Introduction
On the following pages is a guide to United States coinage that outlines the major design types of U.S. coins by denomination and date of issue.
Table of Contents
Half Cent
1793-1857
The smallest denomination U.S. coin, yet nearly the size of a modern quarter. Made of pure copper, the half cent was useful for making change during its early years of issue. But as time passed and things grew more expensive, the half cent lost its usefulness, and was abandoned shortly before the Civil War. Today, all half cents are scarce. All types carry a bust of Liberty on the obverse and a wreath on the reverse.Littleton Coin Company has a wide variety of Half Cents to choose from.
See our Half Cent inventory now!
Large Cent
1793-1857
Along with the half cent, one of the first two coins struck by the United States, all the large cents were coined at the Philadelphia Mint. With twice the copper of the half cent, they were large and heavy - greater in size than today's quarter - so a pocketful was quite bulky. As the price of copper rose during the 1800s, the large cent became too expensive to produce and was replaced in 1857 by the small cent. Small Cent
1856-date
America's first small cent, the Flying Eagle, was introduced in 1856. It was nicknamed the "white cent" because of its 88% copper and 12% nickel composition. Designed by James Longacre, the Flying Eagle cent was minted for just 3 years before being replaced with the Indian Head cent. Many consider this cent with Liberty in a Native American headdress the most beautiful copper coin. In 1909, the Lincoln cent became America's first circulating coin to portray a president, and is now our longest-running design.With hundreds of small cents to choose from, Littleton Coin is a great source for small cents! See our Small Cent inventory now!
Two-Cent Piece
1864-1873
The 1864 Coin Act also called for a 2¢ copper coin. This Civil War-era coin was America's first and only 2¢ piece. It was the first coin to carry IN GOD WE TRUST.Littleton Coin carries these historic and often difficult-to-find coins. See our Two-Cent Piece inventory now!
Silver Three-Cent Piece
1851-1873
The 3¢ piece is the smallest of all U.S. silver coins. Because it was struck in silver, the public hoarded it along with other coins when the Civil War broke out. Since the 3¢ piece was needed to help ease the coin shortage caused by war, the U.S. Mint decided to strike it in copper-nickel.Littleton now has some Silver Three Cent Piece coins in stock. See our Silver Three-Cent Piece inventory now!
Nickel Three-Cent Piece
1865-1889
The 3¢ nickel, so called because of its copper-nickel composition, was well received by the public. This coin helped the nation retire the unpopular 3¢ paper notes issued during the Civil War. Once the majority of notes had been exchanged for 3¢ coins, and production of 5¢ nickels and cents increased, the banks needed fewer 3¢ pieces.Littleton Coin is proud to carry Nickel Three-Cent Pieces to suplement your collections. See our Nickel Three-Cent Piece inventory now!
Nickel
1866-date
In 1866, the nation's first 5¢ coin of non-precious metal was created: the Shield nickel. The prior (and first) U.S. 5¢ coin, the half dime, was silver. In 1883 came the Liberty Head or "V" nickel, followed by the extremely popular Buffalo nickel of the early 20th century, and then the long-running Jefferson nickel. In 2004, new Westward Journey Jefferson nickels were released. Commemorating the Bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition, two new reverse designs were issued annually. In 2006, the popular series ended with the "Return to Monticello" coin. Half Dime
1794-1873
Minted in fine silver, the famous half dime was the nation's first 5¢ coin. It was smaller and weighed less than a nickel. Several design types were issued long before the U.S. nickel denomination began. From 1866-1873, both the half dime and nickel were struck. The half dime played an integral role in the early life of America, and is of great historic and numismatic importance. Dime
1796-date
The 10¢ coin, or dime, follows closely the designs of the half dime through the Liberty Seated type. And until 1964, when production of circulating silver coinage was ceased, all circulating dimes were minted in fine silver. Dimes in higher grades are scarce and expensive, since this denomination was used extensively compared to quarters and halves. But many early dimes are still available in circulated condition at a more reasonable cost.Littleton Coin Company offers a great many dimes to choose from. See our inventory of Dimes now!
