Did you know that The Philadelphia Mint had a bald eagle mascot named Peter in the 1830s? He flew around inside during the day and was let out at night. The first mint also had a watchdog instead of armed guards when it opened in the 1790s. The saga of US money is full of interesting tidbits. We lis...

After internal strife and the murder of Joseph Smith, Jr. by an angry mob in Illinois in 1844, his successor, Brigham Young, led a group of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) faithful 1,100 miles across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to establish a settlement on the Great Salt Lake. When Young and his...

Some designers of US coins are so famous that the coins they produced are known by their names—Morgan Dollars, Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles, Barber Quarters. They were well-known artists of their time who were hired by the US Mint, sometimes after winning competitions, sometimes by appointment, and o...

You probably haven’t given a lot of thought about why quarters are part of the US coinage, but there’s actually an interesting story behind it. And it starts in Spain. By the end of the 16th century, Spain had extended its dominions worldwide and needed a reliable way to conduct trade. Large deposit...

The two factors that most influence a coin’s collectible value are rarity and condition. It’s relatively easy to find some of the older coins, and many collectible coins have been kept in excellent condition by their owners. When both come together, a coin can command a very high price, indeed. And ...

Given the billions of coins minted every year, it’s not surprising that mistakes get made. What’s more remarkable is how few actually make it into circulation. And when they do, some are quite valuable, bringing thousands of dollars. Technically known as “mint errors” or “error coins,” these are coi...

Collectible coins can pack a lot of value in a small package. Thousand-dollar dimes are common, and million-dollar pennies are out there. But with hundreds of auctions every month and countless private sales, nailing down an exact worth of a coin is trying to hit a fast-moving target. To compile thi...

From the time Spanish explorers discovered the Caribbean islands in 1492 until the late 1800s, Spain was a wealthy and powerful nation that dominated trade in much of the western hemisphere, including the early settlements in North America. Because of that influence, Spanish gold and silver coins we...