Henry building a tower.



Hazel saying "done."

100 small dollars produced a new one for me, the 2011P Sacagawea.

8,000 half dollars had eight 90% silver halves (1948D, 2 x 1952, 1962, 1963D, 3 x 1964), twenty-eight 40% silver halves (7 x 1966, 10 x 1967, 9 x 1968D, 2 x 1969D) and one proof half (1976S). The 1948D Franklin is really worn and has a big hole in it, only 93% of it's original weight remains ... I'll take it.

5,000 pennies yielded thirty-two Wheats, thirty-one Canadians, one Bermuda 1¢ and one Civil War token!



Here's a quote from an article on the PCGS website.

As coins disappeared [during the Civil War] from circulation, commerce ground to a halt. Emergency money was necessary if the economy was to function. It soon became obvious the private sector rather than the government would have to take action. The first attempt at substitutes for the now vanished coins was U.S. postage stamps. ... Fractional paper currency in odd cent denominations was the next emergency issue to appear. The federal government issued these between 1862 and 1863. The problem with all of these emergency issues was that they were made of paper. People still wanted the feel of metal in their hands. ... In their minds metal money couldn't lose its value. The federal government was not prepared to offer this, but local merchants were. ... Although the large cent was replaced with the small cent only a few years earlier in 1857, merchant tokens began to appear of the proper diameter, weight and metal composition to the new small cent beginning as early as 1861, perhaps even as early as 1860. Some of these merchant tokens advertised the name of the merchant whom issued them. Others depicted patriotic subjects and used such slogans as "Army & Navy," "Win the War" or "Live and Let Live." The first group are today considered to be merchant tokens while the second group are called Patriotic Civil War tokens. The public liked and used both

As the war wore on, so did the popularity of the merchant and patriotic tokens in commerce. The only potential problem was that some merchants drew very bad press by refusing to redeem them. No matter, since they were made of metal rather than paper the public still continued to use them where federal coins were not available.

The federal government finally stepped in during 1864, outlawed the private production of any form of substitute money and eventually got its act together enough to get real coins back into circulation in sufficient numbers.

I had heard about these before, but obviously I didn't really expect to find one in a roll of pennies. I'm not sure where to rank this one as it is not exactly a coin, it's the third oldest piece I've found in rolls and the oldest US piece I've found. I am quite pleased

In this batch was also the second 1928D Wheat I've found. I knew somehow that once I found one of these I'd find a second in no time. Things seems to happen that way.

1928D, 1939, 1940(3), 1941, 1942, 1944(3), 1944D, 1945, 1946(2), 1948, 1948D, 1950, 1951, 1952(2), 1953, 1953D, 1955D, 1956(2), 1956D, 1957, 1957D, 1958(3), 1958D

Found: 2 pennies