Over the course of the last few months at home we’ve had a project on the go to sort out the loft or attic and get it boarded out. Trying to get anything up or down was nightmare and consisted of random acts of skill balancing on rafters being mindful not to put a foot through the ceiling. While sorting through the boxes of stuff I found a little box which contained a few coins that I had found in my car when taking it apart ready for the restoration. To be honest I had forgotten about them and decided to get them in a little frame, just because I can. The framers we use isn’t far away from us and I took the coins there to be mounted and get a nice frame to match the coins. I wanted black background and silver frame to match the coins, which turned out to be more difficult that I had imagined, as many frame styles had been discontinued. Before you get on my case and say “don’t clean old coins”. I don’t care, they buffed up really nice with bit of polish which is how I wanted them. I’m not getting rid of them due to their sentimental value to me. Their condition isn’t the best as half dollar was found under the seat, the 1976 Dime was found wedged in the seat track, hence the damage on the head, the other dime was under the back seat if I remember correctly.

The phone call came to pick the coins up a couple of weeks later. There were three coins which had been set into a single cut mount on a black velvet like card (for maximum contrast), and double low reflection picture glassed so I could see the front and backs of the coins. Trying to photograph a very black mount with a shiny silver coin was much harder than I thought it would be. With that in mind, forgive the random colours of the ‘black’ mount not being quite as black as it should be.

The coins are 1964 Half Dollar, 1976 One Dime and 1984 One Dime. While I was looking to add some research to the coins I learned that the coin collecting market is a minefield where condition is everything. Mine now being cleaned and one with a damaged head on the 1976 Dime doesn’t make them worth a lot now. However, both the Half Dollar and my edition of the ’76 Dime are rare to own, so I’m lead to believe.

Something that I hadn’t noticed before was that the front and backs of the coins are upside down to each other. Originally, the US Mint wanted to differentiate their coins from their medals, as the medals’ faces are struck with the same orientation as they are supposed to be worn, and therefore when rotated, still show an upright image.

Did you know?

By law, US coin designs must give “an impression emblematic of liberty.”

The USA, as a nation, are well known for being one of the most patriotic countries in the world. They uphold strong values of liberty and freedom, from everyday life to sporting events and even on their coinage! As a result of this, US coin designers are legally required to display an impression emblematic of liberty in their coin designs.

The coinage act of 1792, establishing the U.S. Mint, made defacing, counterfeiting, or embezzling of coins by Mint employees punishable by death.

The death penalty is still legal in 31 US states and the coinage act of 1792 is still in place today. This states that any Mint employee caught defacing, counterfeiting or embezzling coins can be, in theory, sentenced to death. Whether or not this would be upheld in today’s court of law is debatable.

Origin of the term “buck” (One Dollar)

This well-known slang term for an American dollar is thought to have originated in the early US frontier days when the hide of a male deer (a buck) was common currency, due to the scarcity of coinage. The term has since been adopted into everyday language.

The U.S. Mint’s coin production has grown over 131,000,000% since production first started in 1793.

The US Mint’s operation has grown and advanced greatly since the first mintage in 1972, when production consisted of 11,178 copper cents. Today the Mint produces an average of 14.7 million coins per day. The first mint in Philadelphia actually used horses to drive the machinery, obviously with today’s modern techniques are used and  greater numbers of coins can be produced.

1964 Silver Half Dollar:

The United States Mint struck 156,205,446 1964-D Kennedy Half Dollars at its Denver Mint facility. Production began on January 30, 1964. The Denver Mint held an official “ceremonial striking” on February 11. The coin was first issued on March 24. This was the only circulation-quality 90% silver Kennedy Half Dollar issued by the U.S. Mint.

The Kennedy half dollar, first minted in 1964, is a fifty-cent coin issued by the United States Mint. Intended as a memorial to the assassinated 35th president of the United States John F. Kennedy, it was authorized by Congress just over a month after his death. Use of existing works by Mint sculptors Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro allowed the dies to be prepared quickly, and striking of the new coins began in January 1964. The United States Mint struck 156,205,446 1964-D Kennedy Half Dollars at its Denver Mint facility. You can see the mint “D” is to the left of the stalk of the olive branch in the eagle’s right claw.

The silver coins were hoarded upon their release by collectors and those interested in a memento of the late President. Although the Mint greatly increased their production, the denomination was seldom seen in circulation. The continued rises in the price of silver increased the coin’s hoarding – many early Kennedy half dollars have been melted down just for their silver content which is a shame as it’s an amazing coin to look at.

Starting with 1965-dated coins, the percentage of fine silver was reduced from 90% to 40% (silver clad), but even with this change the coin still saw little circulation. In 1971, silver was eliminated entirely from the half dollar. Though production increased, the clad coin saw only a moderate increase in circulation; by 1980, usage had gradually fallen to the point where the half was only occasionally seen in circulation.

Obverse

Portrait of John F. Kennedy to the left, date below.

Reverse

Modified presidential seal of the United States of America: A shield (with vertical stripes) on the chest of an American eagle. The eagle holds an olive branch on its right talon and a bundle of thirteen arrows on its left, and in its beak a scroll with “E PLURIBUS UNUM”. A circle of stars surrounds the eagle.

There are some rare versions of this coin where the President’s hair was proofed to look different said to have been on the request of Jackie Kennedy and later changed again. Those rare coins can command considerable money.

1976 One Dime

The first Roosevelt dimes appeared in 1946, a few months after the President passed away from Polio. For the first twenty years of production the coins were made of silver. Since 1965, these coins were made of cupronickel, and that stayed the same until 1976. The interesting data is that dimes are still the smallest and thinnest American coins.

You can see the portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, serving as the 32nd US President, on the obverse looking to the left. Sinnock did his best to emphasize depicted facial and hair details. There were 1,268,132,504 minted this year, 568,760,000 were minted by Philadelphia and released into circulation.

Obverse

The portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt facing left, the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 to his death in 1945, accompanied by the motto: “IN GOD WE TRUST” and surrounded with the lettering “LIBERTY”.

Reverse

Ahead of the motto “E • PLU RIB US • U NUM”, an olive branch, a torch, and an oak branch symbolize respectively peace, liberty, and victory and are surrounded with the face value and the lettering “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”

My particular edition doesn’t have the “D” minting mark which makes it a date from 1965 to 1979.

1984 One Dime

The design of this coin hasn’t changed from the 1976 so the details are the same apart from the number produced 856,669,000.

Obverse

The portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt facing left, the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 to his death in 1945, accompanied by the motto: “IN GOD WE TRUST” and surrounded with the lettering “LIBERTY”.

Reverse

Ahead of the motto “E • PLU RIB US • U NUM”, an olive branch, a torch, and an oak branch symbolize respectively peace, liberty, and victory and are surrounded with the face value and the lettering “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”

The previous owner had lost the coins in the car, within the interior. It would be nice to think that the Half Dollar was around at the time in ’66 when my car was purchased and had been in the car since then. The Dimes are still in circulation today and they could have been lost any year. The ’76 coin was wedged in the seat track and the seat wouldn’t move, hence the damage to the coin. Like I said earlier, the sentimental value is immeasurable to me, especially as they Half Dollar is so close to the year of my car being made. Not quite Ford Mustang memorabilia, although there is a very tenuous link. The Half Dollar was also released in the same year as the Mustang was launched in April 1964. I’m pleased with how the coins and frame has come out. Although I would have liked the frame to have been smaller, unfortunately it was the minimum size they could make with that particular type of frame. The silver frame which I wanted was sourced just for me as a special order.

Has anybody else found something in their cars like this, let me know if you have, or was I just lucky?