I guess it's no secret that I like older things, made back when a dollar was a dollar and folks took pride in the way objects were made. In a recent trip to Bisbee, Arizona, I picked up a sampling of our U.S. coinage from 1912 in an old vault there. I was musing today how our coins have changed in a century.

In 1912, the half-dollar, quarter and dime were made of silver, the nickel was nickel, and the penny was real copper (probably mined in Bisbee). The paper dollars were silver certificates, redeemable in silver.

In 2012, things have changed a lot.

I wonder if there has really been much progress, monetarily, in 100 years. No, I take that back. I don't wonder at all.

At any rate, I thought you'd enjoy seeing what our coins looked like 100 years ago. Step back in time a moment and see what your great-grandparents had in their pockets and purses...

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Will those fitt in these?

Modern coins do not fit.

Attached Images

IMG_0628.jpg (118.0 KB, 86 views)

If modern coins won't fit, then neither will the matching coins from 100 years ago. The dimensions are the same.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

That is REAL money. Not the stuff that is CALLED money these days.

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The Last Standing Knight

And just think, the "Greatest Generation" did that. I recall real money and when it changed, but I was only 11 so you can't blame me.




Cat

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Think for yourself.

Coinage that was designed/engraved by real people, by hand, are works of art. The computer designed stuff of today shows no talent - just ugly beyond words.

I for one would like to get all but founding fathers off our coins and go back to liberty, coronets and incuse Indian Heads.

And gold and silver.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Paladin:
Lots of copper was mined in the U.P. around then too.
So maybe not all the pennies were from Bisbee.

Wheat pennies and Mercury dimes ... memoreeze ...

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I'm with the banned ...

Theur-

Did you try a selection of French, German, Swiss, Dutch, and Belgian coins?

You bought that item in Germany? Why would it take US coins?

I think it may be intended for cosmetics or pills. Maybe train or subway tokens.

I collected the Barber coins back in the day.
For some reason they weren't as popular (and therefore less expensive) than the Standing Liberty quarters and Walking Liberty halves (the two most beautiful coins ever, IMO).
Don't ask what happened to them. Too sad.
I did see at the coin show a few years ago a Barber proof quarter. It was from the day when they would color them (I don't know how). This put anybody's "high-polish blue" to shame. It was georgeous.

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and what his trumpet saith

PS: The half dollar is Denver mint. My eyes are too poor on the nickel and penny to tell. The rest are Philadelphia.

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and what his trumpet saith

Well one of those Morgan dollars is worth about $25.00 at scrap. In 1912 you could have bought a triple-lock for $22.00 (22x25) or $550.00 in todays silver prices. In 1935 you could have used those same coins and bought a registered magnum for $60.00 (60x25) or $1500.00 in todays silver prices. In both cases the S&W's have well outpaced the commodity. Food for thought.

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PTLAPTA!

Even paper money was different with strange statements, such as...



Now a twenty is worth... well, the paper it's printed on!

GF

The Barbers were okay looking. I personally like the Walking Liberty half dollar (1 of 2 coins designed by Augustus St. Gaudens), the Seated Liberty quarters, Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickels, and the Flying Eagle cent. Franklin halves are pretty nice looking too I've always thought.They should do some reproductions of them all and mix them with regular production coins from year to year. I bet kids would love to see some modern large cents put in to circulation.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

Both my parents were from New York and I'd grown up in Connecticut. I'd never seen a silver dollar until I was about 12. It was in 1944, when my father, who was in the Army, moved us from his last post: Asheville, NC, to his new one: Seattle, WA. We drove across the country and when we stopped for gas somewhere in Montana, my father came back to the car with a strange look on his face. He opened his hand, to show us the coins; they had given him his change in silver dollars.

The Barber coins were nice but I believe the updated designs that came out in the early 1900's were more attractive. The walking Liberty, the Gaudens gold pieces, the "mercury" dime (actually a winged Liberty head) were the highest state of the art in our coinage (IMHO).. I especially love the 2 1/2 and 5 dollar Indian head gold coins...and don't forget they had real value being made of gold or silver to suit their denomination.......our currency today is ****, poor designs and made of low grade metals.....and the obsession with presidents bothers me...What is next? The current "great leader" like third world dictatorships? Liberty needs to be on our coins and they should have a real value and be made of precious metals.

I was fascinated with coins when I was a kid and started collecting them in the Whitman folders - which you can still get today. My dad would bring his daily receipts home in a bank bag each night from his business and let me go through the coins to fill my folders. This was in the 1950s and I was able to fill the folders with complete (almost) collections of pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters and halves. I went on to complete the coin collecting merit badge in scouts and kept collecting until I finally sold my collection to help raise funds to buy a business. But you know - you never get over something like that and I still to this day watch the coins in my change and so much appreciate the coinage of those days - like the 1912s. Know what I remember the most? The sound of a silver coin when it was dropped on the store counter. They rang like a little silver bell instead of going klunk like they do today. Thanks for sharing your 1912s.

rolomac

When speaking of coins my favorites are Franklin and Liberty Half Dollars, Peace (love em) and Morgan Silver Dollars, Mercury Head Dimes, Silver Nickles from the war years.

Sure wouldn't want to carry these in my pockets nowadays, just too darn heavy.

The present and future money, lets face it will be made of plastic, coins and paper will become non existent.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

I'm reporting you to the buffalo lobby -- buffalo need a coin also,

when i was a kid i collected coins. it was easy to find indian head pennies, mercury dimes, buffalo nickels, liberty standing quarters and liberty walking half dollars. wheat pennies were an every day thing.

we could also go into the local mom & pop store and get a fist full of candy for a nickel.

Thanks John. A reminder of my grandfather, Lyle Clark and his real silver dollar on his keys. I have some $1 silver certificates in the safe. I wonder what they are worth each? Just noticed my post number is 1873---------Cheers to Winchester and 1 of 1000!!!!!!! Might have to put a Jimmy Stewart movie with that name in the dvd player............

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Go big or stay home

Thanks for the info Paladin. Nice collection of coins you have.

Texasstar. I bought this purse in Germany as Americana. It has an American mark on it. But I will figure this out. It is still a nice item.