1909-1958 Lincoln Cents, 2014 $1 Silver American Eagle & 2003 $2 Currency Note Set

Lincoln Cent:
The idea of striking an image of a past president on a circulating coin in the United States ignited a controversy in 1909. The act of honoring the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth by etching his likeness into the American cent directly violated a long-standing tradition in American coinage. Many believed that the custom established by George Washington of not using the images of presidents on circulating coins should be respected. Despite this resistance, the coin adopted the image of Lincoln and also the initials of the coin's designer, Victor D. Brenner. The relative prominence of the V.D.B. on the reverse of the coin led many to criticize the design. The initials were removed shortly thereafter but eventually returned in a more subtle form in 1918.

The coin debuted with a reverse featuring a pair of wheat ears encircling the words, "One Cent" and "United States of America". The term "Wheat Penny" derives from this reverse design. In 1959, to honor the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, a new reverse, designed by noted U.S. Mint Engraver, Frank Gasparro, replaced the original. The new reverse displayed a striking image of the Lincoln Memorial surrounded by the words, "One Cent" and "United States of America." This reverse design remained on the penny until 2009 when four new reverse images were introduced to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent. The four designs each honored a different stage of Lincoln's life and were released one at a time every three months over the course of the year.

American Eagle:
The United States Mint began the American Eagle coin program in 1986. American Eagles are struck each year in silver, gold, and, since 1997, platinum bullion. The Silver Eagle is only available in a $1 denomination. As genuine legal tender, it is the only silver bullion coin whose weight and purity are guaranteed by the United States Government. Each silver coin contains a minimum of one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver.

The Silver Eagle obverse features Adolph Weinman's classic "Liberty Walking" design which shows Lady Liberty mid-step, draped in the American flag with her right arm extended toward the sun and olive branches cradled in her left arm.

Eisenhower Dollar:
A provision in the Bank Holding Company Act of 1970 calling for the creation of a new dollar coin led to the design and production of the Eisenhower dollar, or "Ike" dollar. First struck in 1971, this coin featured on its obverse a superbly rendered profile of President Dwight D. Eisenhower by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver, Frank Gasparro. The reverse, also created by Gasparro, honored the first Moon Landing with a design inspired by the official Apollo 11 insignia. This dollar coin was the first to be minted and released since the end of the Peace Dollar production in 1935.

For the Bicentennial of the United States in 1976, the U.S. Mint held a contest and took submissions for reverse designs to be used on the Eisenhower Dollar for the celebratory year. An image by Dennis R. Williams featuring the Liberty Bell in front of the Moon was chosen to appear on the dollar coin. The dual date of 1776-1976 was added to the obverse.

Morgan Dollar:
An icon of the Old West and possibly the most popular coin in the history of the United States, the Morgan Silver Dollar continues to be a tremendous source of intrigue and inspiration for new and seasoned collectors alike. Designed by George T. Morgan, the coin debuted in 1878 and featured a depiction of Liberty on the obverse and an image of an eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch on the reverse.

Massive discoveries of precious metals in the American West during the mid to late 19th century, including the Comstock Lode, produced large amounts of silver bullion which began to drive down the Morgan Dollar's value. Those with vested interest in the price of silver appealed to the federal government for a solution to the falling market share of the coveted metal.

The result was the Bland-Allison Act of 1878 that sought to counteract the Coinage Act of 1873, also known as the Crime of '73, which demonetized silver and made gold the US currency standard. The US government approved the Bland-Allison Act to subsidize the silver industry through huge purchases of silver bullion to be minted into the Morgan Silver Dollar.

The Morgan Dollar was struck from 1878 until 1904. The design made a brief comeback in 1921 but was replaced by the Peace Dollar later that year.

Peace Dollar:
First issued in 1921, this United States one dollar silver coin succeeded the famous Morgan Dollar and featured a design by Anthony de Francisci. The armistice reached in the fall of 1918, putting an end to World War I, provided inspiration for the coin. The word "PEACE" found a home on the reverse of the design and bestowed upon the coin its name. The coin was minted from 1921-1928, then again in 1934 and 1935. The U.S. Mint brought the coin back briefly in the mid-1960s, but all Peace Dollars with the 1964 date were melted and never released into circulation.

The Peace Dollar was originally intended to be only a commemorative issue coin but fell into circulation in 1922. Its obverse features a profile of Liberty wearing a crown. The reverse shows an eagle perched on a rock near an olive branch while facing the rays of the sun.

Presidential Dollar:
The Presidential Dollar Program from the United States Mint ranged from 2007-2016. The Mint issues four coins per year with each coin honoring a different U.S. President. Presidents are featured in chronological order by term in office, beginning with George Washington. The obverse of the coin displays the image of a former U.S. President and changes with each release, while the reverse depicts the Statue of Liberty and remains constant for all strikes. The composition and dimensions of the Presidential Dollars mirror that of the Sacagawea Dollar in that they are golden in color, have a smooth edge, and feature a wide rim. The golden color is derived from layers of manganese brass covering a pure copper core.

Sacagawea Dollar:
When the Susan B. Anthony Dollar began circulation in 1979, it was often mistakenly identified as a quarter due to similar physical characteristics. As a result, it did not achieve widespread public acceptance. So to avoid the issues that prevented the success of the Susan B. Anthony Dollar, Congress passed the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997. This law stipulated that the next dollar coin should be golden in color, have a smooth edge, and feature a wider rim. These new attributes would allow the coin to be easily identified by sight or touch and distinguishable from other circulating coins.

Noted sculptor Glenna Goodacre's depiction of Sacagawea carrying her son, Jean Baptiste, won the favor of the DCDAC and became the obverse of the Golden Dollar. Sacagawea was the Native American Shoshone woman who acted as guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Because no known contemporary images of Sacagawea exist, artist Glenna Goodacre modeled the Sacagawea Dollar after a 22-year-old Shoshone woman.

The reverse of the coin was designed by U.S. Mint Engraver, Thomas D. Rogers, Sr., and shows an eagle in flight surrounded by 17 stars. Each star represents a state in the Union in 1804, the first year of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The golden color of the Sacagawea Dollar derives from layers of manganese brass covering a pure copper core.

Susan B. Anthony Dollar:
The Susan B. Anthony dollar began circulation in 1979 amid much anticipation. Criticism quickly met the newly struck coin, though, as it was often mistakenly identified as a quarter due to similar physical attributes, such as the diameter and the reeded edge. As a result, the Sacagawea Dollar replaced the SBA Dollar.

Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint, Frank Gasparro, sculpted the likeness of pioneer women's rights campaigner, Susan B. Anthony for the obverse of the coin. This marked the first occasion that a woman, other than a representation of Liberty, appeared on a United States coin. Gasparro also produced the modified Apollo 11 insignia motif for the reverse of the coin.