Early Quarter Eagles – Draped Bust, Capped Bust, and Capped Head Gold $2.50 Quarter Eagles (1796-1834) The 1796 Draped Bust was the first quarter eagle and was designed by Chief Engraver Robert Scot. It depicts

Classic Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle (1834-1839) In the 1830’s, there was a serious crisis with America’s gold coin circulation. A short while after US Congress established an official ratio for bimetallic coins at ratio

Barber Half Dollar (1892-1915) The Barber Half Dollar started with a contest. As the young United States cemented its identity, the US Mint looked for new designs for silver coinage to reflect the character of

Three Cent Nickels (1865-1889) Also known as the copper-nickel-three-cent piece or three-cent nickel piece, the three cent nickels are one of the US coins with a brief part in mintage history. It was only minted

Three Cent Silvers (1851-1873) A couple of circumstances led to the creation of Three Cent Silver in 1851. First, gold was discovered in Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848. The increased mining of gold affected

Shield Two Cent Piece (1864-1873) Economic turmoil during the American Civil War caused the public to hoard coins leading them to vanish from circulation. To fill the gap, some entrepreneurs came up with bronze cent-sized

Lincoln Cents, Wheat Reverse (1909-1958) There was a tradition of not putting a portrait of an actual figure in US currency. That practice lasted for years until 1909, with the release of the Lincoln Cent

Barber Quarter (1892-1916) The 1890’s were a major period of transition for the United States of America. The country was rife with an economic depression and unions were attempting to find their role in the

Gold Buffaloes and Gold High Reliefs One is made of 24-karat gold while the other looks like a medallion, but both are gold coins that have been produced in the US. The American Buffalo or