Welcome to the National Numismatic Collection (NNC) of the Smithsonian Institution, one of the largest numismatic collections in the world and the largest in North America. Located in the National Museum of American History, Behring Center, the NNC includes approximately 1.6 million objects. There are over 450,000 coins, medals and decorations and 1.1 million pieces of paper money (including the recently acquired “Confederate Treasury horde” of cancelled Confederate paper money) in the collection, highlighting the entire numismatic history of the world.
Electrum stater, Lydia (Asia Minor), 7th century B.C.The NNC contains many great rarities in coins and currency, from the earliest coins created 2,700 years ago up to the latest innovations in electronic monetary exchange, as well as fascinating objects such as beads, wampum, dentalia, and other commodities once used as money. Note: After 40 years on display, the “History of Money and Medals” exhibition closed in August 2004. Learn more.
The collection emphasizes the development of money and medals in the United States. The core of the U.S. collection, consisting of more than 18,000 items, including coins of great rarity, came to the Smithsonian in 1923 from the United States Mint. Among exceptional rarities in this section are the Brasher half doubloon, the 1849 double eagle (first of the gold 20 dollar pieces), and two 1877 fifty dollar patterns. A gold 20 Excelentes coin of Ferdinand & Isabella of Spain, 1474-1504.Other rarities are the very popular and rare 1913 Liberty head nickel as well as all three types of the 1804 dollar, and two of three known examples of the world's most valuable coin, the 1933 double eagle, the third of which recently sold for 7.6 million dollars. Among recent donations are the unprecedented Josiah K. Lilly holdings, consisting of 6,150 gold coins, including an almost complete US gold coin collection, a very rich Latin American gold section, and many of the great rarities of European gold coins, such as a 20 excelentes de la Granada of Ferdinand and Isabella, and two large and heavy 100 ducats of Austria and Poland.
Another outstanding donation is the Willis H. duPont collection of more than 12,000 Russian coins in all metals, including platinum, from the Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich estate. The ancient Greek section has grown through many small donations, notably that of Capt. B. Bennett, to almost 19,000 coins. The recent donation of the "Demareteion" decadrachm of Syracuse and 4 related masterpieces of early Greek numismatic art by John Whitney Walter has tremendously enhanced the importance of the ancient Greek collection. Also of great importance is the large collection of paper money donated by Mortimer Neinken, and the group of checks with presidential signatures from the Chase Manhattan Bank collection.
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Russia: Constantine ruble of 1825, one of 5 struck. US Double Eagle of 1907, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
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Coin |
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Half Dollar |
Obverse: The obverse shows a strong but simple bust of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the youngest-ever-elected president. Gilroy Roberts, chief engraver of the Mint at this time, based this profile on a portrait prepared for Kennedy's presidential medal. Roberts created this design immediately after Kennedy's assassination.
Reverse: The design on the back of Kennedy half-dollar is based on the presidential seal. It consists of a heraldic eagle with a shield on its breast, holding a symbolic olive branch and a bundle of 13 arrows. A ring of 50 stars surrounds the design, which gives this coin the distinction of having more stars than any other circulating coin.
Background
From 1794 to 1947, the half-dollar, like many coins of the time, were made of silver and decorated with an allegorical image that symbolized liberty. In 1948, Benjamin Franklin’s likeness was placed on the obverse of the half-dollar. Although he was never president, like the men on most of our other coins, Franklin was a major force in shaping the United States of America.
The liberty bell, which had been on the reverse of Franklin's half-dollar, was replaced by the eagle from the presidential seal except during 1975 and 1976, the nation's 200th birthday. At that time, the coin showed an image of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the site of many important national events: the meeting place for the Second Continental Congress, George Washington’s appointment as commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775, adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, agreement of the final design of the American flag in 1777, adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, and the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787.
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Dollar |
Current Designs
Although dollar coins have been minted intermittently since 1794, currently there are two dollar coin series in production: The Presidential $1 Coin Series (begun in 2007) and as the Sacagawea Golden Dollar (first issued in 2000).
Both the Presidential $1 Coins and the Sacagawea Golden Dollar are golden in color, created by a mixture of metals (none of them gold). These dollar coins have the same "electromagnetic signature" as their predecessor, the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) dollar, which was silver in color. Keeping this signature allows older vending machines to accept the new coins without being retrofitted.
Background
When you hear the word "dollar," you may think first of the basic unit of money in the United States, whether paper or golden coins. But our first dollars were coins made of silver. The word "dollar" comes from the German word "Thaler," which was a large silver German coin.
Because these silver "Thalers" were popular everywhere, other countries began making their own versions. American colonists were used to the "Spanish dollar," a coin often used in the nearby lands that traded with the colonies. So "dollar" was a pretty easy choice as a name for the brand-new currency of the United States.
The dollar was one of the first silver coins made, back in 1794. Since then the dollar coin has been minted periodically with different versions of Liberty and other individuals on the obverse, including those of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (made 1971–1978) and suffragist Susan B. Anthony (1979–1981, 1999).
