[fyrffytr1]

An older gentleman came into the diner I eat breakfast at one day last week and paid for part of his breakfast with a 1942 half dollar. It was still in a plastic coin holder. The owner of the diner took it out of the register and gave it back to him. I don't have many silver coins but most of the ones I do have were found metal detecting old home sites.

[carbking]

The government actually tried to save us money a few years ago, with the introduction of the Presidential Dollar series. But the public wouldn't go for it. Maybe better advertising would have helped.

Coins last significantly longer than paper. The coin collectors jumped on the Presidential Dollars, but the general public ignored them. Somewhere in the southeast US, supposedly the government stored the excess, which is reported to be in the billions of dollars. With a mintage of maybe an average of 300 million per coin, from different mints, I can easily believe this figure.

The first few years of production, the coins were available at local banks, but due to the apathy of the public, after the first few years, the coins were only available from the US Mint, and mintage figures dropped dramatically.

The portrait of the Indian on the Buffalo nickel is not that of Chief Pontiac. The paragraph below is copied from one of the numismatic sources:

"The Indian on the Indian Head or Buffalo Nickel (1913-1936) is a composite portrait of Three Indian Chiefs – Iron Tail, the Chief that faced General Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn, Two Moons and John Big Tree. The idea was to create a Native American portrait but not to associate the facial features with any specific tribe. The reverse of the coin shows a bison, often called a “buffalo”, thought to be “Black Diamond” from the Bronx Zoo."

Unfortunately, one of the "highest" areas on the Buffalo nickel is the area of the date, thus the date wore badly. Back in the 1960's, some company came out with a chemical that would cause the worn dates to be readable (briefly). I think the chemical is still available, not sure, as I do not collect Buffalo nickels.

I have posted this story before, but in a different lifetime as a teenager, I was the recipient of a unjust speeding ticket. Fine with court costs was $18.20 (THAT should tell you how long ago!). I gave the clerk a $20. bill, and received a $1. bill, three quarters, and a Buffalo nickel. The Buffalo was a 1918/1917 D in VG/Fine condition. I sold it at the local monthly coin auction for $200. This was twice what I had paid for the car!

I always found the history of U.S. coinage, like automotive history very enjoyable. Example: how many of you know the United States does not, and never has, minted a penny? Don't believe me? Look it up.

Jon.

[Fullsize455]

Um, yeah, they kinda have.. since 1792

https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-me...ng-coins/penny

[carbking]

Originally Posted by Fullsize455

Um, yeah, they kinda have.. since 1792

https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-me...ng-coins/penny

Um, yeah, they kinda have not.

When the original coinage act was passed, the United States minted "cents" (1/100 of a dollar), never pennies. This was one rebellion against the British government. Britain did mint pennies. While many call the "cents" "pennies"; as far as I am aware, the coinage authorization still authorizes cents. Obviously, in the case of the link, also the US Mint. Maybe the mint is just "going with the flow".


Jon.

[Fullsize455]

Originally Posted by carbking

Um, yeah, they kinda have not.

When the original coinage act was passed, the United States minted "cents" (1/100 of a dollar), never pennies. This was one rebellion against the British government. Britain did mint pennies. While many call the "cents" "pennies"; as far as I am aware, the coinage authorization still authorizes cents. Obviously, in the case of the link, also the US Mint. Maybe the mint is just "going with the flow".


Jon.

By that logic, they don't make dimes or nickels either, but of course they do. You're making a semantic argument that is flawed at best. If the US Mint - who actually makes the coin - calls it a penny, it's a penny.

[carbking]

Obviously, I should have checked the US Mint website. Calling the cent a penny is something new (like the new math??? or political correctness); however, it seems to be a fact.

Have collected coins for 65 years. The cent/penny USED to be one of the traditions that was taught from history; which is why I made the post in the first place.....to incite some into an exploration of history. My numismatic reference books, even those printed in 2018, refer to the Lincoln cent. As to the dime and nickel: the first coins minted were 1/2 cents and cents. The same act in 1792 authorized half disme and disme coins. The half disme (5 cents) were first issued Feb of 1795, although these were dated 1794. The disme (dime or 10 cents) was first minted in 1796. Without researching, I do not remember when the "disme" became the "dime". The nickel was authorized in 1866.

But since the mint is now calling the cent a penny, I will concede the point.

Back to the Buffalo nickel: the very first issue (1913) the "5 cents" was the high point on the reverse of the coin, and quickly wore unreadable. Approximately midway in the production of 1913, the "5 cents" was recessed, and a horizontal bar added above the "5 cents" to help reduce wear on the value.

Jon

[Jonsie]

Originally Posted by carbking

The government actually tried to save us money a few years ago, with the introduction of the Presidential Dollar series. But the public wouldn't go for it. Maybe better advertising would have helped.

Coins last significantly longer than paper. The coin collectors jumped on the Presidential Dollars, but the general public ignored them. Somewhere in the southeast US, supposedly the government stored the excess, which is reported to be in the billions of dollars. With a mintage of maybe an average of 300 million per coin, from different mints, I can easily believe this figure.

The first few years of production, the coins were available at local banks, but due to the apathy of the public, after the first few years, the coins were only available from the US Mint, and mintage figures dropped dramatically.

