Coins, Currency, and Medals - Overview
The Museum possesses one of the largest numismatic collections in the world. The collections include over 1 million objects, comprising coins, medals, decorations, and pieces of paper money. Among the many great rarities here are some of the world’s oldest coins, created 2,700 years ago. But the collection also includes the latest innovations in electronic monetary exchange, as well as beads, wampum, and other commodities once used as money. A special strength lies in artifacts that illustrate the development of money and medals in the United States. The American section includes many rare and significant coins, such as two of three known examples of the world's most valuable coin, the 1933 double eagle $20 gold piece.
"Coins, Currency, and Medals - Overview" showing 328 items.
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United States, One Dollar, 1884
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Liberty seated left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, fineness and denomination (TRADE DOLLAR) below. Silver coins with these designs were struck between 1873 and 1878, their target the lucrative trade of the Far East. But the idea proved to be a fiasco, and production for commerce ceased after 1878. A few were made through 1885. This silver-plated version exists in an edition of two. [reference no. Judd 1732]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1884
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1979.0979.0001
- catalog number
- 1979.0979.0001
- accession number
- 1979.0979
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Two and a Half Dollars, 1808
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Draped bust of liberty facing left, wearing a Liberty cap; thirteen stars; date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on ribbon above; denomination below. This coin was designed by recent German immigrant John Reich. This quarter eagle design was only produced for one year. Fewer than three thousand quarter eagles of this type were struck.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1808
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1979.1263.00266
- catalog number
- 1979.1263.00266
- accession number
- 1979.1263
- catalog number
- 01530
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
20.00 Dollar, Twenty Dollar Coin, 1907
- Description
- In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt asked sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to lead an effort to redesign American coinage. Saint-Gaudens developed a design that many consider the most beautiful American coin ever conceived. Work on the production version of the coin progressed through the winter and spring of 1907. Sadly, the artist himself now suffered from cancer, and would die of the disease at the beginning of August.
- It was left to his assistant, Henry Hering, to finish the work his master had begun. And Hering would be dogged every step of the way by a jealous competitor, Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber.
- Towards the end of December 1907, this new, very beautiful gold coin entered circulation. It was closely based on Saint-Gaudens's original concept, complete with the forward-striding Liberty and the eagle in flight. But Henry Hering had lowered the relief by a small but crucial extent. The coin still could not be struck, once, on a high-speed press. But it could be struck, thrice, on a slower-speed machine.
- Under Hering's directions, and over Barber's objections, slightly more than twelve thousand "high relief" double eagles were minted in Philadelphia during the final weeks of 1907. Saint-Gaudens, Henry Hering, and Theodore Roosevelt had proved that a high-relief American coin could be made. Having won the battle, Roosevelt may have tired of the war. He had a good deal else on his mind, including upcoming elections, and the voyage of America's Great White Fleet around the world.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1907
- obverse designer
- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1979.1263.00803
- catalog number
- 1979.1263.00803
- accession number
- 1979.1263
- catalog number
- 01553
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, 10 Dollars, 1877
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped Liberty head facing left, date below. Reverse: Eagle, denomination below. This pattern was designed by artist George T. Morgan. Most patterns he designed came to look like his one successful, circulating coin, the silver dollar that bears his name. It has been estimated that between seven and twelve patterns like this one exist in copper. No mention has been found of a gilt copper piece elsewhere. [reference no. Judd 1545]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1877
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1979.1263.01045
- catalog number
- 1979.1263.01045
- accession number
- 1979.1263
- catalog number
- 01280
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, One Dollar, Pattern, 1877
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Liberty head with coronet facing left, date below. Reverse: Denomination in a cereal wreath. William Barber designed this pattern. Only a half-dozen,including this one, are known. [reference no. Judd 1544]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1877
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1979.1263.01046
- catalog number
- 1979.1263.01046
- accession number
- 1979.1263
- catalog number
- 01279
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Five Dollars, Pattern, 1878
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Head of Liberty facing left, wearing cap. Reverse: Eagle, denomination below. The fact that this pattern was designed by George T. Morgan comes as no surprise: it looks for all the world like a cut-down, but golden, version of his silver dollar design. [reference no. Judd 1577]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1878
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1980.0976.0001
- catalog number
- 1980.0976.0001
- accession number
- 1980.0976
- catalog number
- 80.63.1
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Copper Cent, Pattern, 1792
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Head of Liberty facing right, unbound hair; date below. Reverse: Value within wreath, fraction (1/100) below. The silver center cent pattern was an attempt to create a cent worth its stated denomination, while doing away with a large, heavy copper coin. The silver plug was inserted to raise the intrinsic value.
- Henry Voigt cut the dies. About a dozen of these coins are known to have been produced. The experiment was abandoned, probably due to the difficulty of manufacture. [reference no. Judd 1]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1792
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1981.1022.0001
- catalog number
- 81.55.1
- accession number
- 1981.1022
- catalog number
- 1981.1022.0001
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, New England One Shilling, (1652)
- Description
- Produced at John Hull's private mint in Boston. Obverse: Script NE (for New England). Reverse: XII for twelve pence, or one shilling. Boston was founded in 1630. Within two decades, it had become a prosperous, thriving community, engaging in legal trade with the mother country and clandestine trade with Spanish America.
- Perpetually short of coinage, the proper Bostonians came up with an unorthodox idea: they would take a portion of the silver coming in from the south, melt it down, and make coins from it. Their first efforts were modest. They recast the silver, beat it into thin sheets, then cut more-or-less round blanks from it. The blanks were struck with simple designs, once on each side.
- The resulting coins were fairly easy to counterfeit. They were very easy to clip off some of the metal (and a portion of their value would be thereby removed). Embarrassed bureaucrats soon legislated more sophisticated designs that took up all of each side of the coin.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1652
- maker
- Massachusetts Bay Colony
- ID Number
- 1982.0798.0001
- catalog number
- 1982.0798.0001
- accession number
- 1982.0798
- catalog number
- 82.798.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, One Cent, New Hampshire Copper Pattern, 1776
- Description
- Produced at William Moulton's private mint. Obverse: Pine tree; legend AMERICAN – LIBERTY. Reverse: Harp; 1776 at lower right. These coppers were cast by William Moulton on behalf of the state of New Hampshire. It has been estimated that between four and five thousand were manufactured. Eight or nine are currently known.
- The pine tree may refer to the New Hampshire's immense forests. The reverse harp picks up on a device used on some Continental Currency, suggesting a harmony of interests between major strings and minor ones, large states and small ones.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1776
- engraver
- Moulton, William
- designer
- Moulton, William
- ID Number
- 1982.0798.0039
- accession number
- 1982.0798
- catalog number
- 1982.0798.0039
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Five Dollars, 1810
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Draped bust of Liberty facing left, wearing a Liberty cap; thirteen stars. Reverse: Eagle, motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, denomination below. Designed by John Reich, pieces such as this were struck between 1807 and 1812. There are several minor varieties. This coin, featuring a large date and large denomination, is one of the more common varieties. However, this variety is not often found in such superb condition.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1810
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0135
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0135
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center