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US Coins

United States Coin Collecting

US Coins were first produced in 1792 when the US government established the first mint at Philadelphia. Since that time many different varieties and denominations of United States coins have been produced by the U.S. Mint.

Present day United States coins produced for circulation include the penny (1 cent), nickel (5 cent), dime (10 cent), quarter dollar (25 cent), half dollar (50 cent) and dollar coins.


United States Coins
United States Coins

Besides the coins now in circulation, there were also half cents, two cent pieces, and three cent pieces. 20 cent pieces were also made for four years, from 1875 to 1878.

Bullion and Commemorative Coins are also minted today by the United States Mint.

If you are interested in United States coin collecting, you can see that you will find a huge variety of coins for your collection.

Many people like to narrow down their collection to a certain typeType
The basic distinguishing design of a coin.
Type Set
One of each coin of a particular design, series or period.
or seriesSeries
Set of years coin was minted with a specific design and denomination.
of US coins and some collect several different types of coins all at once.

My favorite type of coin to collect is the Morgan Silver Dollar, but I will add anything to my collection that I find interesting. I have recently started to collect the Presidential $1 coins and I also like the state quarters.

Below you will find a list of the different US coins along with a brief introduction to each. Click the links for pictures and more information for each particular coin type.




Hint: click on the images below to see a larger image of the coin

Half Cent Coins

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    1800 Draped Bust Half Cent
  • Half Cent Coins (1793-1857) - Half Cents, also known as the half penny, were one of the earliest US coins (1793-1857). They were first minted in 1793, just as George Washington was getting started on his second term as President of the United States.
    Find out more and see more images...........
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One Cent Coins

    click to enlarge
    1836 Large Cent

  • Large-Cents (1793-1857) - Large cents have earned a spot in history as the first US coins ever minted by the United States government on its own equipment and premises. They were minted from 1793 to 1857 at the mint in Philadelphia, the only U.S. Mint at the time.
    Find out more and see more images...........


  • click to enlarge
    1857 Flying Eagle Cent

  • Flying Eagle Cents (1856-1858) - The flying eagle penny was produced from 1857-1858. It was the first small sized penny or one cent us coin. It gets its name from the eagle on the obverse (front) of the coin. On the reverse the words ONE CENT are surrounded by a wreath.
    Find out more and see more images...........


  • click to enlarge
    1864 Indian Head Cent

  • Indian Cents (1859-1909) - The Indian Head Penny is a one cent coin that was produced for fifty years by the United States Mint, from 1859 through 1909. On the front of this US coin is the head of a Native American wearing a feather head dress with the word "LIBERTY" on it.
    Find out more and see more images...........


  • click to enlarge
    1934 Lincoln Cent

  • Lincoln Cents (1909 to date) - If you choose to collect Lincoln cents you will find lots to work with and study as it is the longest-running US coin series as well as being very popular in United States Coin Collecting. The Lincoln cent replaced the Indian Head Penny in 1909 and is still being produced today.
    Find out more and see more images...........


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Two Cent Coins

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Three Cent Coins

    click to enlarge
    1873 Nickel Three Cent
  • Three Cent Piece (1851-1889) - Three cent coins were produced from 1851 to 1889. The earlier of these coins were made of 75% silver, then beginning in 1865 other three cent coins were made of a copper/nickel alloy (as shown in the photo here). These coins were referred to as the Three Cent Nickel.
    Find out more and see more images...........
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Five Cent Coins - Nickels

    click to enlarge
    1882 Shield Nickel
  • Shield Nickel (1866-1883) - Shield Nickels were made of 75% copper and 25% nickel, and were produced from 1866 to 1883. A shield is featured on the front (obverse) and the numeral 5 surrounded by stars on the reverse. The shield nickel was the first nickel five-cent piece minted in the United States.
    Find out more and see more images...........

  • click to enlarge
    1891 Liberty Head Nickel

  • Liberty Head Nickel (1883-1912) - The Liberty Nickel was officially minted between 1883 and 1912. It was made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. It featured a bust if "Liberty" on the front and the Roman Numeral "V" on the reverse. So, although it is commonly known as the Liberty Head Nickel, it is also sometimes referred to as the V Nickel
    Find out more and see more images...........


