American Numismatic Association

27 Dec 2022

Alaskan tokens, Confederate issues and Hawaiian coins

Have you ever held coins so old, many collectors have forgotten about them? Here are some not easily remembered coins .Alaskan Rural Rehabitilation Corporation tokens were issued by the US government for federal aid for the colonists of the Matanuska Valley Colonization project. These coins were nicknamed 'Bingles' and were made out of aluminum and brass. These were only redeemable at the Alaskan Rural Rehabitilation Corporation stores. These coins were in use and circulation for six short months in 1935 and 1936 , until they were� redeemed for regular US coins and destroyed. These coins were the same shape and size of the corresponding US coin, except for the penny, which was in the shape of and octagon. The obsverse and reverse are the same.��Confederate cents were made for the Confederacy by Robert Lovett Jr whose profession was an engineer and die sinker for the Philadelphia mint. Lovett created these coins in a jewelry firm in Philadelphia. Because he was residing in the North, Lovett would not deliver the coins, and so he hid the coins and dies in his cellar because of his fear of US government arrest. The original dies were later purchased by John W. Haseltine , who made restrikes with them. In 1960, these dies were copied and more coins were made by Robert Balsow.� Four original half dollars were created with a hand press, original silver planchets, and a regular obsverse die. Those original four half dollars were given to important Confederate citizens. Lack of bullion prevented creation of more specimens. This coin and die were unknown to collectors until 1879, when a Mr E. Mason found them and purchased them from the owner and Mr Mason sold them to J W. Scott and company in New York. Mr Scott acquired 400 original 1861 half dollars and smoothed them , and then restamped them with the Confederate die. These are known as restrikes and have slightly flattened obsverses . Scott also struck some tokens in white metal using the Confederate reverse die and an obsverse die bearing the inscription : 4 originals struck by order of the C.S.A in New Orleans 1861 *******� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��There has only been five official coins issued by the kingdom of Hawaii. These include the 1847 cent issued by King Kamekameha lll, and the 1883 dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollar made all in silver by King Kalakaua l , which bear his picture. The 1883 eighth dollar was a pattern , while the 1881 five cent piece was unoffficial. After Hawaii became a US territory , the legal tender status of these coins was removed and most were withdrawn and melted. Since there was a lack of small change on the Hawaiian Islands, these coins were widely accepted and circulated freely.

26 Dec 2022

Indian or Native American People on US Coins

| Anakin104

Have you ever known the history of those�Indian or Native American People on US Coins, some of which honor people? Join me while I tell you their history.The Indian penny depicts Liberty, who is wearing a traditional Indian headress. The first form featured a laurel wreath and the words ONE CENT on the reverse. This design was changed the next year to an oak wreath, a small shield and the words ONE CENT. Before the issuance of five cent pieces these coins were called 'nickels ' or 'nicks'. When the nickels finally got issued, the new nickname was 'white cents'. In the Civil War, almost all gold, silver coins and eventually copper nickel cents vanished. In large cities, coins about the size of the cent started trickling out of the merchants as a replacement for the cent. The Act of April 22, 1864 made those merchant coins illegal and then the Mint issued a bronze cent. In 1864, a sharper portrait of Longacre's design was edited to include�Longacre's initial, L,� which is located on Liberty's neck. This design lasted from 1864 to 1909 when it was replaced by the Lincoln cent.The Buffalo, Bison or Indian nickel debuted in 1913, and lasted until 1938. In it's first year, there were two designs,� one with the bison on a mound, and one with the base with a straighter, thinner line. James E. Fraser, the designer of this coin, employed three different Native Americans for the Indian in this coin's obsverse design. He based the bison off of 'Black Diamond' from the Central Park Zoo. Always watch for rare Buffalo nickels because a�Buffalo nickel from 1918 from Denver sold for $287,500 because the eight in the date was over a seven. In 2001, the Mint issued a commemorative� silver dollar for the Indian nickel. This commemorative contains the original portrait in finer detail, plus it still contains�James E. Fraser's initial, F, under the date. These were only minted in Denver and in Philadelphia.�Starting in 2022, the US Mint is honoring five women a year for four years, totaling twenty women honored. Their unique designs are placed on the quarter dollar, which bears the design from a George Washington commemorative dollar in 1999.This series is set to end in 2025. Even though we are only one year into the series ,we already have an American woman who was a Native American from the Cherokee tribe. Wilma Mankiller was the first female principal chief in the history of her people, the Cherokee nation . Her title only lasted ten short years, but during her administration she revitalized the Cherokee nation with her ideas of extensive community development, education and health care programs.�Native Americans are one of the strongest backbones in American history. Some of the designs on coins, some of which I have told you about depict Native Americans. Whether it is on a penny, nickel, quarter, or even a silver commemorative dollar, it is always a great time when you collect coins with Native Americans on them, but the time is even better when you know the history behind them.

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