My favorite native coin (US) is the half-dollar. The picture on the reverse is cool, and it’s got a nice large diameter. It puts the quarter-dollar to shame. This is not a coin you flip in the air during a moment of whimsy, when you flip this coin you make a statement. That statement is “I have enough money to buy a can of soda.” Circulation: low.
My favorite foreign coin is the British pound. They’re plain, but those things are so friggin’ weighty! Whenever I fondle one, I get violent urges to throw it into the back of someone’s head as hard as I can, just to see if I can knock the person flat out on the sidewalk. Of course, the pound being worth so much and all, it never leaves my hand. Circulation: high.
Which, I believe, will mean that either candidate 2 or 5 will be chosen, or we’ll end up with a design showing the state’s silhouette, and a small picture of an orange. :smack:
Quarters are best, you can still buy something with a few of them. Remember how great a feeling it was to find a couple more of them beneath the seat so you could “get fries with that?” I like Georgia’s quarter, with it’s pretty peach.
Half dollars and such are quite lovely, but they’re so solemn. Half dollars are for saving, not spending BadBaby, yeck. Yes this a pound, I’ve brought it all the way over here for you, to save, in a box, forever, thud.
I like to give American Eagles for gifts. For instance, I got my husband a couple of them for our 25th anniversary. Another recipient noted that these coins are like pirate treasure. The eagles, in addition to looking gorgeous, FEEL like they’re worth something. I don’t like lightweight coins.
I like the idea of dollar coins, but I don’t like the Sackies too much. They discolor quickly, and they don’t have enough heft for their size.
I like the 500 yen coin. Man, that is serious. Depending on the exchange rate, it’s worth around $5. Plus Japan is the land of amazing vending machines, so a few of those babies and you can buy anything from used high school girl panties to a gallon of beer
I’m a fan of the Peace Dollar. I like the wind blowing in the hair. And the eagle on the back seems very majestic. It’s like he’sin repose looking off into the sunset.
Of the coins with men on the face I’d have to go for the Franklin 50¢ piece. His baldness just makes the coin look so smooth.
Foreign coins: The Australian and New Zealand ones are fun. They have such neat animals over there.
Foreign bill: The UK ten-pound note with Charles Darwin. (Not only beautiful, but a comforting reminder that there are places in the world where not everybody defers to the fundamentalists.)
I think my favorite is a spanish silver cob, minted in mexico, and crudely stamped. It looks exactly like pirate treasure, 'cause it often actually was.
For coins in circulation, I’m fond of the Aussie 2 dollar coin, it’s nice and weighty. Their 20c piece has a platypus on it, though; it’s hard to beat that.
The Eastern Carribean 2 and 5 cent pieces are pretty cool. The 2 is square, and the 5 is scalloped. Unfortunately, they seem to have decided that round coins work better in modern coin counters, so they’re minting round coins now. Bummer.
Fretful Porpentine, there’s little to argue with about your impeccable taste in American coins. The Walking Liberty half was one of the most beautiful coins ever to leave our mints. The similarity of the American Eagle is what makes me like it so much. The reverse of the Eagle can’t hold a candle to the half’s though.
At one point a $20.[sup]00[/sup] gold piece design was submitted to Congress. It was rejected because bankers feared that the obverse’s high relief would prevent the coins from stacking neatly. Can you imagine what those beauties must have looked like? There were a few dozen of them made and they are insanely rare.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine…here’s a picture of one. It was designed by Augustus St. Gaudens, one of the most celebrated American sculptors of his day. There were a lot more than a few dozen made, as well–they were a regular-issue coin between 1907 and 1933. Sadly, most of them were melted down for bullion after the US went off the gold standard in '33. Before the St. Gaudens $20 piece was issued, there were the Liberty Head “double eagles”, made between 1849 and 1907.
Old-style silver dollars are great. If our government ever sees fit to try and mint a dollar coin, they need to make it bigger and heavier than a half dollar. Why they don’t realize this, I do not know. I really wondered about the Sacajawea dollar, and it’s vaunted “golden color.”
Duh. Not only does every dip on the planet KNOW it isn’t real gold, but the damn things turn the exact same color as an elderly penny after a few weeks of riding around in people’s pockets.
Basically, we have here a fake gold dollar that becomes something resembling a giant penny after a short time in use.
DUH! And someone in our government thought this was a good idea…
I also have in my possession a silver Mexican peso, minted 1938. Beautiful piece of work. I love the thing. Ghod only knows how many pesos it’s worth right now, but I wouldn’t part with it.
Duke, the one I was told about never made it into regular circulation. Its design was stillborn because of the stacking issue. Evidently, a few congressmen pocketed some of the samples and these are the few that come up for the rare sale.
