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 390 items.
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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
United States, Five Dollars, 1812
- 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. Early United States gold coin bearing this date and denomination are surprisingly common. However, this piece is distinctly uncommon due to its superb condition.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1812
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0145
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0145
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
5 dollar
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left; thirteen stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. John Reich seems to have been responsible for the first coins struck with the design seen here during the years from 1813 to 1815. Then Robert Scot made a trite design worse by coarsening Liberty's hair and retouching her cap. Thus amended, the Reich/Scot half eagles remained in production through 1829. Most were melted, as the gold the half eagles contained eventually became worth more than the coins' face value. The 1815 half eagle started out rare (only 635 minted) and became even rarer. This coin is one of a dozen survivors of the practice of melting the coins to recover the gold in addition to those simply lost over time.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1815
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0157
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0157
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Five Dollars, Proof, 1821
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. Seven quarter eagle proofs are known for the year 1821, but only two proof half eagles are known for this year. This coin is one of them.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1821
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0177
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0177
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Two and a Half Dollars, Proof, 1821
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. In this design, Robert Scot's pedestrian head replaced John Reich's more artistic design of 1808. This coin is one of a handful of proofs struck in this year and in those years immediately after. Proof coins are specimen strikes for the record, for sale or trade, or for distribution to dignitaries in presentation sets. Proof coinage did not become popular or plentiful in the United States until after the Civil War. Therefore, proofs like this one that date from as early as the 1820s and 1830s are among America's most legendary coins.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1821
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0178
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0178
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, One Cent, Proof, 1823
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Liberty head with coronet facing left, thirteen stars surrounding, date below. Reverse: Denomination within a single wreath. Robert Scot created these designs, which remained in use between 1816 and 1835.
- Cents of this type are likely to have been seen by almost every collector for they are among the most common of early American coins. But this coin is not common. The year 1823 is one of the scarcer dates in the cent series. In addition, this coin is an "overdate." It was created from an earlier die (for 1822 cents) that was softened, redated for the current year, hardened, and put back into service. Overdates are quite common among early American coins, as a fledgling United States Mint tried to cut corners wherever it could.
- Finally, this coin is a "proof." It was struck on a highly polished planchet (a disk of metal cut and prepared for striking as a coin) under far more exacting standards than ordinary coins. It has been estimated that only two other proof 1823/2 cents exist.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1823
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0192
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0192
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Five Dollars, Proof, 1825
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. The obverse die for this proof was created in 1821, then recycled for the production of proof coins a few years later. The coin it produced is called an overstruck 1825 coin, or 1825/1 (1825 over 1821) in technical terms. This is one of two known 1825/1 proof half eagles. Two 1825/4 (1825 over 1824) coins made with a recycled 1824 die have also been discovered.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1825
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0199
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0199
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Five Dollars, Proof, 1826
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. Two proof half eagles are known from this year.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1826
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0206
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0206
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Five Dollars, Proof, 1828
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. Only two proof half eagles are known with a perfect 1828 date. This is one. Add the known number of surviving strikes for regular circulation and there is still a total of only eight coins!
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1828
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0217
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0217
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
United States, Two and a Half Dollars, Proof, 1829
- Description
- United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Capped head of Liberty facing left, stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, motto above, denomination below. This 1829 proof quarter eagle introduces us to a modified coining technique and to a slightly modified design. The coin (and its multiple, the half eagle) would henceforth be struck using a one-piece, "close" collar. Also, a third die whose vertical striations produced the familiar "reeded" edge we still see on coins today.
- Striking the quarter and half eagles in a collar resulted in better metal flow and sharper detail. But it also required modest changes in the obverse and reverse designs. The work was carried out by William Kneass. As many as a dozen 1829 proof quarter eagles including this one may exist. Most have been damaged by handling.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1829
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0223
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0223
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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