Post a Favorite Coin + Some History!

I would like to see members post a picture of one of their favorite coins, provide some details about the coin (i.e. mint, mintage #, or design details, etc.), and then provide some key events from that year in history.

One of my favorites is my 1847 Seated Liberty Dollar (no motto), mintage 140,750:



Coin Facts:

"The Seated Liberty Silver Dollar coin of 1840 to 1873 was the first regular issue coin of this denomination since 1803 (technically, the 1804 Dollar was struck in 1834 and restruck in the 1860s). Despite the long hiatus for the denomination, it still did not circulate well. Many of the mintage figures within the series are low for that reason (should it be surprising, considering that a skilled occupation paid $9.72 per six-day week in 1860?)." http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/seated_liberty_dollars/seated_liberty_silver_dollars.html



Historical Facts:

• Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the U.S government.
• The United States issues its first postage stamps.
• Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco.
• On going Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
• Thomas Edison and Jesse James born

Ok, the challenge is on......post a favorite and give some history!

 

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I won't say this is my favorite coin but I own this one and I really like it. It is a 1926 Oregon Trail Half Dollar. The obverse design is, in my opinion, one of the most attractive of the Early Commemoratives. It was authorized to commemorate the early settlers who travelled West over the Oregon Trail.

This Commemerative Half was minted 1926-1939 (with a few years skipped) and was the first Commemorative Coin to be minted at more than one Mint; in fact, this Comem Half was minted at all three Mints (but not every Mint each year). This series was greatly abused by greedy individuals who profited by controlling distribution and arranging for very low mintages (for which they controlled the distribution). Other Commem series were also abused until finally Congress suspended commemorative coins.

News Events of 1926

• The average income (as reported on Income Tax Returns) was $5,300.
• Henry Ford institutes the 40-hour work week.
• The book Winnie the Pooh is released.
• First television broadcast and first trans-Atlantic telephone call.
• Aerosol spray invented.
• St. Louis Cardinals defeat New York Yankees (4 Games to 3)

 

Interesting topic. I'll have to get back to ya tommorrow.

 

Well, I'd have to say... one of my favorite coins, although common, is the 1919 Wheat Cent - because its the oldest coin I found in change

this is the one I found:



some things in 1919:
-Nancy Astor takes office (British, but she's American-born)
-Green Bay Packers are established
-Prohibition begins

 

Are there no other members who have a favorite coin and want to convey some of the history behind it? Come on, members, show us what you've got regardless of value and talk about it! :high5:

 

I don't have a picture of it, and it is in the bank.

But my favourite coin has a very long and fascinating history in my family.

When my Grandfather was 6 years old and living on a farm in the Midwest, he had chores along with his siblings. One of his tasks was to operate the corn shucking machine, which was then a hand cranked mechanism, that it would amaze me that a 6 year old could operate - they are beasts. One day a cob got stuck in the machine and he errantly reached in to pull it back out. In the meanwhile the gears moved a bit and his pinkie finger got caught up and was nearly severed. His parents took him into town to see the doctor, and when the doctor saw it he advised that the finger be amputated as it would not heal. So towards evening he and his parents returned home from in town, his brother whom had stayed home was sympathetic to his plight.

Touchingly he gave my grandfather his 2¢ piece, which he had been holding onto to take into town to buy candy. He advised my grandfather to take it into town the next time they went in and spend it in the mercantile. My grandfather was so moved by getting this long saved 2¢ piece that he kept it - for almost 80 years until he gave it to me in 1976 when he was 86. He knew that I collected coins, and he gave me this piece and shared the story of it. I also will say that much of the early stuff I have in my collection, Morgans etc. came from him. Now I have this coin still, and will hope to keep it all my life, along with the story behind it. It is an 1867, and I would say it grades about VF. Not worth a mint pricewise, but for pure story and history it is worth more than gold.

 

That's a great story..........would sure like to see a picture someday! Thanks for posting.

 

Here is a 1900-O Morgan:

Some history from 1900:

Sigmund Freud publishes "The Interpretation of Dreams."
A hurricane hits Galveston Texas killing over 6,000.
A first class stamp cost 2 cents.
Yale won the NCAA footbal championship.

 

It's a 1946 Flemish 2 franc steel piece. I found it many years ago in a pick-it box in a coin shop in Brussels many years ago. This is a rare coin and was worth several hundred bucks. I told the proprietor that he had made a mistake putting it in there, and he looked it up in the catalogue and told me that I was right, but since it was in there, I could have it for the offered price of the equivelant of fifty cents.

 

ericl - cool story.....and cool dealer.....can you post a picture?

