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BackgroundTrade Tokens were made starting around 1817. The tokens were made as a substitute for real coins, which were in short supply. An added benefit was the advertising platform provided.A few c … read more

BackgroundThe US Mint ended production of Large Cents in 1857. The new Flying Eagle small cent was made in 1856, but in Proofs versions only. Business Strike Flying Eagles began production in 1857 a … read more

BackgroundThe US Mint started production of Large Cents in early 1793. They started production of Half Cents in July of that year. There are 4 Varieties of Half Cents spanning 1793 to 185 … read more

BackgroundThe 1873 the “Mint Act” halted production of Silver Three Cents and Half Dimes (the precursor to the nickel). As a result, it became difficult to get change for a quarter. For example: Pur … read more

BackgroundThe Shield Nickel was produced from 1866 through 1883. It has a Copper core with a Nickel coating based on the1865 Copper/Nickel three cent piece. This Copper/Nickel construct is used for … read more