2009 Native American Dollar

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Dollar coins are easy enough to come by when using the Metrocard vending machines but to avoid the bulky change and possible empty return slots I just use exact change on all vending machines. So when I got this dollar coin in regular change I was shocked in several ways.

First the coin was a 2009 Native American design, second it was being circulated, and third I got the correct change.

Starting from the reintroduction of the dollar coin in 1999:
1999 saw the Susan B. Anthony, I found a 1999-P.
2000-2008 saw the regular Sacagewea, I found a 2000-P and 2001-P.
2007-2016 will see the Presidential series, I found a 1st, 3rd, 5th, & 6th all P.
2009-???? will see a new Native American design each year, I found 2009-P.

So out of the 42 dollar coin that were released for circulation ( yes I'm including certain Sac dollars that were not officially released but sold through direct shipping programs) from both mints I have found 8. Granted for a while I kept finding 2000 & 2001 dollars by the handful. Today they are rare and too ugly to keep. I'm left wondering is a 19% (8/42) finding rate a good or bad sign. Imagine adding the varieties and uncirculated types.

They switched the date to the edge along with the E PLURIBUS UNUM and 13 stars.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar-Native American / United States
Year: 2009 P (Edge normal)
Mintage: 37,800,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, and 2% Nickel
Value: $1.00 in F-12

The Law
20% of all dollar coins must be the Native American design for all years that the presidential coins are made. Each Native American dollar must feature an aspect of Native American culture.

This one is Agriculture. Specifically the Three Sisters way of planting also known as companion planting. Pictured is a native farmer planting her beans in the same mound as corn and squash. The corn grows in poor soil and then the squash grows underneath providing shade and weed protection. The beans then grow around the corn stalks as a vine returning nitrogen to the soil. This relationship is so successful you can grow more and healthy crops.

Do you have a dollar coin and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2009 Formative Years in Indiana Cent

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Well the 2009 coins seem to be coming in by the bunch. I guess the local banks called the federal bank for some new change plus the have increased production since the Birthplace cent.

The four Lincoln cents designed for 2009 are meant to show an aspect of his life.

• Birthplace: Birth and early childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816)
• Formative Years in Indiana (1816-1830)
• Professional Life in Illinois (1830-1861)
• Presidency in Washington, D.C. (1861-1865)

All the early 2009 coins seem to be in low circulation and the Philadelphia minted also seem to be scarce. Still I did get this dirty little cent in my change recently.

Lincoln is shown reading and rail splitting. Stories told of him had him always carrying a book and an axe around during is teen years. I completely expected Lincoln to be wielding an axe as those are the stories I've heard from his early life. I suspect it was a politically correct decision in designing this coin to show no pointy tools out of concerns it may be seen as a weapon. As a young man he would have done plenty of rail splitting in this manner so it is historically accurate.

Still a very nice design, of course in hand it looks better.

I also found a 1956-D cent but I posted about it before so why rehash since this one is more scratched than the other.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 2009 (Rail Splitter)
Mintage: 376,000,000 (estimated)
Metal: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Value: $0.01 in VF-20

Allegedly they will make a full copper version with pre-1982 composition so it is possible that some interesting errors may exist so investing in a scale may not be a bad idea.

The spots likely came from the mint as they wash them during the annealing process or after pressing or just to ruin a nice coin and so I would be forced to get a roll at the mint at 16 times face value.

Update: While checking my change I saw an Illinois quarter and notice the same lack of an axe. Check out this proof version from Wikipedia.

Lincoln is carrying an axe but again it is not shown, just a portion of the handle.

Based on this statue from the New Salem Historical site in Petersburg, Illinios.

At least in the statue the axe is clearly visible and in his other hand is a law book. Honestly would anyone make comparisons to an axe-wielding maniac. I think we can distinguish a weapon from a tool. The statue was made to show he was discarding his axe an picking up law books to start a new path in life.

Update: Possible 2009P-1DR-011, $2.00 in very fine.

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Tiny

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Small change means just nickels and pennies but this piece I found on a seat at a store is something completely different. It looks like a buffalo nickel, it's metallic, and stamped 1938 but the size is way off.

A little investigation helped me find out what I really had.

Using my caliper I measured it to be 3/8 inches or 9.525 millimeters compare that to the
normal buffalo at 21.20 mm. The dateless buffalo I found, pictured above,is 21.03 mm which is slightly smaller because it is very worn.

It weighs 0.85 grams compared to a normal 5.00 gram buffalo nickel.
It is not magnetic but made of some type of metal.

