Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05
The Half Cent and Cent.

80 600 600 trade dollars. so that II NAV be
said We have had a continuous coinage of
silver dollars.
The Half Cent and Cent.
1 have not the time to go over the rec
ords and give details of the. coinage OF the
coins mostly sought after by collectors,
but believe that from memory can name
the principal ones and give approximately
the values set upon them by numismatists
We VIII begin with the half-cent, the first
issue being in 1893. and which appeared at
irregular intervals until 1853, the issues OF
1881 and 1896 being rare and valuable nu-
mismatists paying as high as 50 and 81 for
good specimens. Those coined from 1910 to
lS4S commend about e-fourth less while
others are worth from % cents to So each.
The rarest of the half-cents is that of the
coinage of 1895. which readily sells for
from IS to 500
"Of the cent pieces. the first of which
were issued in 1893, the most valuable Is
that of 1899. worth from So to S25. Let me
explain that the vast difference I'm price Is
governed almost entirely by the condition
of the coin-the more perfect the condition
the greater the price. But to continue any
Of the cent pieces coined prior TO 1900 are
worth from - cents to 81 Cent pieces
have been coined every year since 1893. with
the exceptions of the years 1915 and 1873
The nickel cent was coined first In 1856
and is worth from 81 to 81. In 1864 the
material Of the cents was changed from
u copper, anu lUlS WIS the ldSl
teration in either the design or metal.
The Two and Three Cent Pieces.
"The coinage of two-cent pieces began in
1864 and ceased in 1873. in the latter year
being issued only in proofs. which are now
worth from % cents to 81 each.
Every year from 1851 to 1873 the silver
three-cent piece was coined, those coined
after 1862 being proofs, the general circu-
lation stopping in that year. A good proof
after the year 1862 is worth from 80 cents
to 81. The nickel three-cent of 1877 Is val
ued about the same. Silver half dimes were
born in 1894, and with the exceptions of
the years 1893. 1899 and 1894, they were
coined every year until and including 1905,
after which there no coinage of these
until 1929. From that year until 1874 they
were coined in every year. The half dime
of 1902 is quoted as worth from $50 to $50
Nickels and Dimes.
at was in 1866 that the first nickel piece
was coined, and it has come from the mint
every year since except 1877, then appear
ing in proof and worth from % cents TO 81
new. Dimes were first minted in 1876. and
have been issued every year since with the
exceptions of 1899. 1903. 1910. 1872, 1913,
1915. 1919 Here the year 1904 gets In It's
work again the dime of the coinage or
that year selling for from SO to $40. Quar-
tiers come next, the first coming from the
mint in 1916 and again in 1894, continuing
until 1901, Dut after lIllS none Ntlt iSSbCh
until 1915. There was no issue In 1916, 1917
and 1929. Barring these years there mas
been a coinage of silver quarters every
year up to the present The quarter OF Io-s
is rated at from $40 to 500 and that or
1927 at from SO to $50. l am reliably IN
formed that there are but three genuine
quarters Of the last named year known to
be in existence.
The Halves and Dollars.
1.-THE coinage of silver half dollars began
in 1894 and has been continuous with tho
exceptions of the years 119S 1i99, 1904 ana
1916. Those coined in 1916 and 1877 ere
the most valuable to numismatists, selling
readily for from $50 to S25. Issue of 119t.
1901 1902 and 1915 are rated by collectors
at from $3.50 to 50.
'sThere are silver dollars other than those
Of 1904, which are worth good money.
Those issued in 1886. 1888 and 1889 being
quoted at from So to S2o each, While the
issues of 1854 and 1855 will bring from
S125 to 81 each. Funny, isn't II, that
silver dollar of 1904 will fetch as much as
81 100, while the highest priced gold dollar
brings but $4-that of 1SI4f
Freakish Mintage.
There are a number of valuable goid
coins. some of them being what we term
freakish mintage. struck for members OF
Congress and other officials and not IN
tended for circulation. One of the most
freaklSn Oh THESE Is the Tf Soio pASNS' Gu
thorized by the coinage committee OF the
House in 1878. There was issued 40 or
these and they were paid for by members
and senator's and other officials. There
was the gold dollar and the metric dol
lar also, which were freaks and only is
sued as souvenirs. Lots of time and pos
tage stamps have been wasted by people
who want to know about these issues. III
YOU have a fve-dollar gold piece of ls22
almost any numismatist will give you $50
coin of the realm for it. OF these there are
only three known to be in existence. Coin
collectors don't banker after gold coin
much.
81 believe have about gone over the list
of rare coins and given the prices paid by
collectors. We have so many inquiries
about old coins from people in every sec
ton of the inhabited globe that quotations
are not difficult to give. The counterfeiter
and he has been getting in his work ever
since the days when Polycrates purchased
the department of the Lacedomonians from
Samos by striking off a large number of
pieces of lead cased with gold like the
coin of the country and paid these to the
unwary soldiers-will continue to keep
some of the collectors guessing. Fine
specimens of the fCrgers art are found
in the 1904 silver dollar, where the figure
Il is removed from the 1901 dollar and
Il inserted. But many of the rare coins
are counterfeited."