Industrial Era

Designed by George T. Morgan, featuring Lady Liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse. Min...

The twenty dollar gold coin, the largest denomination of regular issue US coinage. First minted duri...

The first US coin to feature a real person, replacing the Indian Head cent on the 100th anniversary ...

The currency of the German Empire, Weimar Republic, and West Germany. First introduced after unifica...

Introduced by the Meiji government as part of its modernization program. The name means circle, desc...

Replaced the Austro-Hungarian krone in 1925 after the collapse of the empire. Abolished after the An...

The only major franc still in use. The Swiss franc is considered the worlds safest currency due to S...

The peso was the basis for the US dollar, with the Spanish dollar circulating alongside American coi...

Issued by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Backed by cotton rather t...

The 20 franc gold coin of Napoleon Bonaparte. Featured his profile on the obverse. The Napoleon was ...

Established after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. Initially pegged to the US dol...

Introduced when Denmark joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union with Sweden and Norway. The union dis...

Replaced the Swedish riksdaler when Sweden joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union. Sweden was the fi...

Norway joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union in 1875, adopting the krone. The union ended with Worl...

Introduced by the Bank of Finland while Finland was a Grand Duchy under Russia. The name comes from ...

The modern Greek currency from independence until the euro. Named after the ancient Greek drachma, o...

Also called the punt in the Irish language. Introduced after Irish independence, replacing the pound...

Established after Italian unification. Based on the French franc system. The lira suffered chronic i...

Replaced the escudo after the Spanish Revolution of 1868. The name comes from pesseta meaning small ...

Replaced the real after the Republican revolution of 1910. The escudo was initially strong but suffe...

Also called the krone. Replaced the gulden when Austria-Hungary adopted the gold standard. The crown...

Belgium adopted the franc after independence from the Netherlands in 1830. Belgium was a founding me...

The leu means lion in Romanian, named after the Dutch thaler called the leeuwendaalder that circulat...

Lev means lion in Bulgarian, also named after the leeuwendaalder. The lev was pegged to the German m...

Replaced the Ottoman kurus as the main currency. The lira was originally strong, worth about 1 US do...

The riyal replaced the Hejaz riyal after the founding of Saudi Arabia. Pegged to the US dollar at 3....

One of Asias oldest currencies. Originally a unit of weight for silver. The baht was decimalized in ...

First minted in 1863 under British colonial rule. Pegged to the US dollar at 7.75 to 7.85 since 1983...

One of the least valued currencies in the world. Introduced during the Indonesian independence strug...

Introduced during the Spanish colonial period. The peso was the first currency used in the Philippin...

Introduced by Muhammad Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt. The Egyptian pound was based on the B...

The largest silver coin in regular circulation in Switzerland. Features a male Alpine herdsman on on...

Also called the Centenario. Commemorates 100 years of Mexican independence. Contains 1.2057 ounces o...

The German currency during World War I and the Weimar Republic. Decoupled from gold in 1914 to finan...

The currency that suffered the worst hyperinflation ever recorded. In July 1946, prices doubled ever...

The currency of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 2003. Yugoslavia experienced severe hyperinflation in 1993 t...

The first widespread paper currency in the United States, issued to finance the Civil War. Officiall...

The first US coin to bear the motto In God We Trust. Introduced during the Civil War when copper coi...

Also called the trime. The smallest US silver coin ever minted, weighing only 0.8 grams. Designed to...

Introduced near the end of the Civil War to replace the tiny silver trime. Made of copper-nickel all...

One of the shortest lived US coin denominations. Created to facilitate trade in the West where Spani...

Minted specifically for trade with Asia. Contained more silver than the standard silver dollar to co...

Featured Lady Liberty wearing a Native American headdress, not an actual Native American. Designed b...

Also called the Indian Head nickel. Featured a Native American chief on the obverse and an American ...

Featured Liberty wearing a winged cap, often mistaken for the god Mercury. Designed by Adolph Weinma...

Also called the V nickel for the Roman numeral five on the reverse. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is ...

Featured President Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and Monticello on the reverse. Designed by Felix ...

Featured Liberty standing in a gateway, holding a shield and an olive branch. The Type 1 exposed Lib...

Featured George Washington on the obverse. Originally intended as a one year commemorative for the 2...

Featured Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. Designed by John Sinn...

Considered by many the most beautiful US silver coin. Featured Liberty walking toward the sunrise, d...

Commemorating the peace following World War I. Featured Liberty with a radiate crown and a perched e...

Featured Liberty seated on a rock, holding a staff with a Liberty cap. Designed by Christian Gobrech...

Designed by Christian Gobrecht as a pattern coin to replace the Spanish dollars still circulating. F...

Worth two shillings or one tenth of a pound. The florin was Britains first step toward decimalisatio...

