56 highly collectable US Quarters celebrate the history of America’s most beautiful locations…

In 1999, coin collecting in America was changed forever with the release of the US State Quarters series.

These coins proved so popular that almost half the US population (that’s roughly 150 million people) took part in collecting these coins and they quickly became the most widely collected in all of America, and arguably, the world!

Following this wild success, a brand new series of US Quarters was released in 2010, celebrating the beauty of America and its national parks.

US National Park Quarters Complete Set

Each stunning reverse design captures the magnificence and history of America’s most beautiful locations, whilst the obverse features a smaller restoration of the original Washington quarter portrait.

5 new National Park Quarters were released each year from 2010 to 2020, with a final design issued in 2021 to complete the series of 56 coins.

But, these quarters were minted and released for only 10 weeks each before never being produced again, making the series particularly sought after…

What’s more, this second series of US Quarters has been released in significantly lower numbers, with a total mintage just over HALF that of the highly sought-after US State Quarters series!

And, with a significant proportion of these coins now taken out of circulation into private collections, they are sure to become scarcer than ever, meaning collectors will want to act fast to avoid missing out on the complete collection.

To secure your US National Park Quarters Complete Set of 56 coins for your collection for JUST £65.00 (+p&p), click here >>

American coinage is one of the most competitive coin collecting markets in the world… Read on to find out more about some of America’s most infamous coins!

Indian Head Penny (1859-1909)

The Indian Penny – featuring a not-so-Native-American!

The Indian Head Penny is famous for celebrating Native Americans, but it actually doesn’t show a Native American.

According to legend, designer James B. Longacre used a portrait of his 12 year old daughter, Sarah, wearing a headdress. It is, however, more likely that the portrait was based on a classical Greco-Roman statue Venus Accroupie (Crouching Venus).

Either way, the ‘Indian’ is not a Native American! The obverse features the head of Lady Liberty wearing a headdress, while the reverse depicts a wreath as well as the words ‘One Cent’ and a shield in the middle at the top of the coin.

Morgan Silver Dollar (1878-1921)

The design inspired by a school teacher…

For the new silver dollar, designer George T. Morgan decided to portray Liberty as a goddess, inspired by Philadelphian school teacher, Anna Williams who had a fair complexion, Grecian nose and golden hair. Morgan eventually persuaded Anna Williams to sit as the model for Liberty for the obverse of the Morgan Silver Dollar.

In 1878 artists’ models were considered immoral, therefore, Morgan publicly stated that the model was a statue in a Philadelphia museum. Word soon leaked out, however, and it is rumoured that Williams was fired from her teaching job!

‘No Cents’ Liberty Head Nickel (1883)

The coin that created an opportunity for crooks

When the new Liberty Head Nickel was issued in 1883, the denomination was nowhere to be seen, instead a large ‘V’ (Roman ‘5’) was on the reverse.

The coins were the size of the $5 gold coin in circulation at the time which created an opportunity for unscrupulous crooks who came up with a cunning plan to pass them off as $5 by gold plating the new nickels and cutting reeds into the edge by hand. The U.S Mint soon became aware and within a few weeks the design was changed to include the word ‘Cents’ under the ‘V’. The ‘No Cents’ coins are also known as ‘Racketeer’ Nickels.

Lincoln Penny (1909)

The first coin to feature Lincoln’s famous motto

Designer Victor David Brenner added his ‘VDB’ initials to the new Lincoln Penny design in 1909 which was issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.

While the public generally loved the Lincoln cent when it was first released, they didn’t like the prominence of Brenner’s initials. The U.S. Mint quickly removed the initials as it appeared as though Brenner was either boasting or advertising. This was the first cent to feature Abraham Lincoln’s motto ‘In God we trust’ on the obverse.

Morgan Dollar (1921)

Forever associated with the notorious criminal couple Bonnie & Clyde

When notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde were shot and killed by police in 1934, a 1921 Silver Morgan Dollar was recovered from the jacket of Clyde Barrow among other possessions. The outlaw lovers were believed to have committed 13 robberies among other felonies between 1932 and 1934.

The hunt for the duo captured the nation’s imagination during the Great Depression and their fame was heightened by their practice of leaving glamourous photos of themselves at crime scenes.

Even more so now, the 1921 coin is forever associated with Bonnie and Clyde.

Roosevelt Dime (1946)

The stolen design…

In 1945 plans were quickly laid for the introduction of a new coin to honour Roosevelt after his passing. The task was assigned to John Ray Sinnock and coinage began in 1946. Controversy soon arose because sculptor Selma Burke claimed that Sinnock had stolen her design without giving her credit, however Sinnock strongly denied this.

