Denise B. writes: I need to find out how many Bicentennial (solid silver) were made. I was told there were none but I do have one. Thank you.
There were about 11,000,000 40% silver clad mint state bi-centennial quarters and about 4,000,000 40% silver proof bi-centennial quarters that were struck for collectors at the San Francisco Mint with the dates 1776-1976. These coins were part of either a proof or mint set consisting of a 40% silver quarter, half dollar and dollar. The United States produced 90% silver coins (dimes, quarters and half dollars) for circulation before 1965.
Erin W. writes: I have a Morman 1849 ten dollar Gold coin. The front of the coin says “Pure Gold Ten Dollars” with 2 hands shaking with the date of coin underneath the hands. On the back it says “Holiness to the lord” with a symbol of something in the center of coin. I can not find anyone who can give my a value on this coin or unable to find a lot of info on it. Thank you for your time.
You may have an extremely rare and desirable territorial gold coin. The association with Brigham Young, who instigated the Mormon gold coinage system is a strong historical connection. The coins were struck in small adobe building in Salt Lake City and it is believed that Brigham Young personally supervised the striking of these coins.
The Mormon gold pieces were struck in 1849 in denominations of 2 1/2 dollars , 5 Dollars, 10 dollars and 20 dollars. 5 dollar coins were struck in 1850 and 1860.
Value range for a genuine 1849 10 dollar Mormon gold: $100,000++.
A coin like this needs to be authenticated. See Grading Services on the CoinSite Links page.
Don K. writes: I have seen different varieties of the 1922 plain lincoln cent advertised. Are there different types or are they just degrees of strike clarity?
1922 cents were only minted at the Denver, Colorado Mint. Of the many working dies used each year to strike cents, it is now suspected that three die pairs were responsible for the 1922 “no mint mark” variety.
Note: their can’t be any trace of the “D”. Beware of faint “D” 1922-D. This is not one of the 1922 “plain” varieties.
Die Pair #1: second “2” in the date is weaker than the first “2”. The first “T” in TRUST is sharper than the other letters. The word “WE” is very soft and mushy. The reverse has poor detail with little or no lines in the wheat ears (Weak Reverse). Die Pair #1 is was mated with a reverse die, called the “Jogging Die Crack”. The crack begins at the “L” in “Pluribus” continues to the top of the “O” in ONE CENT and then bisects the “O”. This characteristic is a late die state and may appear in various stages of deterioration. Note that this reverse die is also seen with the “faint D” 1922-D.
Die Pair #2: second “2” in the date is stronger than the first “2”. All the letters in TRUST are sharp. The reverse is strong.
Die Pair #3: second “2” in the date is weaker than the first “2”. TRUST is weakly struck but stronger than IN GOD. On the reverse the lower left part of the “O” in ONE is distorted (more so in later die state).
Melinda C. writes: I have a coin dated 1862. One side has a picture of the Merrimac and reads:THE FIRST IRON CLAD 1862.The opposite side reads: MADE FROM THE ARMOUR PLATE OF THE MERRIMAC. Can you tell me about this coin or point me in the right direction?
The C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimac) was the first iron-clad war ship. It was built by the Confederate States of America during the early part of the Civil War on the hull of the U.S.S. Merrimac abandoned at the Gosport Navy Yard, by the Federal Government, in April 1861. On March 8, 1862 she sunk or destroyed two wooden Union warships that were blockading Hampton Roads,Virginia. It was met the following day by the Monitor, the Union version of a iron-clad warship that fought the Merrimac to a standoff. The battle was historic as it was the first battle between steam powered, armored warships.
You have a modern 20th century tourist shop medal, not a coin. These medals were produced by a private company and purportedly contain a small portion of metal from the Merrimac’s armor plating. The C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimac) was run ashore near Craney Island and set on fire after being abandoned. She exploded at 4.58 a.m., May 11, 1862.
George G. writes: I have a 1897 U.S. Dollar, I am not sure if it is a silver dollar or not. I called a local coin dealer and he quoted me a surprisingly low number. I feel the coin is worth more but not sure how much. It is in good condition. What is the best way for me to find out about it and sell it for the amount it is actually worth? I have been all over the internet searching , but with no luck. Thank you for your help.
Morgan dollars (1878-1904, 1921) were struck on composition of 90% silver and 10% copper. Silver dollars weigh 26.73 grams and contain .77344 of a troy ounce of silver. 1897 Morgan Dollars were minted at three Mints, the mint mark is under the wreath at 6:00 on the reverse. Coins with no mint mark were struck in Philadelphia, 1897-O, struck at the New Orleans Mint and 1897-S, Struck at the San Francisco Mint.
Values of Morgan Dollars depend on their condition and rarity. Most Morgan Dollars didn’t circulate, except for in the Western States, where chronic coin shortages plagued commerce. If you lived in the eastern United States in the 19th century you would rarely encounter a silver dollar in day to day transactions. Since many dollars were stored Treasury vaults, they became subject to periodic melts when the silver was needed for other purposes. These melts help explain why some dates and Mint combinations are scarce or rare today.
As with all coins, condition, rarity and demand are the factors that determine market value. 1897 Morgan Dollars are quite plentiful, even in uncirculated grades. Circulated pieces of this date are usually found in quantity and are often sold in bags of 1,000. mixed with other common dates. For the 1897-O and 1897-S issues, high grade pieces are scarce to rare.