Coins minted for the Kingdom of Hawaii before annexation. The 1847 large cent featured King Kamehame...

A proposed one cent coin for the Confederacy. Designed by Robert Lovett Jr. of Philadelphia. Only 12...

Small paper notes worth 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, or 50 cents, issued during and after the Civil War. Hoardi...

Paper currency backed by silver dollars held by the Treasury. The holder could exchange the certific...

Paper currency backed by gold coin held by the Treasury. The holder could exchange for gold on deman...

Paper currency issued by nationally chartered banks under the National Banking System. Each bank dep...

Also called United States Notes or greenbacks. The first general circulation paper currency issued b...

The primary currency of the United States since 1914. Issued by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. The 19...

The trade dollar of French Indochina, featuring Liberty seated. The reverse design with denomination...

Minted specifically for trade in the Far East. Featured Britannia standing on a shore with a merchan...

A trade dollar minted for trade with China and Korea. Featured a dragon design. Contained 27.2 grams...

The silver dollar coins of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic. Featured a dragon on the revers...

Featured the portrait of President Yuan Shikai. Became the standard silver dollar of the Republic of...

Featured a Chinese junk boat on the reverse. Introduced in 1933 as the standard silver dollar of the...

Coins of Manchukuo, the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria from 1932 to 1945. Featured designs refle...

The currency of Taiwan since 1949. Replaced the old Taiwan dollar at 40,000 to 1 after the Nationali...

Designed by Charles E. Barber, the Chief Engraver of the US Mint. Featured Liberty on the obverse an...

Featured Liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse. The Barber quarter was widely used but ...

The largest of the Barber coinage series. Featured Liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the revers...

Featured Liberty seated on a rock. Designed by Christian Gobrecht. The obverse design matched the ot...

Featured Liberty seated on a rock, holding a shield and staff. The reverse showed an eagle. Designed...

The Seated Liberty half dime replaced the earlier Flowing Hair and Capped Bust types. Featured Liber...

Featured Liberty with a classical hairstyle, hence the name Classic Head. Minted from 1808 to 1814. ...

Also called the Matron Head or Liberty Head cent. Featured Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed LIBER...

The final large cent design. Featured Liberty with braided hair. Minted from 1839 to 1857. The 1857 ...

The first small cent, replacing the large copper cent. Featured an eagle in flight on the obverse. D...

See the Two Cent Piece entry. The two cent bronze was introduced alongside the new copper-nickel sma...

The first nickel five cent piece. Featured a shield on the obverse and the numeral 5 surrounded by s...

See Liberty Head Nickel entry. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of only five known and is worth m...

The buffalo was modeled on Black Diamond, a bison at the Central Park Zoo. The Native American portr...

During World War II, nickel was needed for armor plating. From late 1942 to 1945, the composition ch...

The Mexican 8 reales coin after independence from Spain. Featured the Mexican eagle with a snake on ...

The decimal peso coin replacing the real system. The 8 reales coin became the peso. Featured the eag...

See Mexican 50 Peso entry. The Centenario was reintroduced as a restrike from 1943 to 1972 for bulli...

The Dos Mundos or Two Worlds coin was a variant name for the 50 peso gold coin. Featured the angel o...

Minted from 1935 to 1967. The 1935 dollar commemorated the 25th anniversary of King George V reign. ...

The voyageur dollar featured a fur trader and aboriginal paddling a canoe loaded with trade goods. D...

The Canadian one cent coin was minted from 1858 to 2012. Featured maple leaves on the reverse. The C...

Canadian quarters minted before 1968 contain 80 percent silver. Featured the reigning monarch on the...

Canadian half dollars minted before 1967 contain 80 percent silver. Featured the monarch on the obve...

The modern sovereign was reintroduced in 1817 after the Napoleonic Wars. Featured George III and Sai...

The coins of the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Featured the Sikh symbol and the name of G...

A reform coinage under Sultan Abdulmejid I. The gold medjidie was worth 100 kurus or 5 piastres. Fea...

The Japanese one sen coin, worth 1/100 of a yen. Introduced with the Meiji monetary reform. Featured...

The coins of the Kingdom of Burma before British colonization. Featured the peacock emblem of the Ko...

The currency of Ethiopia since 1894. Emperor Menelik II introduced the birr after modernizing the co...

The currency of Liberia, founded by freed American slaves. The first Liberian coins were copper cent...

The silver rupee of British India after the Crown took control from the East India Company. Featured...

Coins of the 565 princely states that coexisted with British India. Each state had its own coinage, ...

The currency of French India, covering Pondicherry, Chandernagore, Mahe, Yanam, and Karikal. The Fre...

The US issued special coins for the Philippines after acquiring it from Spain in 1898. Featured a Fi...