Twenty-Cent Piece
1875-1878
The shortest-lived coin denomination in U.S. history! The twenty-cent piece, minted in 90% fine silver, was struck for circulation only in 1875 and 1876. A few hundred Proofs were coined in 1877-1878. Soon after the coin's appearance, people complained that it was too close in design and size to the quarter - causing problems in making change. Fewer than 1.4 million were minted, so the twenty-cent piece is a scarce and treasured item today! Quarter
1796-date
Because of the practice of cutting up the Mexican 8 Reales coin into eight parts (thus the "Piece of Eight" name), the U.S. quarter, as 1/4 of a dollar, became known as "two bits." As a silver coin of substantial size until 1964, the quarter has always been popular - both in circulation and among collectors. Several designs have been used since 1796, and many collectors try to assemble at least one coin of each type.Littleton offers many types of quarters, including the popular State Quarters! See our entire inventory of Quarters now
50 State Commemorative Quarters
1999-2008
On December 1, 1997, the 50 State Quarters Program was born. This program honors every state in the Union with a different commemorative quarter showing Washington on the obverse and a design unique to the issuing state on the reverse. The quarters were issued beginning in 1999 and continuing through 2008 at the rate of about one every 10 weeks, in the order that each state joined the Union or ratified the Constitution.Check out our popular State Quarter Shop!
Half Dollar
1794-date
Though the half dollar is almost forgotten today, it was once the major silver coin of circulation. At one time, a half dollar was often more than a person made in a day's labor. To have one, or perhaps two, was a significant stash of money. Because the half dollar is used less and less today, it will only grow in popularity.Offering hundred of Half Dollars for your collection, Littleton Coin Company is the source for Half Dollars! See our inventory of Half Dollars now!
Dollar
1794-date
The U.S. dollar coins of the late 19th century to the present are among the most sought-after collector issues. These include Trade, Morgan, and Peace dollars struck in 90% silver, as well as the Eisenhower dollars, which were the last large-size $1 coins struck for circulation. The Susan B. Anthony coins began a new era of small-size U.S. dollars, and were followed by the Sacagawea dollars of 2000 to date, and the new Presidential dollar series introduced in 2007. The $1 American Eagle silver bullion issues, struck in 99.93% silver, were introduced in 1986 and are the largest of all U.S. coins.Littleton carries a wide variety of both Dollar coins and Bullion coins (which include some dollar varieties, including the popular Silver Eagle). Check out our inventory of Dollar coins or our inventory of Silver American Eagle dollars.
U.S. Gold Coins
Between 1795 and 1933, the U.S. Mint produced various gold coins in the denominations of $1, $2.50, $3, $5, $10 and $20 (plus a few extremely rare $4 pattern pieces). These beautiful coins were minted in one of the world's most precious metals, and designed by some of the finest artists of the day. Mintages were quite small, and many have been melted down over the years, so U.S. gold coins are of particular scarcity and interest today. Since 1986, American Eagle gold bullion coins have been issued just for collectors. For many, gold coins with their unmatched beauty and worldwide popularity represent the apex of enjoyment in numismatics.Littleton Coin Company has numerous Gold Type coin varieties available! See our U.S. Gold Coin inventory now!
U.S. Commemoratives
Official U.S. commemorative coins are authorized by Act of Congress to honor important persons, locations and events in U.S. history. Commemoratives have been struck in both silver and gold, and more recently, clad. They are minted only in very small numbers compared to regular coinage. After 1954, no U.S. commemoratives were produced until 1982, when the George Washington half dollar was issued to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Washington's birth. Official U.S. issues should not be confused with so-called "commemoratives" produced by private organizations, which are medals, not coins.Littleton Coin has commemorative coins dating back to 1892! See our entire U.S. Commemorative inventory now!
Links to Other Coin Lenses
Coin Collecting Help
We have a few different lenses designed to teach you about coin collecting, coins and the coin hobby in general. Please check out the links below!
- Littleton Coin Home
- Of course, we have to add a plug to our retail site, LittletonCoin.com. It's a great place to find coins and accessories to help you with your collection! We also have a large amount of helpful coin information.
- Littleton Coin Squidoo Page
- This is the Littleton Coin Company Squidoo page, with fun polls, interesting articles and more! You can also find all of our lenses listed on this page!
- How to Collect Coins
- Learn all about the variety of ways you and other collectors can organize and collect coins! Plus, find links to other great lenses!
- A-Z Coin Glossary
- Ever wonder what the difference between Proof and Uncirculated is? Find out this and more on our Coin Glossary page!
- Guide to US Coin Grading
- Learn all about the nuances of Grading US Coins and the strict internal standards to which Littleton adheres.
- All About US Mints
- Learn all about 8 US Mints that are producing or produced some of the most famous and well-known coins!
- List of Interesting US Hoards
- During the 1990s, Littleton Coin purchased three unusual hoards ... this Lens is all about them!
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My name is Sam Dube, and I work at Littleton Coin Company. We know a large number of people would like to learn more about collecting, but don't know... (more)
