Oldest US Coin? - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 14 / Views: 1,112
FYI Valued Member United States 177 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 01:42 am who has the oldest us coin? my oldest is a 1780 1/16 peice of eight that my mom got in DC. it is in about good condition, and I can make out the date and a bust on the front, and an iscrition reeding "carolus III", and a shield with a crown over it between two pillars. she got this at a gift shop on the grounds of goerge washingtons estate. I also got repro colonial 1816 1 cent, half dollar, 5 dollar, and 20 dollar coins. it kind of cracks me up that all of these have die erorrs and real toning.(exept the 1/16 peice of 8) Report this Post to the Staff

Sap Moderator Australia 16834 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 02:58 am I've got a 1773 Virginia halfpenny... does that count? Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Metalman Pillar of the Community United States 7123 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 03:37 am The first coin struck by the US government was the 1792 Half Disme,, of course there was coinage circulating before this date, but officially this was the first government issued coin 1500 pieces were struck during the month of July 1792. This info is all available in the RedBook . Rick Report this Post to the Staff
thekidcollector Forum Kid Kuwait 1523 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 03:39 am Well, I have a 1863 2 Cent Piece. Which is my oldest. TKC! Report this Post to the Staff
Daniel J. Goevert Valued Member United States 157 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 07:42 am The first coin minted by the United States was the 1792 Half Disme (as Metalman indicated above), which was struck as a pattern coin at a private residence in Philadelphia. President and Mrs. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, David Rittenhouse (1st Mint Director), and other dignitaries attended the event. At the time of its minting, the Philadelphia Mint was still undergoing construction. The first coin struck by the US govt intended for general circulation was the 1793 Chain cent. Coins minted by individual colonies or states can fit under the term "American coins", but technically, they cannot be described as " United States coins". Hope this helps! Report this Post to the Staff
thekidcollector Forum Kid Kuwait 1523 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 10:33 am Well It actually depends on colonial or USA mint type. Report this Post to the Staff
FYI Valued Member United States 177 Posts	Posted 07/04/2006 4:37 pm colonial counts, mine was legal tendder until 1857. anything that was ever us legal tender counts! Report this Post to the Staff
Dewayne76 Pillar of the Community United States 590 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 12:28 am I have a 1803 Half Cent. No colonials but I have an old bc coin with a youth on a horse and a 1584 coin from Hungry I believe. Report this Post to the Staff
Mike Rest in Peace United States 2884 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 01:51 am "The first coins issued by authority of the United States were the "Fugio" cents"...according to R.S. Yeoman's " Red Book". I have a 1787 PCGS VF35 Fugio, 8 pointed stars on label. It is my oldest "American" Coin. Mike Report this Post to the Staff
Daniel J. Goevert Valued Member United States 157 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 09:00 am Scratching my head, I went to my RedBook copy to read about the Fugio cent. My copy says "The first federally authorized coin was the Fugio cent. ... This piece... was privately struck in 1787 by contract with the government". Since the United States Constitution wasn't ratified until 1788, the US govt could not have authorized the Fugio cent. Rather, it was authorized by the states as they were organized by the Articles of Confederation. So I guess to a certain extent, you could say the "united states" (no caps) authorized the Fugio cent. Report this Post to the Staff
Mike Rest in Peace United States 2884 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 11:32 am Hi Daniel. The reason I quoted the book exactly as written is I found it an odd statement as well. It is on page 82 of the 2006 RedBook. Here is the rest of the text... The first coins issued by the United States were the "Fugio" cents. Entries in the Journal of Congress supply interesting information about the proceedings related to coinage. For example,the entry of Saturday, April 21,1787, reads as follows:"That the board of treasury be authorized to contract for three hundred tons of copper coin of the federal standard, agreeable to the proposition of Mr. James Jarvis....That it be coined at the expense of the contractor,etc." On Friday, July 6,1787, it was "[r]esolved, that the board of treasury direct the contractor for the copper coinage to stamp on one side of each piece the following device, viz :thirteen circles linked together, a small circle in the middle, with the words ' we are one' ; on the other side of the same piece the following device, viz:a dial with the hours expressed on the face of it; a meridian sun above on one side of which is the word 'Fugio' [the intended meaning is time flies] and on the other side in figures '1787,' below the dial, the words 'Mind Your Business.' " What year is your book? Perhaps more on this subject appears elsewhere in the text! Thanks, Mike Report this Post to the Staff
ziggy29 Valued Member United States 157 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 3:20 pm My oldest coin (currently) is an 1833 Half Cent (PCGS AU-58). I used to have an 1829 Half Dime (NGC MS-64) which I sold a few years ago. That's a sale I regret today. Report this Post to the Staff
Mortyr2012 New Member Germany 35 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 3:23 pm Oh... my oldest coin is a Half Dime 1853 Report this Post to the Staff
Daniel J. Goevert Valued Member United States 157 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 4:15 pm Hello Mike. Thank you for your many contributions to the success of this forum! My newest RedBook is dated 1987, and I have several older than that, dating back to 1966. All these Redbooks use the word "federally" when describing the governmental entity authorizing the production of Fugio cents. Not much more detail than that. So it seems like the RedBook editors have since decided to say the United States authorized the Fugio cent. This would have been during the time the country operated under the Articles of Confederation, which was thrown out when the Constitution was ratified in 1788. Going back to my history book, I read that even during the time of the Articles of Confederation, this country did indeed call itself the United States. To say the Fugio cent was authorized by the United States is, in fact, a correct answer. I believe an important distinction should further be made that that US govt is not the same as the current US govt organized by the Constitution. Whew! Now I know what my wife means when she says I'm long winded! Report this Post to the Staff
Mike Rest in Peace United States 2884 Posts	Posted 07/05/2006 6:20 pm Hi Daniel! Thanks for the clarification. Interesting, because my Fugio is one of the type that resds "States United" not United States!!!! Mike Report this Post to the Staff
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