Numismatist AI

US · Fifty Cents · 1964–present
Kennedy Half Dollar (1964–present)
Rushed into production within months of the Kennedy assassination, replacing the Franklin half. The 1964 issues were 90% silver; 1965–1970 dropped to 40% silver clad; 1971 onward is copper-nickel clad. Heavy hoarding kept the series largely out of circulation. The 1976 Bicentennial reverse (Independence Hall) was struck dual-dated 1776–1976.
US · Cent · 1959–2008
Lincoln Memorial Cent (1959–2008)
Replaced the wheat reverse for the Lincoln centennial. Composition shifted from bronze to copper-plated zinc mid-1982 in response to rising copper prices — both compositions exist for that year. Replaced in 2009 by the Bicentennial four-design reverses.
US · Fifty Cents · 1948–1963
Franklin Half Dollar (1948–1963)
Benjamin Franklin obverse, Liberty Bell reverse. The small eagle to the right of the bell satisfied the statutory requirement for an eagle on half dollars. Series cut short after the Kennedy assassination. Full Bell Lines (FBL) designation across the lower bell bands is the premium attribute.
US · Ten Cents · 1946–present
Roosevelt Dime (1946–present)
Issued shortly after FDR's death; the dime was chosen for the March of Dimes connection to Roosevelt's polio advocacy. Silver through 1964, clad thereafter. Few key dates — the series is collected mostly by date set or for high-grade Full Bands (FB / FT) examples.
US · Five Cents · 1938–present
Jefferson Nickel (1938–present)
Replaced the Buffalo nickel after a public design competition won by Felix Schlag. Wartime issues (1942–1945) shifted to a silver-manganese alloy and carry a large mintmark above Monticello — the only US coins to display a P mintmark prior to 1980. Full Steps (FS) designation on the Monticello reverse is the premium attribute.
US · Twenty-Five Cents · 1932–present
Washington Quarter (1932–present)
Introduced for the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. Originally intended as a one-year commemorative; instead became permanent. Silver composition until 1964, then clad. Numerous program reverses since 1999 (50 States, ATB, American Women).
US · One Dollar · 1921–1935
Peace Dollar (1921–1935)
Commissioned to commemorate peace following World War I. High-relief 1921 issues are the most striking. Resumed briefly in 2021–2025 as collector issues.
US · Twenty-Five Cents · 1916–1930
Standing Liberty Quarter (1916–1930)
MacNeil's Liberty stands holding a shield and olive branch. Type 1 (1916–early 1917) and Type 2 (1917–1930) differ in reverse eagle position and obverse drapery. The dates wore off quickly on early issues; recessed dates introduced in 1925 fixed the problem. Full Head (FH) designation on the reverse is the premium attribute.
US · Fifty Cents · 1916–1947
Walking Liberty Half Dollar (1916–1947)
Liberty striding into the dawn, draped in the American flag. Reverse design (eagle on a mountain crag) was reused decades later for the American Silver Eagle bullion coin. Notoriously weakly struck through the 1920s.
US · Ten Cents · 1916–1945
Winged Liberty (Mercury) Dime (1916–1945)
Properly the Winged Liberty Head; the wings on Liberty's cap were mistaken for the messenger god Mercury. Considered one of the most beautiful US coins. Full Bands designation (FB) on the reverse fasces is the premium attribute.
US · Five Cents · 1913–1938
Buffalo / Indian Head Nickel (1913–1938)
Native American profile on the obverse; American bison on the reverse. Type 1 (1913) shows the bison on a raised mound; Type 2 (1913–1938) flattened the mound to reduce wear on the date.
US · Cent · 1909–1958
Lincoln Wheat Cent (1909–1958)
The first US coin to bear a portrait of a real person, designed by Victor David Brenner. Replaced the Indian Head cent. Wheat-ear reverse retained for fifty years before giving way to the Lincoln Memorial in 1959.
US · Fifty Cents · 1892–1915
Barber Half Dollar (1892–1915)
Heaviest of the three Barber denominations. No single blockbuster rarity, but the series has many low-mintage dates and is genuinely scarce in mint state across the board. Most survivors are well-circulated.
US · Twenty-Five Cents · 1892–1916
Barber Quarter (1892–1916)
Companion to the Barber dime and half. The series wears down quickly — LIBERTY in the headband is the standard grade indicator from Good through Fine. Several semi-keys trade for strong premiums even in well-circulated grades.
US · Ten Cents · 1892–1916
Barber Dime (1892–1916)
Charles Barber's Liberty Head design replaced the Seated Liberty across dime, quarter, and half dollar in 1892. Workmanlike rather than beloved; collectors pursue the series primarily for the 1894-S — one of the great American rarities.
US · One Dollar · 1878–1921
Morgan Silver Dollar (1878–1904, 1921)
America's most-collected silver dollar. Heavy, struck in millions across five mints, with countless die varieties cataloged by VAM. Many bag-fresh examples surfaced from Treasury vaults in the 1960s, suppressing prices for the type but not the keys.
US · Cent · 1859–1909
Indian Head Cent (1859–1909)
Liberty wearing a Native American headdress on the obverse — not an actual Indigenous portrait. Composition shifted from copper-nickel to bronze in 1864. Replaced by the Lincoln cent in 1909 for the centennial of Lincoln's birth.