Congress created the US Mint on April 2, 1792, with the passage of the Coinage Act. US Mint purpose is to produce coins usable for US business and fair trade.

Before the US Mint began minting coins for circulation, Americans used foreign money and personal goods, such as livestock, for trading.

The founding fathers of US understood the importance of currency to building a strong economy, so much so that the idea was written into the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8 states that “The Congress shall have the Power…to Coin Money.”

What are the different coins produced by US Mint?

The first coins produced by US Mint were copper pennies, followed by gold and silver coins. The US Mint commissioned mints in Philadelphia and Denver to produce currency for general circulation. The San Francisco Mint and the West Point Mint later joined the program, producing proof sets and gold specialty coins.

New coins are released on a fairly new basis by US Mint. Commemorative coins are one way they do this. The wildly popular state quarter plan is one example. The 2006 Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coins are another. The 2006 San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coins include 5 one-dollar gold coins and a silver dollar.

The US state quarters are being released into circulation in several batches, with the earliest states to join the Union being released first. Each year – over a 10-year period – 5 US state quarters are minted and released.

These are commemorative quarters, one representing each state with a design on the tail to signify a distinct feature of the particular state.

The head of the US state quarter still feature George Washington, though there have been some changes made to the original US state quarter’s design. The date can now be found on the back of the coin, while the front reads “Quarter Dollar.” “United Sates of America” has also been moved to the head side of the coin.

How you will be benefitted with the help of US state quarters?

The US state quarters have become very popular, and represent one of the most popular coin collecting programs to come along in many years. Young and old alike are joining the fun, and US state quarter is a great way to get started in coin collecting.

You can get uncirculated coins from a bank, or buy the collection to date from any number of online coin dealers, but that takes the fun out of US state quarter for most people.

Historically considered by many to be the most accessible and affordable precious metal, silver is always a great addition to any coin collection.

Prized for their beauty as well as their investment potential, silver coins have a long history in the United States.

Here is just a sample of the silver coins you might wish to obtain:

American eagle Silver Bullion Coins - Each containing at least one ounce of pure silver, these one-dollar silver coins were first minted in 1986, and then every year since then. This type of silver coins feature a design based on “Walking Liberty,” created by Adolph Weinman in 1916 for the half dollar.

Walking Liberty Half Dollar – struck at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver between the years 1916 to 1947, this is the original design that was later updated for the American Eagle Silver Bullion Coin.

Morgan Silver Dollar – Struck from 1878 to 1904, this one-dollar coin features a design by George T. Morgan. One more minting of this silver coin occurred in 1921. Uncirculated coins from this series can be hard to find.

For collectors, some of the most infamous and sought after coins are those rumored to have been recovered from shipwrecks.

Intrigue and legend greatly increase the interest in such coins. The Spanish coins are no longer simply beautiful artifacts or pieces of history, they are sunken treasure.

The thought of owning something that ended up at the bottom of the sea after a tragic and dramatic occurrence appeals to many. Countless shipwrecks are rumored to have gone down with invaluable coins.

For instance, the Civil War Era’s S.S. Republic sunk in the Atlantic Ocean during a hurricane in 1865, amongst the cargo were thousands of U.S. coins. Some of Spanish coins will go for over $100,000 each at auction.

Spanish coins are some of the most commonly found coins originating from shipwrecks. This is because many Spanish galleons were lost at sea in the process of bringing silver and gold from the New World to Spain. The most infamous of these ships, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, sunk off the coast of Florida in 1622.

Coin collecting is a fascinating hobby, favored by young and old alike. You can start US Coin collecting based on one of many factors.

Deciding what type of US Coin collecting you want to do is a personal choice; all that really matters is that it keeps your interest.

You can do US Coin collecting by the date they were issued, their mint, what they are made of, or by collections like the State Quarters set.

What are the different ways for US Coin collecting?

The easier and cheapest way to start such a collection is to look through your own change and any coins you have in a savings jar. You may be surprised at how old and unusual some of these coins can be; in fact there are several US coins still in circulation that are actually collector’s items.

So take a close look at those grungy pennies and shiny dimes, and consult a good book on US coin collecting.

After you’ve search your own house (don’t forget the couch cushions) branch out in your US Coin collecting efforts. Ask around to see if family and friends can help you in US Coin collecting or offer to sort through their penny jars for anything unusual.