The currency of Haiti since 1813, making it one of the oldest currencies in the Americas. Replaced t...

The Colombian peso replaced the Spanish colonial real after independence. Colombia was part of Gran ...

The Argentine peso has undergone multiple redenominations due to chronic inflation. The peso of 1881...

The Chilean peso was introduced during the wars of independence. Chile had the strongest currency in...

The Peruvian sol replaced the Spanish colonial real. The name sol means sun in Spanish, referencing ...

Named after Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America. The bolivar suffered devastating hyperinf...

Introduced after the partition of India in 1947. Initially used Indian rupee notes stamped with Paki...

Sri Lanka adopted the rupee system in 1872 under British colonial rule, replacing the British pound ...

Introduced when Iraq gained independence from Britain. The dinar was originally pegged to the Britis...

The Lebanese pound was pegged to the US dollar at 1,507 to 1 from 1997 until the 2019 financial cris...

The modern Moroccan dirham was introduced in 1960, replacing the Moroccan franc. The dirham is named...

See Ethiopian Birr entry. The modern birr is managed by the National Bank of Ethiopia, established i...

See Russian Chervonets entry. The 1923 chervonets was part of Lenins New Economic Policy, which part...

The currency of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991. The Soviet ruble was non convertible, with an ar...

Cuba has operated a dual currency system with the Cuban peso CUP and the convertible peso CUC pegged...

The Panamanian balboa is pegged at par with the US dollar. US dollar bills circulate alongside Panam...

Replaced the Costa Rican peso in 1896. Named after Christopher Columbus, known as Cristobal Colon in...

The Uruguayan peso replaced the old peso in 1993 after a period of inflation. The peso uruguayo was ...

Named after the Guarani people, the indigenous inhabitants of Paraguay. The guarani replaced the pes...

The boliviano replaced the Bolivian peso in 1987 after hyperinflation. Named after Simon Bolivar. Pe...

The Icelandic krona suffered dramatic losses in the 2008 financial crisis when Icelands banking syst...

The currency of Cyprus until euro adoption in 2008. Introduced when Cyprus became a British protecto...

A small copper coin worth one quarter of a maravedi. The cuarto was the lowest denomination coin in ...

A proposed four dollar gold coin, also called the Flowing Hair Stella. Intended for international tr...

A proposed fifty dollar gold coin pattern. Two patterns were struck at the Philadelphia mint in 1877...

A pattern coin design by Charles Barber featuring Liberty with her hair tied up, hence the nickname ...

A pattern coin design featuring Liberty seated with a sword and shield, nicknamed Amazonian. Designe...

A pattern dollar coin made of goloid, an alloy of silver, gold, and copper. Proposed by Dr. William ...

See US Stella entry. The Stella was proposed to approximate the Latin Monetary Union standard. At 7 ...

Commemorative coins issued for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Include...

A series of commemorative coins issued from 1892 to 1954. The first was the Columbian Exposition hal...

Local coinage from Cheju Island off the coast of China, featuring distinctive local designs. Local a...

Coins of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last Vietnamese imperial dynasty. Featured the reign title of the e...

The traditional silver coin of Siam, later renamed the baht. The tical was a silver bullet money or ...

Coins of Burma featuring the peacock, the symbol of the Konbaung Dynasty. The last Burmese coins wer...

Introduced when Mongolia established its central bank in 1925. The tugrik replaced Chinese and Russi...

The Afghani replaced the Afghan rupee in 1925 during the reign of King Amanullah. The afghani has su...

The dinar was the currency of medieval Serbia, revived in modern times. The medieval Serbian dinar w...

The lats was introduced in 1922 after Latvian independence. The Soviet occupation in 1940 replaced t...

The litas was introduced in 1922 after Lithuanian independence. The Soviet occupation replaced it wi...

The kroon was introduced in 1928, replacing the Estonian mark. The Soviet occupation replaced the kr...

The lek was introduced in 1926 after Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Named afte...

A large copper coin minted during the Napoleonic era in Spain. The millonet was worth one thousandth...

Notgeld or emergency money issued by German municipalities during World War I and the Weimar hyperin...

Local emergency currency issued during the Great Depression when banks failed and money became scarc...

A Spanish dollar with the center punched out, creating two coins from one. The outer ring called the...

The center punched from the Spanish dollar to create the holey dollar. The dump was worth 15 pence o...

See Three Cent Silver entry. The trime was designed by James B. Longacre. The Type 1 had no border s...

The twenty cent piece was championed by Nevada Senator John P. Jones to increase silver demand. The ...

See US Trade Dollar entry. The Trade dollar was designed by William Barber. The reverse featured a e...

