine, a New York printer managed to continue to operate his printing business despite his Tory views: Whilst his Tory leanings were evident throughout his lifetime, he continued to print paper money as this New York City 3d or Threepence note from 1790 attests to: Few people are aware today that support for the American Revolution and independence from Great Britain was NOT universally popular. It is estimated that approximately only 40% of people were supportive, approximately 20% could care less one way or another and 40% were Tories who were still loyal to Britain. Many of the latter left what became the United States and settled in Upper Canada - today's Ontario Province of Canada.