U.S. Mint Director Samuel Moore was eager to get the new gold coins into circulation while withdrawing the pieces of 1795-1834 remaining in public hands. Expecting huge demand for the new issue (the Mint received old-tenor fives at a value of $5.32), Moore ordered Engraver William Kneass to prepare an entirely new design. Kneass created a tousle-haired Liberty facing left, her thick and curly locks confined by a headband inscribed LIBERTY. The date was placed below and a circle of 13 stars surrounded the handsome, youthful head. The reverse continued the raised-wing eagle of the previous issue, surrounded by the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and 5 D. Congress recommended identifying the new coins by placing the date AUGUST 1, 1834 on each, but Moore preferred omitting the scroll with E PLURIBUS UNUM used since 1807.

This Classic Head design is distinctly boyish, but a more attractive concept than the similar head used on John Reich’s large cents of 1808-1814 and half cents of 1809-1836. All actually resemble youthful male athletes of ancient Greece rather than a female goddess of Liberty. Kneass’ concept never seemed to fully satisfy Mint officials, and some minor but continuous changes appeared throughout the series’ run. As Kneass faded into ill health and reduced activity, Christian Gobrecht tinkered further with the design in 1836. Variety collectors will find the Classic Heads a less busy field than the first issues of United States gold. Within the series’ five years there are more than a dozen distinct varieties, including changes to Liberty’s hair, and such variations as plain or crosslet 4s on the 1834 coins.

Over 2.1 million Classic Head half eagles were struck between 1834 and 1838, nearly all at the Philadelphia Mint. In 1838, new branch mints began operations at Charlotte, North Carolina and Dahlonega, Georgia. These coins have their distinctive mint marks on the obverse over the date. Charlotte (C) placed its mint mark on 17,179 coins. The entire output of Dahlonega (D) comprised only 20,583 pieces.

The Mint’s purpose was to return gold to daily circulation, and in this Director Moore enjoyed great success. The withdrawal of older coins was amazingly successful, with an estimated $8,000,000 in pre- 1834 gold marching to the smelter for rebirth as Classic Head coinage. The new coins were of the same size and weight as the later Coronet Head coins designed by Christian Gobrecht, so they remained in circulation for many decades after their release.

The severely limited mintages of Charlotte and Dahlonega have always attracted collectors, especially after publication of Augustus C. Heaton’s 1893 treatise on collecting by mintmarks. Although Philadelphia half eagles were struck and circulated in adequate numbers, mint state examples of any date are highly elusive to very rare. Well-worn examples in the Fine to Very Fine range are generally available, though these often bear severe contact marks in addition to wear from circulation. Wear first appears on Liberty’s hair, particularly over her eye, and on her cheek. On the reverse, check the eagle’s wings and head.

Few if any hoards of high grade have been found. Although the great Louis C. Eliasberg collection contained 11 Classic Heads, only 1834 and 1835 were Uncirculated, and one of his 1834 Plain 4 coins was cataloged Proof-60. The remaining examples went from Choice About Uncirculated down to EF-45. Gem examples of Philadelphia issues do exist, but only 1834 Plain 4, and to a lesser extent, 1836, are seen with any frequency. The “key” date of the series is 1838-C, difficult to find in any grade and equal in rarity to many pre-1834 issues. Even more elusive is the scarcest variety of the series, the 1834 Crosslet 4-trailed closely by the 1838 Dahlonega coin, another “stopper” in mint state. A minuscule number of proofs exist of the Philadelphia dates, perhaps as many as 12 examples for 1834, three of 1835, two of 1836, and one each of 1837 and 1838 (the 1837 specimen is in the Smithsonian). Such coins are extremely rare and have appeared only in one or two of the great “name” auctions in recent years.

The generally dismal grades so frequently encountered may prejudice collectors against this series, but all pre-Gold Rush coinage is usually found in similar condition. A collector taking the opportunity to view a high-grade example objectively, however, will discover that the Kneass design is really a bold example of America’s primitive neoclassical art. By 1838 this vintage design would yield to the wave of highly stereotyped motifs, such as Gobrecht’s Coronet, that improved the coins’ mechanical qualities but eliminated much of the life and vibrancy found in the earlier issues.

