Canceled denominations of United States currency

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The United States has several coins and banknotes which were proposed at one time but never adopted.

Contents

Banknotes

A three dollar bill was proposed two times during the 1860s. A design was engraved for a potential $3 United States Note, and a 1865 law called for a $3 National Bank Note, but neither proposal came to fruition.[ citation needed ]

DenominationObverseReverseNotes
$3 note Three Dollar United States Note proof, obverse.jpg Three Dollar United States Note proof, reverse.jpg Not to be confused with fake or privately issued obsolete notes or the three-dollar Continental currency banknotes issued during the American Revolution

Coinage

There have been several United States coins which were proposed but never adopted. Most of the coins listed below, although never adopted, were produced in limited numbers as patterns.

DenominationObverseReverseWeightDiameterMaterialEdgeMintedNotes
Silver center cent
1792 Silver center cent pattern, obverse.jpg 1792 Silver center cent pattern, reverse.jpg 4.48 g24.00 mmCu (ring)
Ag (plug)
reeded1792The first and only US bi-metallic coin until the 2000 Library of Congress ten dollar coin.
Ring cent
1850 P1C One Cent, Judd-119 Original, Pollock-134, Low R.6.jpg 1850 P1C One Cent, Judd-119 Original, Pollock-134, Low R.6 rev.jpg various weights90% Cu

10% Ag [lower-alpha 1]

various1850–1851, 1853 [lower-alpha 2] , 1884–1885196 ring cents (originals and restrikes) are known to exist. [1] Examples exist with or without a hole.
Aluminum cent
1974Aluminumfront.jpg 1974Aluminumback.jpg 0.937 g19.05 mm96% Al
4% trace metals
plain1973–19751,579,324 coins dated 1974 were produced, but were not put in circulation and nearly all were later destroyed. [2]
Two-cent billon
1836 P2C Two Cents (Judd-52) (obv).jpg 1836 P2C Two Cents (Judd-52) (rev).jpg 3.84 g~13.00 mm90% Cu
10% Ag
plain1836 [3]
Two and a half cent piece
2.5¢
unknownunknownunknownunknownnever mintedProposed in 1916 by US mint director Robert W. Woolley. [4]
Civil War tokens of this denomination exist.
Three-cent bronze
1863 3C Three Cents, Judd-319 Restrike, Pollock-384, R.5.jpg 1863 3C Three Cents, Judd-319 Restrike, Pollock-384, R.5 rev.jpg 10.89 g28.57 mm95% Cu
5% Zn
plain1863
Ring nickel
1884 ring nickel (obverse).jpg 1884 ring nickel (reverse).jpg plain1884–1885 [5] [6]
Gold ring half dollar
50¢
1852 gold ring half dollar (obverse).jpg 1852 gold ring half dollar (reverse).jpg 1852 [7]
Gold ring dollar
$1
1852 gold ring dollar (obverse).jpg 1852 gold ring dollar (reverse).jpg 1849, 1852 [8] [9]
Two dollar piece
$2
unknownunknownunknownunknownnever mintedProposed but not minted. [10] Some privately struck renditions exist. [11]
Stella
$4
1879 Flowing Hair Stella obverse.png 1879 Flowing Hair Stella reverse.png 7.00 g22 mm6.00g Au
0.30g Ag
0.70g Cu
reeded1879–1880 [12]
Half-union
$50
1877 $50 Fifty Dollar pattern (Judd-1547, Pollock-1720) Obverse.jpg 1877 $50 Fifty Dollar pattern (Judd-1547, Pollock-1720) Reverse.jpg 83.58 g50.80 mm90% Au
10% Cu [lower-alpha 3]
reeded1877 Commemorative coins of this denomination were issued in 1915. [14]

Several bullion coins are produced in this denomination.

Union
$100
Proposed $100 Gold Union, obverse.jpg Proposed $100 Gold Union, reverse.jpg unknownunknown90% Au
10% Cu
unknownnever mintedCanceled before any patterns could be minted (fantasy coin shown).

Some commemorative and bullion coins are minted in this denomination.

Notes

  1. Pattern coins for the ring cent were struck in various metals, including copper, aluminum, and nickel, as well as billon.
  2. 1853 ring cents are restrikes dated 1850, although they can be distinguished from the original 1850 cents in that they use a different reverse design.
  3. Although circulation strikes of the Half Union were to be 90% gold 10% copper, only two of the twenty known pattern coins were struck with this composition. The other 18 were struck in 100% copper, although some were later plated with gold by the mint. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1943 steel cent</span> U.S. currency

1943 steel cents are U.S. one-cent coins that were struck in steel due to wartime shortages of copper. The Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints each produced these 1943 Lincoln cents. The unique composition of the coin has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, zinc cent and steelie. The 1943 steel cent features the same Victor David Brenner design for the Lincoln cent which had been in use since 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel (United States coin)</span> Current denomination of United States currency

A nickel is a five-cent coin struck by the United States Mint. Composed of cupronickel, the piece has been issued since 1866. Its diameter is 0.835 inches (21.21 mm) and its thickness is 0.077 inches (1.95 mm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-cent piece (United States)</span> Coin of the United States (1864–1873)

The two-cent piece was produced by the Mint of the United States for circulation from 1864 to 1872 and for collectors in 1873. Designed by James B. Longacre, there were decreasing mintages each year, as other minor coins such as the nickel proved more popular. It was abolished by the Mint Act of 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double eagle</span> Gold $20 coin of the United States

A double eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. The coins are 34 mm × 2 mm and are made from a 90% gold and 10% copper alloy and have a total weight of 1.0750 troy ounces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Head nickel</span> American five-cent piece