In addition, conspiracy theorists claimed that Sinnock’s initials ‘JS’ (at the base of Roosevelt’s neck) actually referred to Russian leader Joseph Stalin because of Roosevelt’s supposed ‘communist’ learnings.


These are just some of the incredible American coins that have been issued over the decades, including the 56 US National Park Quarters!

Have you ever seen these coins before? Let us know in the comments below!


Secure the Complete US National Park Quarters Set!

Through our contacts in the US we have managed to secure a limited amount of complete sets for our collectors, to ensure you have the opportunity to include this impressive set in your collection.

All 56 US National Park Quarters will come presented in a custom display folder, including a map to pinpoint each quarter in the series. This really is the perfect way to display your collection and preserve all 56 coins for generations to come.

Don’t miss your limited opportunity to secure this iconic collection and order yours today >>

5 Fascinating Coins from Around the World

As today is Random Acts of Kindness day, I’ve decided to take a look and some of the most random, weird and wonderful coins issued from all around the world.

Whilst these coins haven’t entered circulation, I’m sure you will agree that they are works of art from truly innovative Mints. It’s been really exciting to discover the unique coins different countries have to offer, so take a look at the designs below to see some of the fascinating coins international mints have produced. 

 

Germany’s see through 5 Euro

 

Developed by Dr Peter Huber and Günther Waadt, this unusual coin is a first of its kind. Released in 2016, the see through coin features a blue plastic ring in the middle and has been named ‘Blue Planet Earth’.

Not only is the blue ring easy to identify and authenticate by the naked eye, it is made of polymer plastic which behaves like a form of insulation between the pieces of two different metals and will be easy for cash machine to recognize whether it is real or fake.

 

German 5 euros. Credit: coincollectionmarket.com

 

A German Minting Technology team has spent a decade developing this new security feature. In fact, it’s the first coin to be made from a combination of metal and plastic materials which are rumoured to change colour when exposed to UV light. 

In 2017, five more coins were created to reflect Earth’s climatic zones with the use of a different coloured plastic polymer ring to represent each zone. The series will continue releasing one coin per year until 2021.

 

Canada’s 3D Snowball Fight 50 Cents

3D snowball fight 50 cents - The top 2018 Christmas coins from around the world!

Image credit: www.mint.ca

We all love a snowball fight and this wonderful Canadian 50 Cent coin allows you to bring to life the magic of a snowball fight on an innovative 3D coin! 

The Royal Canadian Mint is renowned for their forward thinking technology, and in 2018 they used lenticular printing to create artist Tony Bianco’s fun-filled design with an illusion of depth, which actually appears to move as the coin is viewed from different angles – so watch out for those snowballs!

It really put a smile on my face when I came upon this coin in my research, and with a mintage of just 20,000 I’m sure those few Canadian Change Checkers who were lucky enough to add this coin to their collection will really treasure this coin.

Palau’s Bottle Top Coin

This is the world’s first ever ‘beer bottle top-shaped’ legal tender coin. Issued in 2016 to honour the 500th Anniversary of the Bavarian Purity Law – the enactment by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in 1516 states that only 4 ingredients can be used to produce the beer and even provides a restriction on pricing.

Whether you’re a beer lover or coin enthusiast – or both – I’m sure you’ll agree that this unusual coin is a fitting tribute to this landmark occasion in the history of brewing. 

The obverse of the crown-cap-shaped coin shows the coat of arms of the issuing state below an outrigger canoe. Whilst the reverse shows two toasting beer mugs and a crown.

 

Nauru’s First Issue of the Euro 10 Dollars

Image credit: Numista

This unique and incredibly intricate ten dollar coin was issued in Nauru (a tiny island in Micronesia, northeast of Australia) in 2002 to commemorate the first Euro coinage.

The unusual coin is shaped as a map of Europe and has been struck in .999 pure silver.

On the obverse you can see the Bank of Nauru’s coat of arms and on the reverse is a gold plated Euro coin and the words ‘2002 – FIRST ISSUE OF THE EURO’.

 

Chad’s Earth Meteorite Gold Proof 3000 Francs

Within this Pure Gold Proof coin, issued in Chad in 2017, is a Moldavite Tektite gemstone – unique evidence of what can happen on the incredibly rare occasion that a meteorite hits the Earth.

These gemstones can only be found at five locations on Earth, and throughout the Middle Ages, they were highly prized and strictly reserved for those born of royal blood and nobility.

Struck from 0.5g of pure Gold, this coin is what is known as ‘small’ Gold – a collecting craze that is proving to be extremely popular among collectors worldwide, making this already very unique coin even more special.

 

With so many fascinating coins issued around the world, you don’t have to look far to find inspiration for your international collection. What do you think about the coins above and have you found any weird and wonderful coins for yourself?