Liberty Head surrounded by thirteen stars and the date
The half eagle was the first gold coin actually struck for the United States. The $5 piece was authorized to be coined by the Act of April 2, 1792 and the first type weighed 135 grains, 0.9167 fineness. The Act of June 28, 1834, changed the weight...
Indian Head, LIBERTY above, Date below, Thirteen Stars
This coin was part of the new incuse designs by sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt. The obverse and reverse designs are the same as that of the quarter eagle except the FIVE DOLLARS designated on the reverse beneath the eagle.
The coin was minted from 1908...
Indian Head with Feathered Headdress, Thirteen Stars above, Date below
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, considered by many the greatest of modern sculptors, introduced a new high standard of art in United States coins evidenced by his eagle and double eagle types in 1907. The obverse of the eagle shows the head of Liberty...
During this period, Dionysios II (Dionysios the younger, son of Dionysios I) was the tyrant of Syracusa saw a decade of peace before his autocracy was challenged by his Uncle Dion, who won a brief, bloody civil war in 357 BC but was himself...
This coin was issued around 28 BC, and commemorates Octavian's recapture of the province of Asia. Victory holding a wreath symbolizes the recent victory, and the palm she carries offers the promise of peace subsequent to victory.
Prior to 27 BC,...
Flavius Honorius Augustus (383 - 423 AD) was the 2nd son of Theodosius I and Western Roman Emperor from 395 until his death in 423. When his father passed away in 395 AD, Honorius was given control over the Western part of the empire, and his...
Napoleon, NAPOLEONE IMPERATORE E RE around the edge, 1808 M under Napoleon
This coin was minted at Milan in the Kingdom of Napoleon. Napoleon was coronated on May 26, 1805 in Naples.
The edge of this coin is unique because it is engraved with the inscription "DIO PROTEGGE L'ITALIA", translated "God Protect Italy". The...
The obverse of this coin shows Umberto I. He was the duke of Savoy and king of Italy who led his country out of its isolation and into the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany. Umberto supported nationalistic and imperialistic policies...
This gold coin was struck in Russia by the last Czar - Nicholas II. He was very well educated, and considered to be one of the more intelligent of his contemporary European monarchs, but character flaws led to inconsistancy in his leadership. As a...
Head of Christian IX Facing Left encircled by CHRISTIAN IX 1905 DANSK VESTINDIEN
This coin features an image of Danish King Christian IX on the obverse (born 1818, ruled 1863–1906). He is called the grandfather or father-in-law of Europe since kings from his family came from Denmark, Norway, and Greece, a czarina of Russia,...
Caracalla was a Roman emperor who ruled from 211 - 217 AD. Caracalla is best known for his construction of the Baths of Caracalla, the ruins of which can still be seen outside Rome. He also passed the Constitutio Antoninia, which granted full Roman...
Caracalla was the Roman emperor from 209 to 217 AD. His actual birth name was Bassianus after his maternal grandfather but later was officially changed to Marcus Aurelius Antonisus by his father Severus since Severus declared himself the adopted...
This coin was minted by Emperor Lucius Septimus Severus and features his wife and Empress, Julia Domna on the obverse. The coin was minted in appreciation for Julia Domna's faithfulness to her husband, which included traveling with him in his...
This silver denarius shows Elagabalus on the obverse, and the reverse portrays Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck, seated and holding a rudder and cornucopiae. Under her seat is a wheel, representing the wheel of life, over which Fortuna was...
This Mexican coin was minted at the Mexico City mint in 1948.
The obverse shows Cuauhtemoc who was the nephew of Montezuma II, and the final leader of the Aztec Empire in the 1520's. When he was 25, he was elected to the post by a council of...
In 1967, Brazil introduced the cruzeiro novo, with one cruzeiro novo equaling one thousand "old" cruzeiros. The first coins were issued in denominations between 1 centavo and 1 cruzeiro. A few years later, in 1970, it was renamed simply cruzeiro.
This coin was minted in Denver, Colorado in 1946, just shortly after Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away. The nation was grieving for his death, and a coin with his image seemed to be an appropriate way to honor him. The late president had been...
In 1999, the United States Mint began their 50 States Quarter Program, which created a special designed coin to commemorate each individual state. The Program stated that five different designs would be issued from 1998 - 2008. The states were...
This coin, minted in Rome c. 213 AD, features Emperor Caracalla on the obverse, and Moneta on the reverse. Moneta was an epithet of Juno, and she was the goddess of money and funds. Coins were often minted in her temple.
Diademed, Draped, and Cuirassed Bust of Constantius II Facing Right
This coin was minted in Rome during the reign of Constantius II. The inscription on the reverse translates "Return of happy times," a common theme during the reign of Constantius II, who faced repeated opposition to his rule.
Constantius II was...
