I can't remember if I posted this yet or not, but I thought I would share it. This was a term paper I wrote for my history class last semester. This was the rough draft, forgot to save the final copy after printing. I hope you guys enjoy the read Anthony Gondor His 249 A Brief History of our Earliest Coinage Although congress approved a government mint on February 21, 1782, official coinage for the United States of America did not develop until sixteen years after the Declaration of Independence. America still relied on British, Spanish, and other foreign coinage[ii]. Many citizens found this very unacceptable; therefore, congress decided that a mint should be established on March 3, 1791. No steps were taken directly after this date, but President George Washington made it very clear during his third annual address on October 25, 1791, that he did not want to delay in the process of establishing a mint any longer. On April 2, 1792, a bill - The Mint Act/The Coinage Act - was passed to specify the denominations, which provided coins to have values of $10, $5, and $2.5, which were to be struck in gold, $1, 50¢, 25¢, 10¢, and 5¢ struck in silver, and the 1¢ and 1/2¢ which were struck in copper; copper coins were to have one similar design, silver coins were to have another design, and gold were to have another design; none of the designs for each of these metals were supposed to be the same[iii]. This idea was forged from the French and British policies of this period in time and was enforced as a policy at the United States mint under David Rittenhouse, the first Director of the Mint[iv]. On July 21, 1792, the first US mint was built in Philadelphia[v]. Gold and silver had the same designer while copper had a different designer[vi], but both individuals got their ideas from somewhere; just like the United States, who got their monetary system off of an inspiring foreign power, Spain, and based the basic unit off of the Spanish Milled Dollar. By going through the earliest designs of the half cent, the cent, the half dime, the dime, the quarter dollar, the half dollar, and the dollar, and even the gold pieces one by one, it will be displayed how these coins were invented and the inspiration given for the designs were given by world powers at not only that particular period, but also the leading countries of the ancient world. The half cent, which is the lowest coin of face value minted by the United States, was minted in 1793 with a mintage of 35,334. It measured 22 mm in diameter, which is larger than a five cent nickel. It was also made out of solid copper[vii]. The obverse (the front side of the coin) design is a prototype of the LIBERTAS AMERICANA medal designed by Augustin Dupre, an engraver in French coins and medals, in 1782[viii]. It has not been proven who the original designer is, but it is believed to be Adam Eckfeldt[ix]. This is the only design to have the Liberty Cap design facing to the left. It is also the only half cent with the flowing hair design and the smallest and thickest of half cents for circulation[x]. The 1793 cent, unlike the small cents we have now, was the first of the large cents being 26-27 mm in diameter. This, like the half cent, was made out of solid copper This was the very first coin minted by the United States federal government[xi]. There were just 36,103 minted with four different obverse dies and two different reverse (the back of the coin) dies. It was designed by Henry Voigt. This coin today is often called the “chain cent” because the reverse has a full circle chain around the word ONE CENT[xii]. While the chain was supposed to express togetherness as a nation, many critics viewed it as a representation of slavery[xiii]. It was not a popular design, because many viewed it as a dull and boring design and did not care for the style of Liberty on the obverse. After much criticism in newspapers, the mint abandoned the design[xiv]. Large cents continued to mint until 1857 when the United States transitioned to smaller cents, and no cent was legal tender until 1965[xv]. The half dime was not made until 1794 which had a mintage of 84,416 and had a value of five cents. It was 16.5 mm in diameter and .8924 silver and .1076 copper[xvi]. These were called disme until 1837. The 1792 disme design was abandoned (the design used for the half-cent) and a new design took over, called the Flowing Hair Type, which was minted for just two years[xvii]. Robert Scot was the designer for this coin and all of the United States first silver coins. Unfortunately, little is known of the designs origin, but it is possible that the obverse was inspired by other Liberty types of United States coinage that were struck before these[xviii]. The dime was first minted in 1796 and has always had its value of ten cents. In the first year, just 22,135 of these were minted. They, and all other silver coins had the same composition of metal as the half dime, but the dime was 19 mm in diameter[xix]. The design on the obverse and of the reverse are probably one of the most astounding of all coinage of the United States of America. The obverse was yet, a Liberty, but was based off of a drawing of Ann Willing Bingham - wife of a delegate of Pennsylvania, William Bingham - designed by Gilbert Stuart, an American painter from Saunderstown, Rhode Island[xx]. The fifteen stars on the obverse surrounding the portrait of Liberty represents the number of states in the union at that time[xxi]. The reverses Heraldic Eagle design was inspired by a Roman onyx cameo carved in the first century B. C.[xxii] The quarter dollar has the same design as the dime, both the obverse and the reverse[xxiii]. It was in diameter 27.5 mm[xxiv]. The most interesting thing is the fact that this coin got its value from the term “two bits”. The Spanish Milled Dollar was one of the coins the Colonies used to use as money. The Milled Dollar used to be cut into eighths, each one having the equivalent silver value of twelve and a half cents called a "bit". When two were spent together it amounted to a quarter of a Spanish Milled Dollar or “two bits”[xxv]. Having the same design as the half dime and also minted in 1794, the half dollar 32.5 mm in diameter and the First United States Dollar is 39-40 mm. The half dollar had a mintage of 24,464, and the dollar with a mere 1,758[xxvi]. The dollar was supposed to be at par with the Spanish Milled Dollar but due to limited quantities, the Milled Dollar was used more often than the US Flowing Hair dollar[xxvii]. Also designed by Robert Scott are the $2.5, $5, and $10 gold pieces, the $2.5 being struck in 1796 and the $5 and $10 being struck in 1795[xxviii]. The $2.5 was called the Quarter Eagle, the $5 called the Half Eagle, and the $10 called the Eagle, and were specifically given these names in the Coinage Act of 1792[xxix]. They had a composition of .9167 gold and .0833 silver. The $2.5 was 20mm, $5 was 25mm, and the $10 was 33mm. The $2.5 had a heraldic eagle for its first reverse – similar to the dime - and the $5 and $10 had a small eagle – similar to the half dime, quarter dollar, half dollar, and dollar[xxx]. All three designs have the obverse capped Liberty bust to the right, and they are now referred to as the “turban head” design[xxxi]. The design was inspired by portrait styles of classical Greek goddesses, yet at a more modest bust approach[xxxii]. Inspiration came from not only foreign countries at that time, but also from ancient times too. Realizing that even the British, the Spanish, and the French got some of their ideas from Greece and Rome, it is easy to see how the evolution of coinage design can begin, especially if one looks at them side by side. The United States of America not only got their designs from other cultures and countries, but also their base monetary system, the dollar, off of the Spanish Milled Dollar. Though it took sixteen years for America to have its official coinage, and it may seem like a long time, it did not take long to bring a new, yet old kind of artistic taste to the world. Uniquely enough, America was able to bring diverse cultures together in not only its money, but also in unity as a new nation. (R.S. Yeoman) [ii] (Marc Hudgeons) [iii] (Breen) [iv] (Breen) [v] (R.S. Yeoman) [vi] (R.S. Yeoman) [vii] (R.S. Yeoman) [viii] (Breen) [ix] (Breen) [x] (Breen) [xi] (R.S. Yeoman) [xii] (Breen) [xiii] (Breen) [xiv] (Breen) [xv] (Breen) [xvi] (R.S. Yeoman) [xvii] (Breen) [xviii] (R.S. Yeoman) [xix] (R.S. Yeoman) [xx] (Breen) [xxi] (Breen) [xxii] (WikiCoins) *Coin Resources [xxiii] (R.S. Yeoman) [xxiv] (R.S. Yeoman) [xxv] (Breen) (R.S. Yeoman) [xxvi] (R.S. Yeoman) (Marc Hudgeons) [xxvii] (Breen) [xxviii] (R.S. Yeoman) [xxix] (R.S. Yeoman) (Breen) (WikiCoins) [xxx] (R.S. Yeoman) [xxxi] (Breen) (Marc Hudgeons) (R.S. Yeoman) [xxxii] (WikiCoins) Breen, Walter. Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of US and Colonial Coins. 1988. Marc Hudgeons, Tom Hudgeons Jr., Tom Hudgeons Sr. The Official Blackbook Price Guide to United States coins. House of Collectables, 2009. R.S. Yeoman, edited by Kenneth Bresset. The Official Redbook: A Guide Book of United States Coins. 2009. WikiCoins. http://www.wikicoins.com/Turban_Head_Eagle. August 2009.
Thanks . I got an A, the final had the few typos changed, the correct MLA (after the period) and a more specific title. IDK why it dodn't paste on here like I have it (double spaced, indents, ET.) EDIT: I edited the OP a bit, to make it easier to read. stainless
What about the Fugios in 1787? They were an official coinage authorized by Congress. In one day! OK, I'm nit picking. I would reconsider or reword this. It is awkward and is discussing two different topics. Break up or reword. It's too long a run on sentence. Prototype would mean that its design came BEFORE the Libertas Americana. Dupre was an engraver of French coins and medals in 1782? What did he do the rest of the time? Should probably separate the mintage discussion and the legal tender status. Plus the cent became legal tender for the first time in 1864. I'm sure there is more, but like you said this was a rough draft so I'm going to stop now.
thanks all! Conder101, thanks for the help, although Breens does disagree with you, specifically the legal tender of the cent, in which it says 1965. stainless
Nice work. If you are still interested in the early beginnings of the US Mint check out Henry Voigt and Others Involved in America's Early Coinage by Karl Moulton. Most of the info. presented is taken from contemporary documents and correspondence. Here is an overview. http://coincats.com/Henry Voigt/Henry Voigt text.html Keep up the good work. Here is something from my set I have never posted but, fits with the thread. This important medal was struck for the artist's reunion convention in Lyon, France in 1792. On the truncation of the lady on the obverse, the name Galle is clearly engraved. Obviously, the design was taken directly from the Dupre 1783 Libertas Americana medal which was struck to commemorate the end of our Revolutionary War and our joint victory with France over England. The obverse depicts a women with bold curls sweeping down the back of her head, with a small cap extended on a long pole behind her. Since Roman times slaves often wore caps, and during those rare times when slaves won their freedom, this was symbolized by extending their slave caps on poles for all to see. The reverse of this medal notes the convention of the artists, and is dated 1792. A splendidly engraved oak wreath encircles the reverse. As both France and America overthrew their respective kings in the late 1700s, the slave's cap extended on a pole was emblematic of each country's freedom from kingly rule. The medal states that it was struck in the first year of the french Republic. As France was exploding into its own revolution for the third year when this was struck, precious and base metals were seldom available, so this medal was made from church bells which were melted down to make the large planchets on which to strike these. Popular with collectors as this design was probably used to model our first half cents and large cents in 1793, with the cap extended on a pole lasting a few precious years before the design was changed to the Draped Bust by Gilbert Stuart.
Breen is probably referring to unlimited legal tender status which was granted by the Coinage Act of 1965 (although he is still wrong, there was other legislation passed in 1933 that gave it unlimited legal tender status. I was unaware of that legislation myself until recently.) The Coinage Act of 1864 gave the cent limited legal tender status to the amount of ten cents in any one transaction. It also created the Bronze cent and the two cent piece. It gave the two cent piece limited legal tender status to the amount of twenty cents. This was the first time in US history that legal tender status was granted to the base metal coinage.
