The ubiquitous Lincoln one-cent coin holds the record as the longest-running coin design in history. First released in 1909, it has been in continuous production for over 100 years with over 500 billion coins made In this, the third of three parts, we look at the coin’s journey through the postwar e...

When we think of counterfeiters, it usually involves shady characters in backroom operations, but what about when it’s done by governments? The history of counterfeiting includes numerous instances of countries making copies of another nation’s currency, usually in an attempt to disrupt an enemy’s e...

Unlike conquistadores in the Latin American colonies, when European settlers first came to northeastern North America, they sought to establish permanent communities based around agriculture and local commerce and free from the social and religious persecution they felt in their home countries. They...

Since its inception in 1792, the US Mint has produced several coins that are no longer in circulation. Some were too similar to other coins and caused confusion, others were unpopular and had little demand. And some simply fell victim to inflation, causing them to be of little practical use. That’s ...

Coin mistakes take many different forms, and some are more valuable than others. Older coins were more error-prone than modern coins, which are made with sophisticated machinery and inspection techniques. But since many more coins are made today, the number of mistakes, especially minor ones, that s...

The official silver bullion coin of the US, the American Silver Eagle has been in production since 1986. It is one of three precious metal bullion coins issued by the US Mint, the others being gold and platinum, all carrying the “Eagle” designation. The Silver in US Coins From the f...

As early as 1783, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton advocated for US currency to be based on a decimal system rather than the Roman system used by Great Britain. Partly due to their influence, when the Coinage Act of 1792 was passed, it included provisions for coins represe...

When the US Constitution was ratified in 1789, it authorized the Treasury to coin money for the young nation. The capital was Philadelphia at the time, so it made sense that the first mint would be located there, and the country’s first coins were released in March 1793 A New Mint for the Go...