In circulation in the 19th century, just like Great Grandma
Private
Updated:
4/26/2026
Views: 862
The image to the left is that of the Lewis, Clark and Sacagewea Memorial in Fort Benton, Montana. The scuplture was done by Bob Scriver. This is just one of many memorials to the three explorers and their expedition; it just happens to be my favorite.
Actually my Great Grandmother was born in 1891 (in Virginia) and lived into the 1970s and I knew her, as did my oldest boy. From what my Mother had to say on the subject (respectfully I might add), that old lady did circulate some, outliving more than a couple of husbands. God bless her heart . . .
The Nineteenth Century was the era of American expansion and several pecious metal rushes. The Comstock was responsible for the Carson City mint. All of these denominations and types are very much a reflection of an important aspect of the economic history of this great country. I guess coins are really the relics of an economy gone but not forgotten. This is a special set for me, and it will be completed when the resources become available.
The nineteenth century was time of economic expansion, due to natural resources entering the system (particularly immigration and silver) and literally free land west of the Mississippi. Lest we forget, it was also a time of horrible economic conditions for the majority of Americans. The first of all major, national depressions occurred in 1819 with the failure of many large banks in the east, followed quickly by the Depression starting in 1837 and lasting until until 1842, fifteen years later by massive banking failures which in turn gave way to the disaster of 1873 which was the beginning point of the "Long Depression" which lasted until the mid-1890s. During this period economic historians suggest there was no middle class, most Americans were subsistence farmers or working poor. As dire as life was here, it was still better than what most people faced in Europe, which was better than what most folks faced in China.
There was a creek that ran across the street from my first house in Manhattan, Kansas. Wildcat Creek it was dubbed. My oldest boy loved nothing more than to explore the banks of the Creek and he often came running home in excitment, having found something hidden away for decades in the creek banks, an old horse bit, the remains of an old pistol without its barrel or grips, pieces of old farm machinery, all of it a treasure trove of sorts. What he was discovering was the history of the Flint Hills of Kansas and its earlier settlers, the ones who didn't trust paper money and hoarded gold and silver, because they didn't trust banks either. My boy's exploratory activities, as it turns out, also confirmed that the folks of that era didn't keep their hoards of coins in creek banks either.
Numismatics, often thought of as simply coin collecting, is far more. Our subsistence farmer and coincidence of wants gave us a barter economy where money was reserved for the wealthy and international trade. As we became more prosperous, barter gave way over larger areas for the exchange of precious metals. Metals had the problem of assaying and difficulty of transport and weight and value. Coinage cured that in large measure. So coins themselves were evidence of increased prosperity, hence our inherent positive view of coinage.
As the economy grew and prices rose, our coinage changed, we abandoned the half penny, three cent coin and moved on because higher denomination coinage was necessary. The Eagle, then Double Eagle saved on weight and space, $500 in Silver Dollars was much more difficult to manage than 25 gold coins. We see now that we have stopped minting the penny, and that's just one more step in the evolution of our monetary system.
My professional life was in economics, I taught the subject at an institution of some repute in the midwest, and came to understand that our economy was a living, breathing thing with a history and a future. However, more over it had roots in our social, scientific, and environmental world. Money is entwined in our economic system, one cannot exist today, without the other. Coinage, early on, was all the money there was. As demands for money increased so too did the forms that money took. So to me, numismatics is part and parcel of all of these things. Coinage alone is not numismatics, it is all that gives rise to its use, its invention, and most of all the human interface with it.
Numismatics is not only all of this. As we wander through these sets and see what others have collected and written about, we come to realize there is also a esthetic component. These coins are artists' work, some are wonderful and appealing, and others not so much. Our coins have had critics, and they've had champions, exactly like the art world.
I suppose there are those among us who narrowly focus on coin populations, values etc and think little of the other aspects of this endeavor. That is as it should be, numismatics is as big a tent as there are interests in coinage, minting and economics. That just makes this the rich and so diverse a hobby/profession/occupation that it is.
I wish there had been a space provided as an introduction to our collections so that these sorts of observations could be reported there rather than with the first set in the line of American coinage -- but it is what it is, and I'm just glad to be here and participating.
I began this set on May 3, 2024. This set contains a large number of slots, many of which are rare or very rate dates. It is likely this set will be a work in progress right up to my final moments. At my age, this set will never see the final slot filled with the coin that is satisfactory to me -- I'm not sure if I'm pleased or just in awe!
A wonderful read about coins and the overlap of numismatics with history and art is Stanley Lane-Poole, "Coins and Medals: Their Place in History and Art" Legacy Reprint Series London: Kessinger Publishing Co., 2007.
I began this set on May 3, 2024.
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