  • click to enlarge
    1923 Indian Head Buffalo Nickel

  • Indian Head or Buffalo Nickel (1913-1938) - Buffalo Nickels have won a permanent place in the hearts of many Americans, including mine. However, it should actually be referred to as the Indian Head Nickel, as the buffalo is really on the back of the coin. Indian Head Nickels were made from 1913 to 1938 and are made of 75% copper and 25% nickel.
    Find out more and see more images...........


  • click to enlarge
    1939 Jefferson Nickel

  • Jefferson Nickel (1938 to date) - Jefferson Nickels are United States Five Cent coins. They were first produced in 1938. They are still produced today. This coin was the third coin made by the United States that featured a US President. Thomas Jefferson is on the obverse (front) of the coin. The reverse (back) of the coin shows Monticello, Jefferson's famous home in Virginia.
    Find out more and see more images...........


  • click to enlarge
    1853 Seated Liberty Half Dime

  • Half Dime (1794-1873) - Early Half Dimes are silver five cent US coins also referred to as a half disme. They were first made in 1792. This was the year before the first US Mint actually opened for business. They were official US coins, however.
    Find out more and see more images...........


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Ten Cent Coins - Dimes

United States dimes, are ten cent coins or one-tenth of a dollar. They were first minted in 1796 and get their name from a French word "disme" which means tithe or tenth part.

Below is a list of US Dime Types:

  • Bust Dime (1796-1837)
  • Liberty Seated Dime (1837-1891)
  • Barber or Liberty Head Dime (1892-1916)
  • Mercury or Winged Liberty Head Dime (1916-1945)
  • Roosevelt Dime (1946 to date)
Find out more and see images of each Dime type...........

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Twenty Cent Coins

click to enlarge
20 Cent Piece
  • 20 Cent Piece (1875-1878) - A greatly criticized and disliked coin by the public, the Twenty Cent Piece only saw production for general circulation the first 2 years of minting (1875-1876) with only proofs minted the remaining 2 years (1877-1878).

    Find out more and see more images...........
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Twenty-five Cent Coins - Quarters

US Quarters, with a denomination of twenty five cents, or a quarter of a dollar, were authorized for minting in 1792, however the first quarter coins were not issued until 1796.

Since that time there have been several types of US Quarters minted, with many varieties of most types, making United States Quarters a great choice for a coin collection.

Here is a list of US Quarter types:

  • Bust Quarter (1796-1838)
  • Liberty Seated Quarter (1838-1891)
  • Barber or Liberty Head (1892-1916)
  • Standing Liberty Quarter (1916-1930)
  • Washington Quarter (1932 to date)
Find out more and see images of each Quarter type...........

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Half Dollar Coins

  • Flowing Hair Half Dollar (1794-1795) - coming soon
  • Bust Half Dollar (1796-1839) - coming soon
  • Liberty Seated Half Dollar (1839-1891) - coming soon
  • Barber or Liberty Head Half Dollar (1892-1915) - coming soon
  • Liberty Walking Half Dollar (1916-1947) - coming soon
  • Ben Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963) - coming soon
  • Kennedy Half Dollar (1964 to date) - coming soon
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Dollar Coins

  • Flowing Hair Dollar (1794-1795) - coming soon
  • Bust Dollar (1795-1804) - coming soon
  • Gobrecht Dollar (1836-1839) - coming soon
  • Liberty Seated Dollar (1840-1873) - coming soon
  • Trade Dollar (1873-1885) - coming soon
  • Morgan Dollar (1878-1921) - coming soon
  • Peace Dollar (1921-1935) - coming soon
  • Eisenhower Dollar (1971-1978) - coming soon
  • Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979-1999) - coming soon
  • Sacagawea Dollar (2000 to date) - coming soon
  • Presidential Dollar (2007 to date) - coming soon
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Gold Coins


You can find information about Gold US Coins here.



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