The Liberty Head nickel, sometimes referred to as the V nickel because of its reverse design, is an American five-cent piece. It was struck for circulation from 1883 until 1912, with at least five pieces being surreptitiously struck dated 1913. The obverse features a left-facing image of the goddess of Liberty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-cent piece (United States coin)</span> Coin of the United States (1875–1878)

The American twenty-cent piece is a coin struck from 1875 to 1878, but only for collectors in the final two years. Proposed by Nevada Senator John P. Jones, it proved a failure due to confusion with the quarter, to which it was close in both size and value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pattern coin</span> Sample coin to demonstrate the design of a coin

A pattern coin is a coin which has not been approved for release, but produced to evaluate a proposed coin design. They are often off-metal strike, to proof standard or piedforts. Many coin collectors collect and study pattern coins because of their historical importance. Many of the world's most valuable coins are pattern coins; nearly 25 of the pieces listed in 100 Greatest US Coins are pattern coins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Head cent</span> American one-cent coin (1859–1909)

The Indian Head cent, also known as an Indian Head penny, was a one-cent coin ($0.01) produced by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1859 to 1909. It was designed by James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy half dollar</span> 50-cent piece depicting John F Kennedy minted after his assassination in 1963

The Kennedy half dollar, first minted in 1964, is a fifty-cent coin issued by the United States Mint. Intended as a memorial to the assassinated 35th president of the United States John F. Kennedy, it was authorized by Congress just over a month after his death. Use of existing works by Mint sculptors Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro allowed dies to be prepared quickly, and striking of the new coins began in January 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large cent</span> One-cent coin in the United States from 1793 to 1857

The United States large cent was a coin with a face value of 1/100 of a United States dollar. Its nominal diameter was 118 inch (28.57 mm). The first official mintage of the large cent was in 1793, and its production continued until 1857, when it was officially replaced by the modern-size one-cent coin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Eagle cent</span> One-cent piece struck by the Mint of the United States

The Flying Eagle cent is a one-cent piece struck by the Mint of the United States as a pattern coin in 1856 and for circulation in 1857 and 1858. The coin was designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre, with the eagle in flight based on the work of Longacre's predecessor, Christian Gobrecht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold dollar</span> U.S. one-dollar coin (1849–1889)

The gold dollar or gold one-dollar piece is a gold coin that was struck as a regular issue by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1849 to 1889. The coin had three types over its lifetime, all designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. The Type 1 issue has the smallest diameter of any United States coin minted to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 aluminum cent</span> Proposed American coin

The 1974 aluminum cent was a one-cent coin proposed by the United States Mint in 1973. It was composed of an alloy of aluminum and trace metals, and it was intended to replace the predominantly copper–zinc cent due to the rising costs of coin production in the traditional bronze alloy. Of the 1,571,167 coins struck in anticipation of release, none were released into circulation. To encourage congressional support for the new alloy, the Mint distributed several examples to U.S. Congressmen. When the proposed aluminum cent was rejected, the Mint recalled and destroyed those coins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fugio cent</span> First official circulation coin of the United States

The Fugio cent, also known as the Franklin cent, is the first official circulation coin of the United States. Consisting of 0.36 oz (10 g) of copper and minted dated 1787, by some accounts it was designed by Benjamin Franklin. Its design is very similar to Franklin's 1776 Continental Currency dollar coin that was produced in pattern pieces as potential Continental currency but was never circulated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronet large cent</span> Coin issued by the United States Mint from 1816 to 1857

The Coronet large cent was a type of large cent issued by the United States Mint at the Philadelphia Mint from 1816 until 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three-cent silver</span> US three-cent coin (1851–1873)

The three-cent silver, also known as the three-cent piece in silver or trime, was struck by the Mint of the United States for circulation from 1851 to 1872, and as a proof coin in 1873. Designed by the Mint's chief engraver, James B. Longacre, it circulated well while other silver coinage was being hoarded and melted, but once that problem was addressed, became less used. It was abolished by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan B. Anthony dollar</span> United States dollar coin depicting Susan B. Anthony

The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1979 to 1981 when production was suspended due to poor public acceptance, and then again in 1999. Intended as a replacement for the larger Eisenhower dollar, the new smaller one-dollar coin went through testing of several shapes and compositions, but all were opposed by the vending machine industry, a powerful lobby affecting coin legislation. Finally, a round planchet with an eleven-sided inner border was chosen for the smaller dollar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring cent</span>

The ring cent or holey cent was a one-cent pattern coin first struck in various compositions and designs between 1850 and 1851 as part of an experiment on producing a cent with a reduced weight and diameter, as the rising price of copper had caused cents to cost more than their face value to produce. Many varieties exist, with differing designs as well as differing compositions, including billon (standard), aluminum, copper, cupronickel, nickel silver, nickel, silver, and white metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1942 experimental cents</span> United States pattern coins

The 1942 experimental cents were pattern coins struck by the United States Mint to test alternative compositions for the penny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington nickel</span> Pattern coin struck by the United States Mint

The Washington nickel is a pattern coin that was struck by the United States Mint in 1866 and again in 1909 and 1910.

References

  1. "1792-1856". uspatterns.stores.yahoo.net. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  2. Yeoman 2014, p. 123.
  3. Yeoman 2014, p. 375.
  4. "Mint proposed 2.5-cent piece in 1916". Coin World. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. "J1724/P1934". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  6. "J1742/P1954". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  7. "J135/P162". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  8. "J115/P130". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  9. "J136/P163". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  10. "Dr. Sol Taylor: Our Odd-Denomination Coins" . Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  11. "Coin Designs by Daniel Carr. 1987-2001 Apollo Astronaut dollar, two dollar bi-metallic circulating coins" . Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  12. Yeoman 2014, p. 254.
  13. "Fifty Dollar". uspatterns.stores.yahoo.net. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  14. Yeoman 2014, p. 289.

Bibliography