What year was there the greatest variety of common circulated coinage?

Just wondered when it was. For Example having Buffalos, Indian Heads, Wheats and Jeffersons in common circulation at once. I am really talking about all denominations Including CENTS, NICKELS, DIMES, QUARTERS, HALVES and SILVER DOLLARS.

 

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well, I'm not able to speak for what circulated back in the time, but the year 1873 comes to mind.

Minted that year include:

Indian Head Cent
Copper 2 Cent piece
Copper Nickel 3 Cent piece
Silver 3 Cent Piece
Shield Nickel
Seated Liberty Half Dime
Seated Liberty Dime
Seated Liberty Quarter Dollar
Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Seated Liberty Dollar
and
Trade Dollar

this hasn't even mentioned the gold coins of the day, (which actually did some circulating back then) including a gold $1, $2.50, $3, $5, $10 and $20.

 

well, that is before 2009...

4 cents, 6 quarters, 5 dollars, a nickel, a half, and a dime

 

18 coins for 2009, but I have only caught three of the cents in circulation.

 

Interesting question.

I think Mike is right on, if we restrict ourselves to US Mint coinage.

But let's remember - until 1857, all sorts of coinage was circulating in the US. Those coins were from all over the world. That's especially true in the earliest days of the United States, and before (the late colonial period). One of the favorites was the Spanish Pillar Dollar (piece of eight).

Also... before our current Constitution, we operated under the Articles of Confederation, which allowed states to coin their own money. And coin they did ! So we have coins from New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Massachussetts etc which were part of our circulating coinage.

So in those days there was quite a melange, quite a pot pourri of stuff moving around.

 

65??? explain...

all of the 64 coins, and 65 coins ... but that's only 10, 11 if you count the Peace Dollars (which didn't circulate).

18 for last year, 17 for 1873, how do you get 1965???

 

For a single issue in a single year I believe the 1982 cent is a prime candidate.
The Red Book lists 8 varieties.

 

you're right, Doug. It does seem to fit his question better. I liked the question that I answered better than the one asked.

 

The other thing about 1965 is that I think they didn't make the changeover to clad coins until very late in the year, and that they continued making silver coins dated in 1964 until the change. I remember reading an article in a coin magazine from that time talking about the mint needing to get the new blanks ready before the end of the year because they didn't want to be striking 1964-dated coins in 1966. This was a little bit before my time collecting, so I don't remember it firsthand.

However, the person who mentioned 1857 has a very good point; foreign coins were legal tender until that time. In addition, it's probably only been the last 120 years or so when virtually everything that circulated was a US coin. Before that, there were shortages, some caused by geography, some by laws (Bland-Allison act, anyone?), some by wars, and so on. People needed circulating money, and they spent and accepted whatever they could. This is why we had civil war tokens, fractional gold, and fractional currency.

 

I would say the late 1940's first and what Doug said second

I would say the late 1940's first and the answer 1965 second.
I understand what Mike is saying but the whole idea of much any circulating coinage during that time 1873 even 20 years before or after is kind of hard to swallow - people did not have any money much to begin with and the common man or woman just did not spend, touch or use circulating coinage but once a month or so unless in cities and still they didn't have much money either. It is hard for us to even understand how little real money people had then. So the idea of a lot of different common circulated money does not make a lot of sence in 1873 to me.
Most people never saw a dollar even a half much less a gold piece except out west - these pieces were just not used by most people at all.

After the war in about 1949 thru early 50's would be my best answer.
You had Indian, Lincoln (even steel) cents.
Buffalo, Jefferson (even silver Jeffs ) and probably some Liberty nickles.
You had Mercury, Roosevelts, a few Barber dimes maybe.
You had Washinton, Std. Lib Quarters maybe a Barber left.
You had Franklins, Walkers, some Barbers maybe.

1965 might be a better answer though now that I think about it more, never 1873 or any period before the 1920's - people had no money as we now think of it at all. Different money maybe but it don't fit in a statement with common circulated money if it means much money, people had no money to speak of at all.

 

but, Ben, the OP asked about circulating coinage, not the wealth of people who use it. Regardless whether or not people had much of it, it was available and in the case of my original answer, they had more different forms of it than any time in the past.

Last year is probably the best answer though.

 

It' is not possible to have more of it you ain't got any to almost none it's an

I just can't help but wonder is it possible to have more of it you ain't got any to none, it's an like gigantic shrimp isn't it? It's like saying yes it was availible but not availible - purely if you say "greatest variety of common circulated coinage" the question itself is in error then I guess. People that don't have any money don't have a greater variety of nothing in regards to coinage.

 

"I just can't help but wonder is it possible to have more of it you ain't got any to none, it's an like gigantic shrimp isn't it?"

Wow I would have had my knuckles busted in high school for this sentence. 3 negatives. Wow

 

Here in hill country we really like to "bottom line" things, it

Here in hill country we really like to "bottom line" things, it saves time don't you know. You don't need to wonder were a body stands on an issue.

 

Totally understand, my roots are in Kentucky and Tennessee

 

And with 2 nickels, 2 dimes, 2 quarters, 2 halves, then only 16 total for circulation.
Still in 2009 it is 18.

 

I think this question has to many answers!!

 

I think Doug has the answer to this one.