 

nope. I've never been able to figure out how to do that.

 

Best design ever. IMHO. In 1928 'Steamboat Willie' starring Mickey Mouse opened. The Iron lung was invented. So was bubble gum. The IX Olympic games were held in Amsterdam. It was also the first time the olympic torch was lit in a stadium. Mussolini took away women's rights in Italy. Andy Warhol and Gordie Howe were born.

 

I suppose I should have posted a US coin, but thought of this one first. One of my favorites at the moment, a 1750 Spanish Colonial 8 reales, minted in Mexico City. Planchet flaw near left pillar, reverse.

Events from 1750:

- Treaty of Madrid signed between Spain and Portugal, allowing the Portuguese to officially establish their border in Brazil as being far west of the 46th meridian (as established in an earlier treaty). The new treaty reflected the reality of colonial settlement in South America between the two powers.

- Westminster Bridge opened in London over the Thames River.

- Hannah Snell reveals she is a woman to her fellow shipmates after serving the Royal Marines for three years and taking part in several battles in Asia, disguised as a man named James Grey.

- Ahmad Shah Bahadur, 15th Mogul emporer of India, reportedly loses 18000 soldiers during a retreat from Persia while passing through Herat, Afganistan. The losses happened in a single night and were due to cold weather.

 

My favorite so far is my 1876 cc Seated half dime that I found metal detetcting in an abandoned lot. The lot was plowed up and cleaned and I found it on the edge of a dirt pile. This coin is interesting in the fact that the town that I live was founded in 1888 and that we live in Missouri. A little far to travel back in those days but who knows. Imagine the history.

 

One of my favorite coins in my collection is a circulated 1952-D Lincoln Cent with a fun story behind it. The story can be found here: http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?p=403588#post403588

 

I know I'm resurrecting my own thread, but I had to post some pictures of my latest acquisition and to, as Led Zepplin sang, ramble on!

The Franklin Half, though the design is much maligned by collectors, does have some interesting history. A Wikipedia excerpt captures some of this history:

"The Franklin half dollar is a coin of the United States, minted from 1948 to 1963. The coin pictured Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. A small eagle to the right of the bell was necessitated by law; ironically, Franklin himself had opposed the selection of the eagle as the US national symbol, preferring the turkey as a "more noble bird"."

"..... Engraver John R. Sinnock's initials appear at Franklin's shoulder on the obverse. Sinnock's initials inadvertently reflected the tensions of the times. Sinnock had also designed the Roosevelt dime, released two years earlier, placing his initials "JS" on the obverse. In the tense climate of the Cold War, a rumor spread that these initials stood for Joseph Stalin, placed there by a Soviet agent in the mint.[1] Perhaps to avoid further controversy, Sinnock used his full initials "JRS" on the half (Stalin's middle name was Vissarionovich.)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_half_dollar





My 1959 proof has a mintage of 1.15M, not particularly scarce. The lowest number of proofs were made in 1950. All proofs were minted at the Philadelphia mint - perhaps appropriate given the Liberty bell reverse!



History:

• Alaska admitted as the 49th state"
• Bozo the Clown" live children's show premieres on TV
  USAF concludes less than 1% of UFO's are unknown objects
  1st transcontinental coml jet flight (American) (LA to New York for $301)
• Soviet Union wins 62-37 for 1st international basketball loss by US
• Texas Instruments requests patent of IC (Integrated Circuit)
• 1st successful test-fire of Titan ICBM
• Barbie doll goes on sale
• Boston Celtic Bob Cousy sets NBA record with 28 assists Boston Celtics score 173 points against Minneapolis Lakers
• U.S. House joins Senate approving Hawaii statehood
• Cuba invades Panama
• Dr. Leakey discovers oldest human skull (600,000 years old)
• VP Nixon argues with Khrushchev, known as "Kitchen Debate"
• Soviet Union's Luna-2 is 1st spacecraft to land on the Moon
  Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" premieres on CBS-TV

And, finally, Catbert is born in Ohio under grey sheet skies!

 

Don't forget Hawaii was made a state in '59 too .
rzage:hail:

 

Catbert at first I didn't notice the beautiful cameo on your proof , that's one heck of a nice coin , I just bought a birth year proof set too a '53 , still in the gov. packing , but nowheres as nice as yours . Forgot the history part I was born . LOL
rzage

 

rzage - I am quite enamored with this little Frankie! It's just darn hard to get good pictures of it.

 

All it got was a 66* , I can't believe that , it's beautiful and looks near perfect to me .
rzage:smile:whistle::hail: