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Pillar of the Community
Russian Federation
5178 Posts |
I wanted to post the same thing: the Columbus half dollar. (Immediately followed by the Isabella Quarter.) I think there were a few pre-federal coins that featured real people (notably Washington). They are all very rare, however. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
533 Posts |
How could I forget the Washington I have owned so many of them. Columbus I am ok with, Franklin too,I think it is just presidents I dont like on coins
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
Depends on how you define "US Coin"
If we exclude medals, tokens, commemoratives, and restrict the definition to circulating denominated coins in the United States, Lincoln wins.
However, open up the window just slightly to allow territories and not just states, and you might remember that in 1883 the United States minted multiple denominations of circulating silver coins for the Kingdom of Hawaii under the rule of King David Kalakaua I. Hawaii had not yet been annexed by the United States (that happened 15 years later) but the coins were minted in the United States! By 1883 the United States already had a noticeable presence in the islands: wealthy businessmen in the land-theft business and soldiers garrisoned to "protect" the monarchy after the Riots of '74. So if we assume that the Hawaiian coinage continued to circulate there after annexation, while Hawaii was still a territory, then the 1883 issue of Kalakaua predates Old Abe's appearance by 11 years (became a US Territory in 1898 - Lincoln shows up in 1909.)
If you go even further back, I'd vote for Washington "cent" from 1792.
Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
The Washington "cent" was made in England. If you stick with US coins and include Commemoratives then it would be Collumbian half in 1892, But while he was a real person the portrait is made up. The Isabella Quarter is next in 1893, but once again the portrait is not real. Next would be the Lafayette dollar in 1899 with Washington and Lafayette, and in this case the bust are based on actual images of the people in question (busts sculpted by Houdin while the subjects were alive to model for them.) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4421 Posts |
 Okay, since circulating coins weren't specified, this means that pattern coins count. Here's an 1863 Washington Two Cent Piece, Judd-305, Pollock-370, R.4 ...  Then too, here's the earliest U.S. coin, bearing the portrait of a living person, King George, that I have in my counterstamp collection ... (stamped by a Tory?) ...    Oh, and let's not forget the 1847 Hawaiian Cents that were designed in the U.S. and believed to have been struck at a private mint. These bear the image of King Kamehameha III.  Edited by ExoGuy
10/14/2016 9:35 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
533 Posts |
I should have specified I was thinking of US coins for general issue made for the US although the others are fascinating. Coins from other countries often featured a picture of the reigning monarch and although the US only allows dead presidents it still seems a bit imperial to me. Perhaps why I don't mind Franklin as much he was more of an elder statesman than president Probably why even in my junk silver I try to stick with Mercury and before dimes and liberty and before quarters and halves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4337 Posts |
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What was the first US coin with a real person on it? I don't believe the OP was asking for the first "President", rather a real person, no? And if its "US" coinage, wouldn't that be: 1792 half dsime Martha Washington according to all legends?  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
533 Posts |
I was thinking of a coin that was supposed to be a real person. The idea with a English coin is when you look at it you know it is George V or Elizabeth II. Somewhere along the way we started treating presidents more like reigning monarchs than elected officials and I was wondering when the coins reflected it. So Martha Washington, if the average person identified it as Martha Washington, would count. If, instead, she was used to model a stylized liberty it wouldn't
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4963 Posts |
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Oh, and let's not forget the 1847 Hawaiian Cents that were designed in the U.S. and coined at the San Francisco Mint. The San Francisco mint opened in 1854, and I don't believe there were any private mints there either until the gold rush. I just looked these up and found that they were struck by H.M. & E.I. Richards of Attleboro, Massachusetts, thus they were not struck for the United States or by an official branch of the US mint. Edited by Numisma
10/14/2016 5:55 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4421 Posts |
Thanks for catching my "San Francisco" error, Numisma. I was thinking of the 1883 Hawaiian coins which were struck at San Francisco! Methinks I should avoid making late night postings on the CCF! I amended my previous post accordingly.  Here's the scoop from Wikipedia ... Quote:Of the first coins decided to be acted upon was the Keneta - a copper coin valued at one cent of a U.S. dollar. As the Hawaiian Treasury was in shortage of funds during this period, the copper cent was seen as an initial "affordable" issue to be followed by other denominations at a later date. James Jackson Jarves, acting as agent for the Hawaiian Government, placed an order for 100,000 of these coins in 1846. He contracted Edward Hulseman - best known for his 1837 Half Cent token - to design and engrave the coin. It is not known precisely where the pieces were minted - although Walter Breen in Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins asserts that they were produced at the private mint of H. M. & E. I. Richards of Attleboro, Massachusetts; regardless, Jarves was given a note dated January 14, 1847 in the amount of $869.56 by the Minister of Finance as payment for the order. On 3 May 1847 the merchant ship Montreal arrived in Honolulu after sailing from Boston via Rio de Janeiro, Cape Horn and Tahiti. The Keneta were part of the cargo delivered to the Minister of Finance. When the coins reached the public they proved a grave disappointment. There has been some claim that the denomination was misspelled "Hapa Haneri" instead of the correct "Hapa Hanele" (which translates to "part of a hundred" or loosely "one cent"). However, "Hapa Hanele" is a 20th-century spelling. The spelling "Haneri" was used throughout the 19th century, and also appears on the $100 and $500 bills issued during the reign of King Kalakaua. Reports of the time state that the King's portrait was unrecognizable. In addition, the Keneta also arrived worn or discolored by the humidity and bilge water of the Montreal, in whose hold they had spent many months. Local merchants, who were "against very small transactions," immediately voiced their objections to the coins; and the only general usage witnessed was by governors of the outer islands who used them as change when collecting duties and taxes. The last known time of issue for the Keneta was in 1862, when 11,595 were still being held in the Treasury vault. Their legal tender status was removed in 1884, and in the following year 88,305 were sold as scrap and shipped out of the country. Edited by ExoGuy
10/14/2016 9:44 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
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1792 half dsime
Martha Washington according to all legends? That's the problem, it s just a legend, not documentation. There is better documentation for Ms Bingham being the model for the Draped Bust design, and eve that is questionable. |
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Valued Member
United States
321 Posts |
1863 Washington 2-center is the answer.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
But is a pattern really a coin?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4421 Posts |
Quote:
But is a pattern really a coin? It probably depends on what the definition of "is" is ...  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4337 Posts |
Quote:
There is better documentation for Ms Bingham being the model for the Draped Bust design good point. great topic! |
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Replies: 24 / Views: 4,085 |
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Posted 10/13/2016 8:42 pm
