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 second of three parts, we look at the coin’s journey through the turbule...

As soon as money came into existence, people began making fakes. Some were clever and good at it, others simply relied on the ignorance of the public, hoping they were too dumb or too busy to notice. They also hoped they wouldn’t get caught, because the penalties were severe, often including death. ...

“Coin” was the operative term since people had lost faith in paper currency and wanted their money to have tangible value. The new coins were to be made of gold, silver, and copper that represented their face value. The Spanish silver 8-real coin was so common at the time that it was used as the bas...

This is the first of a three-part series where we look at the history of this important coin. Lincoln Cent Production Statistics Design Years of Production Total Mintage Wheat Cent 1909* - 1958 25,821,026,199 Bronze Mem...

The so-called Spanish milled dollar of the 18th century was the foundation for the US monetary system. From the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521 to Mexican independence in 1821, Spain was the dominant commercial power in much of the Western Hemisphere. And with that dominance came the need for a c...

When the US Constitution was ratified in 1789, the nation’s capital was Philadelphia, so it made sense that the first mint would be located there. But as the country expanded, it experienced an acute shortage of coins, and distribution to the rapidly growing southern and western areas became a probl...

The five-cent coin has been made by the US Mint since 1794, but has only been called a “nickel” since 1866. Prior to then, it was known as a half dime, a small, thin 90% silver coin that was about half the size of a dime, since a coin’s worth was commensurate with how much precious metal it containe...

As soon as money came into existence, people began making fakes. Some were clever and good at it, others simply relied on the ignorance of the public, hoping they were too dumb or too busy to notice. They also hoped they wouldn’t get caught, because the penalties could be severe, often including dea...