The Classic Head coins circulated during times of significant economic disturbance. In the early 1830’s the country enjoyed a wild ride, including intense speculation in western lands and a fungus-like growth of totally unregulated and frequently shaky private banks. More destructive to the economy was the vast expansion of often unsecured paper money issued by the same banks. The Federal government’s major financial preoccupation was not a deficit but the huge surpluses piling up in each year of apparent prosperity. Trying to regulate runaway land speculation, President Andrew Jackson’s Specie Circular of July 1837 decreed that only gold or silver coins would be accepted for purchases of public lands.

A business panic beginning in England in March of 1837 rapidly spread to the United States, and the last years of Classic Head coinage saw the disastrous depression known as the “Hard Times.” While hard money advocates such as Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton argued the pros and cons of Jacksonian monetary policies, hundreds of thousands of Americans starved in the winter of 1837-38. To them, a $5 gold piece would have represented breathtaking wealth in times that saw 90% of American factories idle. To these Americans, copper “Hard Times” tokens were far more familiar than gold coins of any denomination.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 22.5 millimeters Weight: 8.36 grams Composition: .8992 gold, .1008 copper Edge: Reeded Net Weight: .24168 ounce pure gold

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Akers, David W., United States Gold Coins, Volume IV, Half Eagles 1795-1929, Paramount Publications, Englewood, OH, 1979. Breen, Walter, Early United States Half Eagles, 1795-1838, Hewitt Numismatic Printers, Chicago. Breen, Walter, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing Co., New York, 1966. Winter, Douglas, Gold Coins of the Charlotte Mint 1838-1861, DWN Publishing, Dallas, 1998. Winter, Douglas, Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint 1838-1861, DWN Publishing, Dallas, 1997.

Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.

Known in the hobby as “Mr. Commem” for his research and writings about United States commemorative coins, Swiatek also is a former President of the American Numismatic Association and a long-time consumer education advocate.  Founded in 1953, the Professional Numismatists Guild is a nonprofit organization composed of many of the top rare coin and paper money dealers in the United States and seven other countries. PNG member-dealers must adhere to a strict Code of Ethics in the buying and selling of numismatic merchandise.  ”With the upcoming program in November, the PNG will have conducted ten Share the Knowledge seminars in 2008. Programs were presented at major conventions in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Long Beach and Phoenix. This is a testament to our organization’s motto: Knowledge, Integrity, Responsibility,” said Gary Adkins, PNG President. For additional information about PNG, call (760) 728-1300 or visit online at www.PNGdealers.com. For information about the Whitman Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention, go to www.WhitmanExpo.com.

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint announced today it is offering a wide range of free informational materials on its website at www.usmint.gov/$1coin to help retailers, financial institutions, educators and other interested organizations promote understanding of the new Presidential $1 Coins. The Presidential $1 Coins are being introduced as a result of the Presidential Coin Act of 2005, which requires the United States Mint to mint and issue the dollar coins commemorating the former United States Presidents in the order in which they served. The first in the series of Presidential $1 Coins features President George Washington and will be released on February 15, 2007.

According to a recent study commissioned by the United States Mint, about half of Americans surveyed said they are interested in collecting the Presidential $1 Coins, and many expect the coins to be available at retail locations and at financial institutions. The website is a key resource to help retailers, financial institutions and educators prepare for the expected interest in the Presidential $1 Coins.

“Our research indicates that the Presidential $1 Coins will be popular with Americans,” said United States Mint Director Edmund C. Moy. “The new website provides valuable information to help educators, retailers and bankers promote a better understanding of the Presidential $1 Coin to their customers, employees and students.”

The United States Mint has developed a variety of informational materials about the Presidential $1 Coin Program for educators and businesses free of charge. All materials are subject to terms of use. Among the many options are:

• Brochures that can be conveniently displayed at a financial institution or retail establishment or distributed to students

• Coin boards for collecting and storing the first four Presidential $1 Coins with quick facts about our nation’s first four presidents

• A bookmark with a complete release schedule to 2016

• Various-sized posters for display in a lobby, employee break room or a classroom

• Point-of-sale materials, such as stickers, advising customers that dollar coins are accepted

• A brief web-based tutorial on the Presidential $1 Coins for retail and financial institution employees

The United States Mint and the Federal Reserve Bank are engaged in a coordinated effort to make it easier for businesses and members of the general public to obtain the new Presidential $1 Coins as they are released.