During Roman times, some of the most active mints were located in Spain. Many ancient Greek coins have also been discovered in Spain.

The premiere Spanish colonial New World Mint opened in 1536 in Mexico City. Later that century, in 1574, an even larger Spanish mint opened in Potosi, Bolivia.

This establishment was built near an impressive natural source of high quality silver. The success of this mint led to Potosi being recognized as the largest city in the New World.

Spanish coins were especially significant in the English colonies. Some figures suggest that at least half of the Spanish coins used in colonial America were Spanish reales. The state of Virginia went as far as declaring the Spanish real as their standard currency in 1645.

In February 1793, Spanish dollars were made legal tender in the United States. This remained until 1857. Even more interesting, when the New York Stock Exchange opened in 1792, rates were reported in New York shillings.  Shillings were based on the Spanish milled dollar, which were considered to be one eighth of the shilling. Even today, stock and security price variations continue to be reported in eighths.

The Royal Australian Mint opened its doors on Monday, February 22nd, 1965.

Even though its opening was presided over by the Duke of Edinburgh, Royal Australian Mint was the first Australian mint to operate with no ties to the Royal Mint in London.

Since Royal Australian Mint began production in 1965, total production of coins at the Royal Australian Mint is in the billions.

In fact, as many as two millions pieces can be minted in a single day.

The Royal Australian Mint has produced coins for other nations besides Australia, and it also manufactures other collectibles including medals and commemorative tokens.

Paper notes are produced by Note Printing Australia in Melbourne, while most Australian coins originate from the Royal Australian Mint. The Perth Mint is the only other operational mint in Australia. Opened in 1899, the Perth Mint manufactures Australia’s legal tender precious metal coins.

The Royal Australian Mint was the first mint worldwide to earn the designation of International Quality Standards ISO 9002. The high level of quality control, research, and innovation continues to earn the mint top honors.

When you are selling coins you may be tempted to just look up the closest coin dealer in the phone book, carry the coins to his shop and take his best offer.

That’s what most people do. It’s an easy way for selling coins but it’s not the best way.

That coin shop is a retail store like any other and that shop owner has to take his eventual profit into consideration when he makes you an offer.

How can you get more profits by selling coins?

You may also be surprised to learn that many coin dealers don’t have the time or motivation to educate themselves about the different coin varieties and search through your collection to see if you have any rare finds.

If you don’t take the time to educate yourself a little bit and go through the coins before you take them to the dealer, coins with a rare date or mint mark may be melted down without anyone ever knowing they were there. Many dealers who are selling coins will treat you with more respect if you sound like you’ve done your homework too.

Sixty times rarer than gold and softer than silver, platinum is a metal used sparingly in coins throughout the world. The Russians were the first to strike coins from platinum, according to popular sources. They issued the 3-ruble coin from 1828 through 1845.

Some collectors also mention a platinum coin from Spain, dating around 1866, although official records are a bit sketchy. It is believed that no other countries issued a platinum coin until the 1970s, when platinum coins were issued by Israel, Russia and Panama.

Today, there are a range of platinum coins you should consider adding to your collection. Because most of the platinum coins are from contemporary minting, platinum coins are offered more as a source of investment than for collecting as antiques.

A sampling of available platinum coins is listed below:

American Eagle Platinum Bullion Coin – This $100 coin is made from one ounce of .9995-pure platinum. It has the distinction of having the highest face value of any coin in the United States. It was first struck in 1997, and is still legal tender today. Also available in 1/10 ounce coins, it is the official platinum bullion coin of the United States.

A proof coin is one that is struck with specially constructed dies. These coins are struck more than once to produce a high level of detail.

When the coin is struck with these highly-polished dies, under significantly greater pressure than normal, the metal is forced into all the crevices of the mold creating the intricate design.

At the same time the coin is struck, an acid is applied to the die that creates a satin finish to parts of the coin.  Usually, the high relief of the coin is satin or matte finish and the background of the coin is shiny.   The finished proofs are removed from the dies with tongs or by hand with gloves.

After striking, the proofs are usually packaged in clear hard acid-free plastic. These cases assure that the coins are safe from handling and moisture, and will retain their value.

The United States mints these proof coins for collectors and usually sells them in sets.  They are generally eagerly anticipated by collectors. A typical proof set might include an example of each coin made for general circulation for a given year.  This would include a penny, nickel, dime, quarter and half-dollar.