Looking at the back it has old glue. A very clear and flaky glue. That confirmed my theory that it was part of some jewelry. It could not be a button because it was too small. A quick Google search of all the parameters of this fake coin I found this seller of earrings.

At $7.00 a pair you can get tiny coin earrings from all major circulating U.S. issues from tellmewhereonearth. com.

A bit odd is for $4.00 you can get the tiny coin itself, so why not buy the earrings rip off the post and have two tiny coins.

The fake coin is very well done for its size and made of a metal that is not aluminum which is not bad.

I estimate a retail value of $3.00 since I can easily scrape the rest of the glue off with out any damage. No numismatic value since this is at least art at most exonumia. Even though at bizarrefun.com they sell miniature, or as they spell it minature, coins as low as $0.50 each. They don't have any Indian heads but even at wholesale the value is still worth more than a nickel.

Do you have a weird coin and want to find out its value? Leave a comment and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Canada 1982 Cent

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For years I've been getting Canadian coins in my change and for the most part I am happy to see them but a recent inventory has been eye opening.

Not counting recent finds and purchases I have pulled out about 525 Canadian coins (C$25.61) from my American change. Back in November of 2005 I reported about 300 Canadian finds meaning in four years I gained about 225 more.

What is a person to do?
James UK has a similar situation with 223 Euros totaling €30.70. A simple universal Coinstar machine would be helpful. I understand each coin needs its own weight, magnetic, and specific gravity sensor but at least one Super-Coinstar in the worlds major cities NY, London, Paris, et al.

How about smelting them?
I would love to have some copper bars. Pretty sure I can get the temperature needed but this just maybe a violation of the apartment's lease.

Throw them back into circulation?
Sure simple enough with all the commemorative coins floating around no one would notice. Unfortunately there is a good chance I'll be getting the back next time I get more change.

Art, brother, can you make something groovy?
I do have access to the college's manufacturing equipment but these coins are too small.

Day trip?
True, I know some friends who take summer jobs up in Canada and I can visit them and act like a big shot by paying for everything in Canadian money. At $0.90 to the U.S. Dollar it may be worth it to just step over the border and buy some groceries and come back.

Stare at this coin and if any inspiration hits you feel free to leave a comment.


Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1982
Mintage: 876,036,898
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

Side note: Any changes or weirdness to this blog is an attempt to update the style and make it better. Feel free to leave a comment if something goes wrong or any improvements my simple brain can actually make.

Do you have a Canadian cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you

1944 Lincoln, Wheat Ears Reverse

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Half all of the traffic to this blog are inquiries about the 1944 U.S. Cent. I've posted it about in the past and still most visitors disregard the entry and still ask if the coin is super-valuable.

I'm truly sorry but it's not.

Even if you were to find one in Mint State 65, no trace of wear, barely noticeable blemishes, and full red color, it would only be worth $3.00 in retail and $0.50 average buyer's price.


Finding this well circulated 1944 cent in my change marked the 20th time I found this particular coin. The only reason I don't put it back in circulation is over fears I'll find it again. There are 14 known Doubled Die Obverses and 3 Doubled Die Reverses all hold a small premium. There are some made from the 1943 steel blanks worth thousands and other off-metal errors worth a lot.

Here's the stat...
Year: 1944
Mintage: 1,435,400,000
Metal: 95% copper 5% zinc
Value: G-4 $0.02 or VF-20 $0.10 or EF-40 $0.20

Still if you have question about this coin feel free to ask. I understand that finding a 65 year old coin is still something special.

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2009 is Finally Here

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145 days into the year and I finally get a 2009 coin. Friends and family members who just collect state and territorial quarters have found every current design including the D.C. quarter. I on the other hand haven't seen anything new since Alaska, Hawaii escapes me.

Unlike most I was in favor of adding the U.S. territories to the state quarter program but the addition of National parks for the next 11 years is just ridiculous. In 2004 Daniel Carr made the following design which I think is better than the one that is currently used. His other design were good enough to made for New York and Rhode Island.

Compare it now to the design chosen by a Puerto Rican Commission.

Nice enough but no coquí.

On the circulating coin "Isle of Enchantment" is written in Spanish "Isla del Encanto" above the Puerto Rican hibiscus, Puerto Rico's state flower. The building is the Sentry Box at San Cristobal Fort, El Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

All people from Puerto Rico have been U.S. citizens since 1917 and the island became a territory in 1952. By 1998 America asked for an indefinite extension before allowing Puerto Rico to become independent or a new state.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents-Puerto Rico / United States
Year: 2009P
Mintage: 53,200,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

I would add that the mintage is about 1/8th the normal mintage and other coins this year follow a similar low production.

Do you have a special quarter and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.