The wheat penny was the first of the Lincoln Cents to be minted and featured a pair of wheat stalks surrounding the words “One Cent” on the back. There are some issues of this series that are extremely valuable depending on the date and the mint. These were made until 1958, when the sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s birth and brought about a change to the penny.

The Lincoln Memorial Cents were produced from 1959 until 2008. In 2009, for the 200^th anniversary of President Lincoln’s birth there were four unique designs on the back of the pennies. Each image was intended to show a different part of Lincoln’s life. These coins were minted for one year and in 2010 a new design was presented on the reverse side of the coin. The new image was the Union Shield. It was designed to signify how President Lincoln preserved the United States during the civil war.

Along with the changes in design and the different metals that were used throughout the almost one hundred years of Lincoln Cent production, there are also minting errors that can make an individual coin very unique and collectable. These can include striking errors or there are also errors with the die. Collecting Lincoln cents can be as simple as finding an anomaly in the coin. The most famous anomaly happened with the 1955 Double Die Lincoln Cent.

The Lincoln Cent has been part of American money for over a century and is still as collectable as it ever was. From the ultra rare to the minting mistakes, there are a lot of different reasons that a penny might be worth a lot more than one cent. Collecting Lincoln cents is as easy as keeping your eyes open and checking your pockets because you never know when you might stumble across a rare treasure.

Eisenhower dollars were quite large, measuring 1.50 inches across. The head of Eisenhower is on the obverse of the coin. On the back, the original reverse was the Apollo 11 Mission Insignia. These original designs were the work of Frank Gasparro, the tenth Chief Engraver of the US Mint. For the Bicentennial version of the coin, the reverse changed to show the Liberty Bell in front of the moon. That design came from Dennis Williams. The Eisenhower dollars came out of two mints: the Philadelphia and the Denver.

The Eisenhower dollars had problems in early production. In attempts to deal with the problems, designers made slight changes to the reverse design of the coin. The original design, known as Type 1, offered a lower profile than the others did. The second attempt, known as Type 2, has a slightly higher relief than the first design and includes slight variations in the design. Type 2 appears less defined than Type 1 or Type 3. The third attempt, Type 3, carries a better definition than the others two designs and is the type used on all coins in 1973 and after. All three designs appeared on coins in 1972, with Type 2 being the rarest.

The reverses on the Bicentennial Eisenhower dollars also have variations. Lettering changes created two different varieties. Type 1 of the Bicentennial edition has block lettering while Type 2 has a thinner, more elegant script. Type 1 is rarer than Type 2 in the Bicentennial coins. The condition of any of these coins makes a great deal of difference in value.

Similar to the issues of the previous three years, the 1932 Double Eagle is a rarity due to fact that the majority of the coins produced were melted. Of the original mintage of 1,101,750 pieces, it is believed that only 110 were officially released by the Philadelphia Mint. The number of specimens surviving today is even lower, with estimates ranging from 60 to 95 pieces.

The vast majority of 1932 Double Eagles are in uncirculated grades, with PCGS and NGC population reports showing most grades in the MS62 to MS66 range. The example residing within the Smithsonian Institution’s collection is estimated to grade MS67, making it the finest known.

Over the past few years, auction prices for 1932 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle graded MS66 have ranged from $126,500 to $161,000. Population reports show this grade awarded 19 times, although the number resulting from resubmissions is not known.

Reprinted with permission.

Source: http://saintgaudensdoubleeagle.com/1932-saint-gaudens-double-eagle/

The Peace dollars carry a stylized head of Liberty wearing a crown of rays. The reverse is a bald eagle perched with rays coming up from below. He is holding an olive branch for peace. The first run of coins, in 1921, were struck in high relief. This was causing problems with minting as well as stacking the coins. One million of these coins went out before the designers dealt with the problem. In 1922, the Mint started striking the coins with lower relief.

The Mint continued making the Peace silver dollars until 1928. At that point, there was little demand for the coins in circulation. They reappeared for limited runs in 1934 and 1935. The coins came out of the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. A limited number of proof coins were struck in 1921 and 1922. These proofs are extremely rare and bring high prices among coin collectors.