Like the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program on which it was modeled, the Presidential $1 Coin Program features a series of rotating designs. Each President will be honored with a single Presidential $1 Coin, regardless of the number of consecutive terms he served. Grover Cleveland, the only United States President to serve non-consecutive terms, will be honored on two coins. No living former or current President can be honored on a coin.

Contact:
Press inquiries: Michael White (202) 354-7222
Customer Service information: (800) USA MINT (872-6468)

Denver, Colorado –The newest quarter in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program was launched today at the Colorado State Capitol following a procession by horse-drawn stagecoach that began five blocks away and brought quarters from the United States Mint at Denver. The stagecoach was greeted at the state capitol by Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Sandra Pack, United States Mint Deputy Director David A. Lebryk, Colorado Governor Bill Owens, First Lady Frances Owens and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

The new quarter depicts a sweeping view of the rugged Rocky Mountains and bears a banner with the inscription “Colorful Colorado.”

“This quarter evokes Colorado’s rainbow of beauty and color,” said Deputy Director Lebryk, “what the anthem “America the Beautiful” calls ‘purple mountains majesty.’ Today, we celebrate the launch of a beautiful addition to the 50 State Quarters program, and the centennial anniversary of the United States Mint at Denver, one of two proud facilities that together will make up to 650 million “Colorful Colorado” quarters.”

The Colorado quarter also bears the inscriptions “Colorado” and “1876,” the year Colorado became a state. Colorado, nicknamed the “Centennial State,” was admitted into the Union on August 1, 1876, becoming our Nation’s 38th state. The Colorado quarter is the 38th coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program and the third commemorative quarter-dollar released in 2006.

Following the launch ceremony, Assistant Secretary Pack, Deputy Director Lebryk, Governor and First Lady Owens and Mayor Hickenlooper handed out shiny, new Colorado quarters to the children in the crowd. Adults lined up to exchange their bills for $10 rolls of Colorado quarters.

Free United States Mint lesson plans about the Colorado quarter-dollar may be downloaded at www.usmint.gov/kids.

The United States Mint also hosted a Coin Collectors Forum at the Auraria Campus on the eve of the launch in which the public was asked to share their ideas on coin programs and coin design.

The Colorado quarter is available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll) including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins, at the United States Mint website at www.usmint.gov. The two-roll sets are $32.00, bags of 100 coins are $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins are $300.00.

For a DIGITAL IMAGE of the Colorado quarter, click on the link below:

http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/CoinLibrary/

For a SATELLITE FEED of Colorado Quarter Launch (News media only):

Wednesday, June 14, 3:30-4:00 PM ET, IA 5/13 DL 3960V

Contact:
Press inquiries: Michael White (202) 354-7222
Customer Service information: (800) USA MINT (872-6468)

“Since they were first produced in 1999 for the start of the United States Mint’s ten-year 50 State Quarters® Program, more than 600,000 quarter boards have been distributed to children and adults,” said Robert Brueggeman, PNG Executive Director. “These latest boards are available free from participating PNG member-dealers, or can be obtained directly from PNG headquarters for $1 per board, to cover the cost of sending up to five boards.”

One side of each board has 20 die-cut holes for holding a collection of commemorative state quarters for a two-year period, 2005 – 2006 and 2007-2008, the final four years of the scheduled state commemorative coin series. Five states are honored each year with coins produced at the United States Mint facilities in Philadelphia and Denver – two different mint marks for each state’s coin for a total of ten coins to collect from circulation each year.

“The 50 State Quarters® Program is having a profound, positive impact on the coin collecting hobby. Millions of Americans now collect them,” said Jeff Garrett, PNG President.

“The PNG is proud to be a part of the quarter board project. It has been especially helpful in attracting young people to the hobby. We also look forward to participating in other ventures that promote coin collecting. The future of collecting will be stronger because of this and other projects.”