The Flying Eagle cent of 1856 to 1858 was followed by the Indian Head cent of 1859 to 1909 and the L...

An unusual denomination minted from 1854 to 1889. Designed by James B. Longacre. Created to facilita...

See US Stella entry. The four dollar Stella was proposed to align with the Latin Monetary Union. Two...

The smallest US gold coin, only 13 millimeters in diameter for the Type 1. The gold dollar was creat...

In April 1861, the New Orleans Mint struck four prototype half dollars for the Confederacy. The obve...

See Confederate Cent entry. The original 12 Confederate cents were struck by Robert Lovett Jr. of Ph...

Coins minted for the Philippines under US administration from 1903 to 1945. Featured a Filipino man ...

Coins minted for Puerto Rico under Spanish colonial rule. The 1895 peso and fractional denominations...

See Hawaiian Coinage entry. The 1883 Hawaiian dollar featured King Kalakaua and was minted at the Sa...

The Swiss 20 franc gold coin featuring Vreneli, the informal name for the head of Liberty in the Swi...

The large silver 5 franc coin featuring Hercules between two allegorical female figures representing...

Used by 14 African countries in two currency unions, West African CFA franc (8 countries) and Centra...

The West African CFA franc is used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger,...

The Central African CFA franc is used by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial...

The currency of Djibouti, a small country at the entrance to the Red Sea. Pegged to the US dollar at...

See Liberian Dollar entry. The first Liberian coins were copper cents issued in 1847 featuring a sta...

The Fijian dollar has been used since 1867 with interruptions. Fiji used British currency from 1873 ...

Official US Mint sets containing uncirculated examples of every coin issued for circulation each yea...

Sets of proof coins sold by the US Mint. Proof coins are struck twice on polished blanks with polish...

See Mint Set entry. The modern uncirculated coin set includes coins from both Philadelphia and Denve...

The US Mint has produced presidential medals since the early 1800s. The series began with Thomas Jef...

Political tokens have been used in American elections since the 1800s. The most famous are the Hard ...

Tokens issued during the economic depression of 1837 to 1844. When President Andrew Jackson killed t...

Also called store cards. Tokens issued by merchants as small change when official coins were scarce....

Tokens issued by businesses as promotional items or substitutes for coins. A customer who bought a c...

Tokens issued by saloons to attract customers. A free drink token was a common promotion. Saloon tok...

Medals commemorating Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak in Colorado. Early America...

The US Assay Commission tested the accuracy and purity of gold and silver coins annually from 1797 t...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 300th anniversary of the Huguenot settlement in New York. Fe...

The longest running US commemorative coin, minted intermittently from 1926 to 1939. Featured a Nativ...

A controversial commemorative half dollar marking the 50th anniversary of Cincinnati as a music cent...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 200th anniversary of Daniel Boones birth. Featured Boone and...

A commemorative half dollar marking the centennial of Texas independence. Featured an eagle and a go...

A commemorative half dollar marking the centennial of Cleveland as a city. Featured a bust of Moses ...

A commemorative half dollar featuring P. T. Barnum, the circus impresario and former mayor of Bridge...

A commemorative half dollar marking the centennial of Arkansas statehood. Featured Liberty and an ea...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 300th anniversary of the first settlement on Long Island. Fe...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of Providence, Rhode Islan...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 150th anniversary of Lynchburg, Virginia. Featured Liberty a...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 300th anniversary of the Norfolk, Virginia land grant. Featu...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 250th anniversary of the charter of Albany, New York. Featur...

A commemorative half dollar marking the opening of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. Featured a ...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 300th anniversary of the first Swedish settlement in Delawar...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Featured a Uni...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. Featured the por...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 350th anniversary of the Roanoke Colony, the Lost Colony. Fe...

A commemorative half dollar honoring Will Rogers, the Cherokee cowboy humorist who died in a plane c...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of New Rochelle, New York,...

A commemorative half dollar marking the 100th anniversary of Iowa statehood. Featured the Old Stone ...

A commemorative half dollar honoring Booker T. Washington, the African American educator and founder...

A commemorative half dollar that was authorized but never actually minted. Daniel Webster, the famou...

See Iowa Half Dollar entry. The Iowa centennial half dollar was designed by Adam Pietz. The coin was...

The currency of Cyprus until euro adoption in 2008. The Cyprus pound was equal to the British pound ...

The currency of Gibraltar, pegged at par with the British pound sterling. Gibraltar has issued its o...

The Bailiwick of Jersey issues its own coins and banknotes pegged at par with the British pound. Jer...

The Bailiwick of Guernsey issues its own currency pegged at par with the British pound. Guernsey coi...

The currency of the Falkland Islands, pegged at par with the British pound. Falkland Islands coins a...

The currency of St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. Pegged at par with the British pound. S...