Some years and grades of Peace dollars command a higher price than others do. The coins minted in 1921 and 1928 came out in lower quantities than other years. Those coins minted in San Francisco in 1934 are also rarer than others are. However, the grade of the coin is significant. The coin must be in uncirculated condition to the highest prices. Coins minted in other years that are in the finest condition can also command a higher price.

In 1844, James B. Longacre became the Chief Engraver of the US Mint, after the death of the former engraver, Christian Gobrecht. He remained in that post until he died in 1869. Many of the historical coins of the United States came from his work such as the Liberty Double Eagle pictured below.

One of his most famous pieces was the Indian head cent. This penny was the standard design from 1859 through 1909. The face of the penny shows a Native American wearing a feathered headdress. Many of these pennies survive through today. Some years are rarer than others are. The 1877 is one of the most valuable. And the two years of minting in San Francisco, 1908-1909, are prizes to coin collectors.

Another famous design of James B. Longacre was the Liberty Head gold dollar coins. After the California gold rush, there was an emerging need for a gold dollar in American coinage. Longacre made a coin with the head of a stylized Liberty surrounded by 13 stars. The coin was extremely small however. It was just over ½ inch in diameter. Because of its small size, many people ended up losing them. In response, Longacre made the coin slightly bigger with a different Liberty head. Another redesign in 1856 was the final one. It remained in production until 1889.

James B. Longacre also designed the Flying Eagle penny, the 20-dollar gold piece, the 3-dollar gold piece, the Shield nickel, the 2-cent piece, and the 3-cent piece. The US Mint continued using Longacre’s designs until the last one ceased production in 1909, a full forty years after his death. His legacy continues in the world of coin collecting.

The first commemorative coin issued by the US Mint was the 1892 Columbian Exposition half-dollar. Through 1954, Congress authorized 157 coins to mark various occasions, individuals, or events. A problem began to emerge, however. Instead of concentrating on national historic events, many of these commemorative coins were in honor of local or state events. Congress was authorizing coins for cities or towns without a link to national history included. In 1939, Congress halted this practice. With only three exceptions between 1946 and 1954, these coins became history.

In 1982, the practice of authorizing commemorative coins came back into popularity with the 250th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. The mint has produced a limited number of coins each year ever since 1982. A good example is the Silver Dollar issued in 2009 on the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The first airplane flight of the Wright Brothers received recognition with three coins issued in 2003. Other events commemorated include the 500th anniversary of Columbus landing in America, the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, the 200th anniversary of the Constitution, and 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.

The sale of commemorative coins helps fund many special projects. It helps build new museums. It helps keep up historic sites like Mt. Vernon and the Vietnam War Memorial. It helps fund training and other needs for Olympic athletes. Each new coin issued has something behind it receiving funding. For 2010, Congress authorized a coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Some of the profits of this coin go back to the Boy Scouts to help fund local programs all around the country. The 2009 coin commemorating Louis Braille helps fund the National Foundation of the Blind to help teach Braille to blind and sight impaired students. There are coins planned for future years already in the design process.

There are also other good reasons for buying silver bullion coins beyond their collectible value. They are an excellent hedge against inflation. When the value of the dollar goes down, these coins hold their value, because the price of precious metals does not generally fluctuate as severely as currency. In the 1970′s the price of silver rose very high in response to the growing inflation. It was a good move for those who had bought silver in anticipation of the recession.

There are even those who will buy silver bullion coins because they fear that the currency in their homeland will become worthless as it has in many South American countries in recent years. The citizens who had the foresight to purchase those coins did not see their wealth disappear as more and more banks went out of business and people lost their savings. While that may seem like a worst case scenario, it is not impossible.

An additional benefit of silver is that it will be relatively easy to sell when the time comes. Even if collectors are unwilling to purchase the coins from you, there will always be someone willing to buy the coins based on the market price of silver. Although there might be some transactional costs involved, it is still easier to liquidate than real estate.

The value of silver bullion coins is two fold. The coins carry collectible value and feature some of the most beautiful designs available on contemporary coins. The silver content will provide an ultimate value based on the current market prices of precious metals. While other investments might rise and fall with the times, the value of silver is solid.