The 10 states on the latest two quarter boards are: (2005) California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia; (2006) Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota; (2007) Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah; and (2008) Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii.

The other side of the 2005 – 2006 quarter board has color illustrations of a dozen United States commemorative half dollars. Labeled “American History Illustrated,” the coins depicted range from the 1892 Columbian Exposition commemorative coin to the 1954 Booker T. Washington commemorative coin.

The back side of the 2007 – 2008 Quarterboard™ has a 50 State Quarters™Program trivia test with 21 questions written and supplied by the Mint. There also is information about the Mint’s H.I.P. Pocket Change™ web site, www.USMint.gov/kids, that is “dedicated to promoting lifelong pleasure in coins and coin collecting” with games, informational features and interactive animated cartoons for children.

Neither the United States Mint, nor the other numismatic organizations sponsoring this educational project, endorses any individual provider of goods or services.

To obtain from one to five PNG Quarterboards™ directly from PNG, send $1 to cover shipping costs to: Robert Brueggeman, PNG Executive Director, 3950 Concordia Lane, Fallbrook, CA 92028. Phone: (760) 728-1300. E-mail: info@PNGdelaers.com. Web: www.PNGdealers.com.

“50 State Quarters” is a registered trademark of the United States Mint.

2000 Uncirculated Set Is First to Contain P and D Mint Mark Golden Dollars

Washington, D.C., July 17, 2000 – The United States Mint announced today it will begin selling the 2000 Uncirculated Coin Set® by mail on July 19, and online at www.USMINT.gov on July 24 at noon (Eastern Time). This is the first uncirculated set of U.S. legal tender coins to be offered in the new millenium.

“The Uncirculated Coin Set is the backbone of coin collections,” said United States Mint Director Jay W. Johnson. “New collectors just starting out and experienced collectors will both want this historic set, containing the first uncirculated ‘P’ and ‘D’ Mint mark Golden Dollars.”

Each 20-coin 2000 Uncirculated Coin Set includes two of each circulating U.S. coin, bearing the Philadelphia ‘P’ and Denver mint mark ‘D’: the Lincoln cent, the Jefferson nickel, the Roosevelt dime, the Kennedy half-dollar, the new Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea , and the five States Quarters honoring Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia.

Each set is packaged in Mylar® to keep the coins pristine and includes a specification folder from the United States Mint.

“The 2000 Uncirculated Coin Set is selling this year for the same low price as last year- $14.95!,” said David Pickens, Associate Director of Numismatics. “This is quite a bargain as the U.S. Mint is including two additional Golden Dollar coins featuring Sacagawea.”

There are no household limits. Customers may order as many uncirculated sets as they wish while supplies last. The set is available for a short time, and production is strictly limited. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Customers may order the 2000 Uncirculated Coin Set directly online via the U.S. Mint secure web server at www.USMINT.gov and pay no additional shipping and handling charges. Mail, telephone and fax orders incur a shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order. Customers who prefer to fax their orders may download an order form from the website and fax it to (301) 344-4150, ATTN: Order Processing. Customers may order by telephone by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. Operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to take orders. Customers may also order by mail by sending a check or money order to United States Mint, P.O. Box 382602, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-8602. Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 301-344-4144.

Contact:
Press inquiries: Michael White (202) 354-7222
Customer Service information: (800) USA MINT (872-6468)

The high concentration of manganese in the alloy compound contributes to the darker color of the coin, however, the zinc and nickel in the alloy inhibit this process somewhat, ensuring the new coin will not darken as much as pennies do.

As the coins are handled frequently, the darker “patina” may wear off the high points of the coin, leaving golden colored highlights that accent the darker background around the border, lettering and other less exposed areas. The brighter, brass highlights, in contrast with the darker background, accentuate the profile and add a dimension of depth to the depiction of Sacagawea and her child.

Regarding reports of spots on some dollar coins during the first few weeks of production, the Mint identified the cause as residue left on the coins during the manufacturing process and has eliminated it.

Contact:
Press inquiries: Michael White (202) 354-7222
Customer Service information: (800) USA MINT (872-6468)