Here are some approximate value ranges for 1897 Morgan Dollars (grades VF-MS63):
If you are not knowledgeable about grading, see the CoinSite FAQ article Coin Grading. To have your coins graded professionally, see the CoinSite Links Page for PCGS, ANACS or NGC. For general pricing on United States coins, see the What’s it Worth? feature. For background information on Morgan Dollars see the 1878-1921 SILVER DOLLAR MORGAN.
T.J.C. writes: I have a mint condition rare coin about the size of a silver dollar. The coin shows the pilgrims landing of 1620 at Plymouth, Mass. On the front center a man is standing on a rock dated 1620 with clasped hands and nine kneeling around him, two more men off to the right side tending a boat, totaling 12 figures in all. A mountain range, six trees and a bare tree limb in the back ground. Under the man standing and below the 1620 date carver in a rock, is the date 1870, a rifle and hat laying on the rock off to the left side. The name “j.e.ellis.f.” left bottom and “a.c. Warren” right bottom. (these two dates show a 250 year celebration) at the top of the coin are the words “pilgrim jubilee memorial.”.
On the reverse side is a large opened golden book with the words “holy bible” at the top of the page written on the book. A spread winged egale above the book looking down at the book. Above the eagle are the words “whose faith follow”. Around the book are two different type branches tied together with a (scarlet) ribbon. The branch on the right is an olive brangh with 7 olive berrys. The branch on the left is an oak branch with 7 acorns. The letters j.e.e. At the bottom below the ribbon. To be 131 years old this is the most beautifully toned and engraved coin I’ve ever seen. Can you tell me how many were made, are their whereabouts known, and estimated value.
You have a medal commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Landing of the Pilgrims. The medal was commissioned by the Pilgrim Society, first chartered in 1819. Their first meeting was held on May 18, 1820. The society received wide spread support from the New England population and became a forum for political types rather quickly. For example, on a meeting held on the “Forefathers Day” celebration, December 21, 1820, the meeting’s highlight was a speech by the famous barrister Daniel Webster.
Pilgrim Hall was built by the society in 1824 and houses the history and records of the 102 English, Dutch and Scotch Puritans who were the occupants of the ship Mayflower that landed on the Massachusetts coast on December 21, 1620.
The Pilgrim Jubilee Memorial was held in Plymouth, Massachusetts at the Church of First Parish on December 1, 1870 (other churches in Plymouth also participated). Special trains transported “distinguished guests” who were then conducted to a special Memorial Service at the Church. United States Senator C. Winthrop was the key speaker. Following the service a dinner was served to about 900 people in the new railway station, followed by a Ball held in Davis Hall that was attended by approximately 400 “ladies and gentlemen” (sic).
The origin of the commemorative medal has never been exactly determined. It is speculated that the A. C. Warren designed the medal and J.E. Ellis actually struck the pieces. Both names are found on these medals and both were members of the Pilgrim Society.
The medal is described as following:
Obverse: A scene depicting the Pilgrim’s landing. Above the figures is the legend: PILGRIM JUBILEE MEMORIAL. The dates 1620 above 1870 is below. To the left of “1870” is a tiny J.E. ELLIS to the right, A.C. WARREN. Reverse: A Bible within a wreath, a bird with outstretched wings above. Above an around, WHOSE FAITH FOLLOW. At bottom in tiny letters, J.E.E.
The medal was struck in silver, copper (red to brown color) and brass (gold color). All are rare. A silver example is in the possession of the Pilgrim Society.
Rough estimate of value: US $300 – $500.
Gerard C. writes: I operate Southwest Texas Gold & Silver Exchange. Yesterday, while looking through a client’s collection i found a large Coronet cent which appears genuine and unaltered dated 1815. Is there a remote possibility that it is authentic? Thank you.
There are no known U.S. cents dated 1815, there were no copper planchets available for striking. Clever alterations with the Coronet type are commonly made from 1845 and 1816 examples. The 1845 alteration always has too much space between the “8” and”5″. The 1816 is made by chasing the “6” with a graver into a “5”.
Of course, you can always have the coin authenticated at the grading services or the ANA (see the CoinSite Links Page ). There has been pretty strange stuff showing up lately, so you never know. Good luck!
Tiffany I. writes: My husband recently inherited some old coins. One of them is a copper 1854 liberty head one cent. Facing left. United States of America and laurels on the back. Mint P. But there is one thing very odd about it.
The odd thing is on the back-it doesn’t say one cent….it says ” Onu Cunt”. I have looked for wear-as if parts of the E in one and cent had worn….but no. It is stamped ” Onu Cunt”. WHat can you tell me about this coin? Does it have a value? Have you ever seen anything like this???
This is a well known alteration done outside the Mint as a scatological joke. The technique involves the use of a tool called a “graver”, that is used to “chase” the metal in the lettering into the desired shape. The metal is moved around by the tool to alter the “E” into a “U”. The word “One” is usually not altered but perhaps the “artist” was practicing.
This type of alteration of a large U.S. cent was common in the 19th century and there seems to be many available. These large cents are often seen at shows and are sold as a novelty. Value: about $5.
Other alterations of large cents include stamping the name of a store or individual for use as an advertising token, the adding of political messages or slogans and as “love tokens” where one side is planned off and a message is engraved.
Coins are used for a great many more purposes than money. Alterations done outside the Mint, for various reasons, are common. Coins are seen plated with various metals, ringed for placing in advertising holders or shaved or reengraved with messages or symbols.
These private “mutilations” have some appeal to collectors of exonumia (tokens, medals and other items of monetary origin) if you can ascertain how the alteration was used. Other than that, alterations have no collector value.
For some examples of modern coin alterations see the CoinSite FAQ article, Re-engraved Cents .