The portrait of the Indian on the Buffalo nickel is not that of Chief Pontiac. The paragraph below is copied from one of the numismatic sources:

"The Indian on the Indian Head or Buffalo Nickel (1913-1936) is a composite portrait of Three Indian Chiefs – Iron Tail, the Chief that faced General Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn, Two Moons and John Big Tree. The idea was to create a Native American portrait but not to associate the facial features with any specific tribe. The reverse of the coin shows a bison, often called a “buffalo”, thought to be “Black Diamond” from the Bronx Zoo."

Unfortunately, one of the "highest" areas on the Buffalo nickel is the area of the date, thus the date wore badly. Back in the 1960's, some company came out with a chemical that would cause the worn dates to be readable (briefly). I think the chemical is still available, not sure, as I do not collect Buffalo nickels.

I have posted this story before, but in a different lifetime as a teenager, I was the recipient of a unjust speeding ticket. Fine with court costs was $18.20 (THAT should tell you how long ago!). I gave the clerk a $20. bill, and received a $1. bill, three quarters, and a Buffalo nickel. The Buffalo was a 1918/1917 D in VG/Fine condition. I sold it at the local monthly coin auction for $200. This was twice what I had paid for the car!

I always found the history of U.S. coinage, like automotive history very enjoyable. Example: how many of you know the United States does not, and never has, minted a penny? Don't believe me? Look it up.

Jon.

Chemical was called "Coin Date", an acid that etched into the metal around the date. When rinsed off, the date faintly became readable. Haven't seen that stuff around for years now

[60sstuff]

A few Dollars

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by carbking

The government actually tried to save us money a few years ago, with the introduction of the Presidential Dollar series. But the public wouldn't go for it. Maybe better advertising would have helped.

Coins last significantly longer than paper. The coin collectors jumped on the Presidential Dollars, but the general public ignored them.
Jon.

But they are just such a pain in the pa-tooty to carry around. How'd you like to go cash your paycheck (I know that no one does that anymore) and they give you a bunch of 10 to 20 dollar coins?

[dataway]

I wish they would go back to precious metals. I keep about 35 pounds of physical silver in 1oz - 10 oz weights and coins.

Course that means a $20 gold piece would be about the size of a thumb tack and thin as a dime

[Stuart]

I got a 1923-D penny in my change at the gas station yesterday.

[71 T/A]

Once I got an 1888 Indian Head penny in change at a department store.

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I got a 1923-D penny in my change at the gas station yesterday.

You lucky bum!!

That's nearly 100 years old!!

Originally Posted by 71 T/A

Once I got an 1888 Indian Head penny in change at a department store.

very cool!

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I got a 1923-D penny in my change at the gas station yesterday.

Lucky guy......don’t think I have one of those

[Fullsize455]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I got a 1923-D penny in my change at the gas station yesterday.

Have another look, it's not a D penny if it was minted in 1923... It's probably a worn date 1928, if the mint mark is indeed a D. No pennies were minted in Denver in 1923.

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

Lucky guy......don’t think I have one of those

Neither does anyone else!

[poncho-mike]

My dad ran a small country store in the mid 60s until somewhere around 1970. When the US changed the silver coins to copper with silver plating , he began collecting all of the 1964 and older silver coins that came through the register. They closed the store somewhere around 1971 or so, but he continued to collect silver coins as he found them.

Then in the mid-80s, he heard that the US government was no longer making pennies out of pure copper, so he started collecting pennies dated 1981 (I think that was the date) and older. He was retired then, and mom would go to the bank and get him rolls of pennies, dimes, and quarters for him to look through. It gave him something to do because he had bad hip problems and wasn't very mobile, and kept him out of her hair. When silver coins became very scarce, he started focusing on pennies, probably through the mid-2000s.

He passed away a couple of years ago, and I inherited a couple of thousand dollars (face value) of silver coins and three five gallon steel buckets full of pennies. The silver coins are rolled so I know what is there, but I have no idea what is in the penny bucket. Some day when I'm retired, I might go through them and see what is in those buckets.

I also found out that during WWII, the government changed pennies from copper to steel. He separated the steel pennies from the copper.

Mike

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Fullsize455

Have another look, it's not a D penny if it was minted in 1923... It's probably a worn date 1928, if the mint mark is indeed a D. No pennies were minted in Denver in 1923.

It is pretty worn. I'll have to find my magnifying glass and take another look.

It's actually a 1926-D. Still, pretty cool that a coin could remain in circulation for 92 years.

[Kennybill]

Being 68 I have a of coins I've collected over the years. There really isn't much demand for coins anymore. Yes, the ultra rare ones may be worth something but good luck getting what they claim their worth. I call them "whotoo" collectables. Meaning when someone says it's worth $××× I say "who too"?
The silver ones worth, the silver. Gold values fluctuate quite a bit.
As one of the precious metals/coin collector's that advertisers says on the radio. Older people you might as well bring your gold and coins in for an appraisal and if you're happy take the money and spend it. He says one of the first things the "kids" do is bring in the gold and coins and get the money. He says the "younger" generation isn't into coin collecting. Hmmm, sounds just like the old car hobby.

[fyrffytr1]

I found these two last week metal detecting in a farm field. 1899s Barber half dollar and an 1856o seated liberty half dime.

[MUSLCAH]

Got this about 6 months ago..1920 S..pretty good shape too.