Last year, the Capital City Coin Club of Austin, Texas, held a "Quiz Bowl." These are some of the questions. Categories are: Feels like the First Time; All that Glitters; Paper Roses; Keys to my Heart; Every cloud has a lining; The Eye of the Needle; Alexader’s Ragtime Band; Foreign Affairs; All Roads Lead to Rome; Designing Women; The Spice of Life; Wanted Dead or Alive; All Others Pay Cash; Trick or Treat; Pattern Recognition Feels Like the First Time What was the first US Commemorative Coin? Follow up: What was the second? Bonus: What was the third? All That Glitters According to Gresham’s Law, bad money drives good money off the market. When two coins of different intrinsic value have the same legal value, the cheaper coins will be spent and the more valuable coins will be hoarded. This generalization has some exceptions. Name three pairs of US Federal Issue coins of equal legal value but different intrinsic value which apparently circulated in contradiction to Gresham’s Law. Bonus question: Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first Secretary of the Treasury? Bonus question: Name the book he co-wrote about numismatics or name his co-author. Paper Roses The United States Treasury has issued several kinds of paper money, for instance, Federal Reserve Notes and Silver Certificates. Name the others Paper Roses Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse appear on the back of which US federal silver certificate? Paper roses Name two other American inventors who appear on regular issue Federal paper money. All that Glitters What was the first year of issue for the US One Dollar Gold coin? Keys to My Heart For collectors of Indianhead cents, apart from varieties, what is the key date in the series? Keys to My Heart For collectors of Mercury dimes, apart from varieties, what is the key date and mintmark in the series? Keys to my Heart For collectors of Washington Quarters, apart from varieties and errors, what are the key date and mintmark coins? All that Glitters What was the first year of issue for the US Twenty Dollar Gold coin? All that Glitters What was the first regular issue gold coin struck under the authority of the present constitution by the federal mint? Two answers: In what year were they struck? Every cloud has a lining Name the Act of Congress and the year of passage that required the Mint to buy at least $2 million of silver every month. Bonus: In what year did the Sherman Silver Purchase Act require the Mint to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver each month Every cloud has a lining Name the Act of Congress and the year of passage which called for the melting of not more than 350 million silver dollars for sale of the bullion or its use in minor coinage. 270 million (270,232,722) of which 259 million (259,121,554) for sale of bullion to the United Kingdom The Eye of the Needle Of what metal is the Widow Mite ? Follow-up, what is the proper name for the coin, either Greek or Hebrew. The Eye of the Needle What is the most likely candidate for the Tribute Penny? Matthew 22:20-21 and Mark 12:14-15 Follow up Matthew 17:24-27 Jesus told Simon called Peter to throw in his line and take what coin from the mouth of the first fish he catches. (A couple of answers, depending on your translation.) The Eye of the Needle The Thirty Pieces of Silver paid to Judas Ischariot were most likely what coins of the time? (Matthew 26:15) Alexander’s Ragtime Band The coins of Alexander the Great were struck at many mints. What is considered the home Mint of the Macedonian kings? Alexander’s Ragtime Band The earliest and likely most common coins of Alexander the Great such as the drachmas typically feature two images from Greek mythology. Who is on the obverse and who is on the reverse. Foreign Affairs In addition to coins for our own nation, the US Mint did contract work for others. What was the first foreign nation for which the US Mint struck coins in the fiscal year 1875-1876? Clue: Was it Peru, the United Kingdom, Venezuela or Germany? Bonus: For which of these countries did the US Mint NOT strike coins? Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Israel, Syria? Paper Roses (or maybe Going to the Mattresses) What was the first paper money issued under the authority of the present Federal government as organized under the Constitution of 1789? All Roads Lead to Rome During the Roman Empire, coins carried long abbreviated inscriptions giving titles to the emperor. IMP stood for Imperator or commander. CAES was his ascribed or attained name CAESAR. His name would be appreviated GERM Germanicus for Nero, NERV TRAI Nerva Trainus for Trajan, and so on. What did the abbreviation P P stand for: And what does it mean? Follow-up What does PM stand for and what does it mean? Follow-up: What does COS III stand for and what does it mean. All Roads Lead to Rome What was the standard silver coin of the Republic and early Empire? Follow-up: What was the standard silver coin of the Late Empire after the Reforms of Diocletian? Paper Roses The Ten Dollar Notes from the Citizens State Bank of New Orleans are often cited as the origin of what word, designating the South? Feels like the first time What was the first regular issue coin struck under the authority of the United States under the present constitution, as authorized by Congress on April 2, 1792? Feels like the first time What was the first regular issue US Federal coin to be called a “nickel”? Bonus: Two answers - Who was the first Chief Engraver of the US Mint Feels Like the First Time In what year was the Silver Center Cent issued? Bonus Question –Name all of the coins in the 1792 Proposed Coinage. (Looking for five here.) Designing Women Who designed the obverse of the Sacagawea Dollar? Bonus question: She designed the obverse and reverse of the1987 Constitution Bicentennial Dollar, the obverse of the 1988 Seoul Olympics silver dollar, the obverse of the 1989 Congress Bicentennial Half Dollar, and the obverse or the 1996 $5 gold Olympic commemoratives. Name the designer. Designing Women Who were the designers of the Oregon Trail Commemorative half dollar? Bonus question: Name another commemorative designed by Laura Gardin Fraser alone. One prize for each correct answer The spice of life What denomination of US coin includes a Silly Head variety? Wanted Dead or Alive Is it by law or by custom that no Federal obligation in U.S. coins or paper money carry the image of a living person. Bonus question: Name the exceptions. Full credit for four, partial for whatever you can remember. Extra bonus for a fifth. The spice of life What denomination of US coin includes Seven Feather Reverse? All Others Pay Cash Two parts must get both correct: In what year and on what coin was the motto “In God We Trust” added to US coinage? Bonus: Following that law, in what year and on what coin was the motto omitted? Bonus: In what year was the reference to god, DEI GRATIA –by the grace of God – omitted from Canadian coins? All others Pay Cash Two parts must get both correct: In what year and on which note was the motto IGWT added to United States paper money? Bonus: Two part either-or: What was the last regular issue US federal coin to have the motto IGWT added? Trick or Treat Bonus question When did the motto “In God We Trust” first appear on a US Treasury Silver Certificate? The spice of life Two answers possible. What denomination of US Coins includes varieties with and without drapery at the elbows? The spice of life What denomination of US coin includes Rays between the Stars? Paper Roses During the War Between the States, the U.S. Federal Treasury issued notes that were dubbed “Greenbacks.” What authority issued “Red Backs”? The spice of life What denomination of US coin includes a Booby Head variety? Bonus: What Canadian coin carries the message “We win when we work willingly” in encrypted in International Morse Code? Pattern Recognition Who designed the Amazonian series of unstruck US Coins? Bonus Question: Part 1 In what year was the Amazonian created? The Spice of Life What regular issue US series includes the Strawberry Leaf? Bonus: Name the two famous dealers who in 1894 got into a wrestling match over the Parmalee Collection example this coin. Tokens We call them “Conder” tokens. Properly, they are called “British Provincials.” Name the standard catalog of these merchant tokens from the 1790s. Perhaps the single most common Conder type features this English ironmaster.
I know some of the spice of life questions: Silly head variety: Large cent (1839 I think) Seven feather reverse: Morgan dollar (unsure of date) Drapery without elbows: ? Rays between stars: Shield Nickel Booby head: Large Cent again Strawberry Leaf: 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent, Wreath reverse (4 known I think)
Very good! As you would expect the club of about 50 or 60 on the roster has about 25 at any one meeting; and a range of knowledge areas and interests are present. So, the idea was to include "something for everyone" like the Seven Tail Feathers. We have one or two guys who know ancients, so, we had a nod to them, also. I have another rack of about 40 questions for later on.
Well I know most of the answers. A couple, such as the first question, can possibly be open to interpretation. I won't post answers right now, let some others think about them for awhile.
Like most clubs, we had one or two members who were way ahead of the crowd and they just sat back and let the others go for it, unless there was a big pause... Myself, I had to look these up, most of them. What I did was put them on index cards and include the citation to authority - book or books. Some were arguable. But that, too, can be the fun for the group. I was the emcee (master of ceremonies). Like Dr. Venkman of Ghostbusters, my degree is in science, but I enjoy the role of a gameshow host.
Other than the seven feather being a Morgan....I think the only others I got were the 2 Canadian questions, but since that's what I collect, I'm glad I got those......
I like your coin club. As for the following: I like to be a snob and argue that the first commemorative coin would be the 1848 2½ dollar gold piece counter stamped "CAL" The second (Counting the 1892&1893 as one design) the columbian expo half And third is the Columbian Expo Isabella Quarter I did very well with Keys to My Heart, feels like the first time, All that glitters and paper roses. And mediocre on a few of the other categories. What I did not do any good on was the biblical and ancient questions.
I would have taken the CAL quarter eagle as a right answer. That is exactly the kind of hidden little detail that makes the quiz bowl fun, when someone has the fact no one else knew.
