Coins, Currency, and Medals

The museum possesses one of the largest and most diverse numismatic collections in the world. Its diverse holdings represent every inhabited continent and span more than three millennia. The collection includes coins, paper money, medals, tokens, commodity and alternative currencies, coin dies, printing plates, scales and weights, financial documents and apparatuses, credit cards, and objects that reflect established and emerging digital monetary technologies worldwide.

One (1) 5 dollar coinUnited States, 1852Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin
United States, 1852
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1852
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D. / C
Description
The half eagle, or $5 coin, was the first gold coin actually struck for the United States. The $5 gold piece was authorized by the Act of April 2, 1792, and the weights and fineness for gold coins were revised with statutes during the 1830s. The occasion for new laws was the discovery of gold in North Carolina and Georgia. Prior to 1830, the scarcity of precious metals was one reason why there was less than one U.S. coin per capita in the United States. Foreign coins, paper bank notes, and privately issued tokens served as money for transactions.
The development of the newly discovered gold fields was encouraged with a law in 1834 that effectively put the United States on a gold standard. Branch mints in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dahlonega, Georgia were established in 1838 to handle the new gold near the source. Dies were manufactured in Philadelphia and transported to the functioning branch mints in Charlotte (1838-1861) and Dahlonega (1838-1861). Both branch mints handled only gold coins.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1852
mint
U.S. Mint, Charlotte
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
NU.255927.0112
catalog number
NU85579
accession number
255927
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coinUnited States, 1907Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin
United States, 1907
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1907
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / 2 1/2 D.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1907
mint
United States Mint
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
NU.68.159.0593
accession number
283645
catalog number
68.159.0593
One (1) 50 cent coin, proofUnited States, 1838Obverse Image: Left-facing bust of Liberty wearing a cap.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 50 cent coin, proof
United States, 1838
Obverse Image: Left-facing bust of Liberty wearing a cap. 13 stars along coin edge.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1838 / O
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HALF DOL.
Description
In 1835, Congress amended American coining laws. These laws made numismatic history. Three branches of the United States Mint were established. Two were in the southern Piedmont region, at Charlotte, North Carolina and Dahlonega, Georgia. These facilities were intended for the coinage of gold.
The third branch was set up at New Orleans, Louisiana, hundreds of miles from any mining activity, but the major port of entry for gold and silver coinage shipped in from Mexico and points south. It is estimated that twenty 1838-dated half dollars were struck in proof, perhaps at the beginning of the following year. Numismatist and U.S. coin encyclopedist Walter Breen believed they were minted to test the coining capabilities of a new large press. But they also could have been intended as presentation pieces. We know of eleven survivors. We don't know what happened to the other nine.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1838
mint
U.S. Mint, New Orleans
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0295
catalog number
1985.0441.0295
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coinUnited States, 1854Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin
United States, 1854
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1854
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D. / S
Description
The mint struck eagles and double eagles in some quantity (about 124,000 and 141,000, respectively). But it only minted a handful of quarter eagles (less than 250), and hardly more half eagles. The piece shown here is arguably the finest known. San Francisco expanded production in the next few years, adding silver coinage to the gold, and gradually assumed its position as a major producer of the nation's money.
Made of California gold, this rare coin was one of the first produced at the U.S. Mint branch in San Francisco. The mintmark, "S," is stamped on the reverse. California gold initially had to be shipped for coining to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, an expensive, slow, and risky undertaking. Meanwhile, private mints made coins that could be used in local markets. With the opening of the San Francisco Mint in 1854, gold could be converted quickly and efficiently into U.S. legal tender.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1854
issuing authority
U.S. Mint, San Francisco
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
NU.68.159.0210
accession number
283645
catalog number
68.159.0210
One (1) 5 dollar coin, patternUnited States, 1865Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1865Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, pattern
United States, 1865
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1865
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest. Scroll above eagle.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D. / IN GOD WE TRUST
Description
This coin bears the motto IN GOD WE TRUST in the year before it was adopted for circulating coinage. Specialists refer to this piece as a Rarity-8 pattern by which they mean that only two or three are known. [reference no. Judd 445]
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1865
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.1941
catalog number
1985.0441.1941
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1843Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1843
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1843
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
This specimen and three other proof half eagles are recorded for 1843.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1843
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0345
catalog number
1985.0441.0345
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1841Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1841
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1841
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
This coin is one of two proof half eagles known for 1841; a third has been reported but its existence remains unconfirmed.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1841
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0322
catalog number
1985.0441.0322
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1842Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1842
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1842
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
This is one of only two proofs known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1842
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0334
catalog number
1985.0441.0334
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1844Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1844
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1844
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
This is one of three proofs known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1844
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0356
catalog number
1985.0441.0356
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1840Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1840
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1840
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
Artist Christian Gobrecht redesigned the half eagle in 1839. His concepts were retained all the way down to 1908, with only minor changes. This is one of only two proofs known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1840
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0311
catalog number
1985.0441.0311
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1845Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1845
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1845
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TEN D.
Description
This is one of four known proofs.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1845
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
maker
United States Mint
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0367
catalog number
1985.0441.0367
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1846Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1846
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1846
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / 2 1/2 D.
Description