Want to find out more about silver bullion coins? Learn more about the United States Mint issues like the Silver Eagles and America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins.

The American Gold Eagle features the classic design of Liberty from Augustus Saint Gaudens that was used for the gold double eagle issued in the early 20th century. Liberty is pictured with an olive branch and lit torch moving confidently forward. In the background are the rays of the rising sun and the U.S. Capitol building. The bullion coins are struck in 22 karat gold and are produced in four different sizes. The one ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce coins provide a range of investment options.

Physical silver investment is made possible through the one ounce American Silver Eagle. These coins also feature a classic design of Liberty. The obverse design was created by Adolph A. Weinman for the Walking Liberty Half Dollar issued from 1916 to 1947. The reverse design features a heraldic eagle and was created exclusively for the series by John Mercanti, the current Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. The Silver Eagles have recently experienced extremely high demand, with annual sales for the most recent year above 30 million ounces.

Starting in 1997, another option was added to the program to facilitate investment in platinum. This gray-white metal is scarcer than gold and has come to have important industrial applications. The American Platinum Eagle features newly created obverse and reverse designs. The front of the coin carries a depiction of the Statue of Liberty by John Mercanti. The reverse features a soaring bald eagle by Thomas D. Rogers. The tails side of the collector version of the coin changes annually.

With the prices of precious metals at historical highs, physical investment options provide a way to participate in any further price increases. The United States Mint’s bullion options have proven themselves on world markets as liquid investment vehicles for accomplishing this purpose.

The face design of the Sacagawea Dollar is that of the Shoshone woman, Sacagawea, with her infant son on her back. Sacagawea was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She was the wife of a French trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau. A few months before she and Charbonneau left with Lewis and Clark, she gave birth to a son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau. That is the baby depicted on the coin. The Lewis and Clark Expedition picked up Charbonneau and his family in the spring of 1805. For the next year and a half, they traveled up the Missouri River, over the Rockies, and to the Pacific Coast, then back. They left the Charbonneau family in South Dakota at the end of the journey in August 1806.

There is no known portrait of the real Sacagawea. The designer of the Sacagawea Dollars, Glenna Goodacre, used a real Shoshone woman as a model to get a good approximation of Sacagawea’s possible face. The original design idea was to use Sacagawea as an ideal to recreate the early design of the Liberty Head gold dollar. However, the idea of using a more realistic portrait of the historical woman won out in the end.

In 2009, the US Mint began offering a redesigned reverse on Sacagawea dollars. The face remained the same. The reverse side now offers a scene to commemorate the contributions that Native American have had on the development of the United States. The design for 2009 Native American Dollar depicts a woman sowing squash, maize, and climbing beans, the three main crops of many Native tribes. These three also go by the name of the Three Sisters. The design for 2010 is the contributions made by the Iroquois Confederacy to the development of the United States government. All of these coins are available from the US Mint in uncirculated sets.

The new bullion investment product was authorized under Public Law 110-456, which also authorized the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. This series of circulating commemorative quarter dollars will be issued from 2010 to 2021 and feature designs representing National Parks, National Forests, and other federally protected areas. One area has been selected from each state, territory, and the District of Columbia.

The accompanying silver bullion program will carry the same designs as the quarter series, but they will be struck in five ounces of silver and have a diameter of 3 inches. Other specifications call for incused edge lettering to appear on each coin indicating the bullion fineness and weight. The coins will be struck in quantities that are determined by the United States Treasury Secretary.

So far, exact release dates for the America the Beautiful 5 oz. Silver bullion coins remain unknown, however by law the silver coins can only be issued during the same calendar year of release as the corresponding quarter dollar. This means that the bullion coins featuring Hot Springs National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Mound Hood National Forest must be issued before the close of 2010.

It has not yet been determined whether the bullion coins will be offered in collector versions, such as proof coins or uncirculated coins. The US Mint intends to distribute the silver coins through their existing network of authorized purchasers. Sales occur directly to these large scale bullion dealers based on the market price of silver plus a mark up.