Four proofs are known, three (including the Smithsonian specimen) struck from an obverse die with a misaligned date, the fourth from an obverse die with a normal date.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1846
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0380
catalog number
1985.0441.0380
accession number
1985.0441
United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Head of Liberty facing left, with coronet; stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, denomination (2 ½ D.).
Description
United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Head of Liberty facing left, with coronet; stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, denomination (2 ½ D.). The quarter eagle carried the William Kneass designs a year longer than the half, but in 1840 a new Liberty head made its debut, another of Christian Gobrecht's concepts. It was tidy and serviceable, and it held the stage for nearly seventy years. A few proofs are also known from this first year of coining. This is one of three proofs that have been documented.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1840
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0312
catalog number
1985.0441.0312
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 10 dollar coin, patternUnited States, 1865Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1865Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar coin, pattern
United States, 1865
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1865
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest. Scroll above eagle.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / IN GOD WE TRUST / TEN D.
Description
This coin is termed a transitional pattern. Transitional patterns are patterns which were, in fact, adopted. However, a transitional pattern shows a date before the year in which the design was actually adopted for circulating coinage. The different element in this pattern is the motto over the eagle, IN GOD WE TRUST. It would appear on normal coinage the following year. This coin is assigned a Rarity-8 by specialists, suggesting that only two or three exist. [reference no. Judd 449]
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1865
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.2103
catalog number
1985.0441.2103
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1848Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1848
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1848
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
This is one of two known proofs.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1848
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0403
catalog number
1985.0441.0403
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1839Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1839
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1839
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TEN D.
General Information: Large letters.
Description
A reduction in the stipulated weight of the ten dollar gold piece, or eagle, offered promise that the coin would be kept in circulation rather than heading for the melting pot as soon as it was struck. Accordingly, the Mint was instructed to resume eagle coinage. It employed the talents of a new, skilled designer, Christian Gobrecht, better known for his impact on American silver coinage of the same era.
This is one of three proof eagles known from this year.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1839
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
maker
United States Mint
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.1578
catalog number
1985.0441.1578
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1846Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1846
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1846
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TEN D.
Description
Three pieces are known in proof, one of them in a cased presentation set from 1846.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1846
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
maker
United States Mint
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0378
catalog number
1985.0441.0378
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1847Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1847
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1847
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / 2 1/2 D.
This coin is the only proof quarter eagle known for 1847.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0392
catalog number
1985.0441.0392
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1846Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1846
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1846
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
This is one of four proofs known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1846
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0379
catalog number
1985.0441.0379
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1844Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1844
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1844
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / 2 1/2 D.
General Information: This is one of three known proofs.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1844
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0357
catalog number
1985.0441.0357
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 10 dollar coinUnited States, 1838Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar coin
United States, 1838
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1838
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TEN D.
Description
The gold British sovereigns that James Smithson bequeathed to the United States were melted down and re-struck as American coins. Some of the gold went into the reissue of the ten-dollar piece, or eagle. There were other factors at work, of course, including two Acts of Congress that reduced the weight and fineness of all United States gold coins, in an effort to keep them in circulation.
The resumption of eagle coinage was ordered in July 1838, and between seven and eight thousand of the coins, the first eagles struck since 1804, were minted at the beginning of December. Smithson's legacy played a role: the knowledge that a massive amount of bullion was on its way across the Atlantic fostered the decision to resume the eagle, the largest existing American denomination.
Christian Gobrecht was responsible for the designs on the resumed eagle coinage. His left-facing Liberty sported a coronet (there is a copper cent, also by Gobrecht, with a nearly identical arrangement), while the rounded tip of the truncation points to the "1" in the date.
A simple eagle with shield appears on the reverse. The obverse design was modified slightly in 1839, the truncation now being centered above the date. A handful of proofs, specimen coins of record or for VIPs, was also struck. Three have been reliably reported, and a fourth is rumored.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1838
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0292
catalog number
1985.0441.0292
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1847Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1847
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1847
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
One piece exists, originally in the Mint Collection, transferred to the Smithsonian Institution about eighty years ago.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0390
catalog number
1985.0441.0390
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1845Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 5 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1845
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1845
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.
Description
United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Head of Liberty facing left, with coronet; stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, denomination. This is one of four proofs known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1845
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0368
catalog number
1985.0441.0368
accession number
1985.0441
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proofUnited States, 1841Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet.
Description (Brief)
One (1) 10 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1841
Obverse Image: Left facing Liberty with hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet. 13 stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1841
Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TEN D.
Description
This coin is the sole known proof for this year in this denomination.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1841
mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
maker
United States Mint
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
ID Number
1985.0441.0321
catalog number
1985.0441.0321
accession number
1985.0441

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.