History class has given me a new appreciation of coins...

kiyote

We're studying about the history of labor in the US--- That Morgan dollar you have was equal to about 14 hour's worth of hellish work to a 14 year old kid in a Virginia coal mine! Not that many of them made actual U.S. cash-- a lot were paid in script that could only be redeemed at the coal mining company stores. The mining company owned the stores, the ramshackle homes the miners lived in, they had heavy influence on the church (Blessed are the poor!) and the local Sheriff's dept was basically just an arm of the corporation.

The Howard Zinn books are great-- I like hearing about the history of people like me-- commoners, not just about President Fattyhead and his rich family. Seeing what wages were earned by seamstress girls in sweatshops really opens your eyes to what a 1920 Mercury was to people back then.

sumnom

Ah, the good Dr. Zinn. I doubt you will find many here that subscribe to his point of view. I read some of his work in my high school history class. Rousing stuff!

lordmarcovan

Johnny Atha, the man from whom I stole the Holey Coin Vest idea, had a holey coin shirt. On it were some old coal company scrip tokens. He said he wore them on his holey coin shirt in sympathy for the workers who were once paid with them. I believe he might've said some of his ancestors had worked in the mines.

I think we had Zinn books in my old US history class in high school. The name rings a bell.

It definitely puts things in perspective to think of what somebody had to do to earn a Morgan dollar or other coin back in the olden days. Now a collector of Roman coins, I often like to think of what one of my silver denarii would have bought.

Take this denarius, in particular, which I just got recently. It's from the emperor Tiberius, who reigned from 14-37 AD, during the lifetime and crucifixion of Christ, and is believed by many to be the "tribute penny" mentioned in the Bible.





<< <i>Jesus, referring to a "penny" asked, "Whose is this image and superscription?" When told it was Caesar, He said, ''Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:20-21). Since Tiberius was Caesar at the time, this denarius type is attributed by scholars as the "penny" referred to in the Bible. >>



It was a pretty good chunk of change in its day. Imagine how many dried fish or loaves of bread or amphorae of wine or olives it might have bought.

That sense of history is to me what coin collecting is all about. I also enjoy coins for their designs and artistry, but the history's the #1 thing with me.

Zoins

A little while ago US Mint wages were posted from the early part of the 20th Century. A $20 Saint at face value would be about one week of the average worker's pay. The interesting thing is that a 1oz AGE at spot is about one week of an average worker's pay today.

BlindedByEgo

I like the part about the rat bastidge corporations. Nothing much ever changes, huh?

lordmarcovan

<< <i>A little while ago US Mint wages were posted from the early part of the 20th Century. A $20 Saint at face value would be about one week of the average worker's pay. The interesting thing is that a 1oz AGE at spot is about one week of an average worker's pay today. >>



It is kind of funny how some things stay relatively the same.

Overdate

A little while ago US Mint wages were posted from the early part of the 20th Century. A $20 Saint at face value would be about one week of the average worker's pay. The interesting thing is that a 1oz AGE at spot is about one week of an average worker's pay today.

Before or after taxes?

RWB

There weren't any taxes until 1913 - and then most folks did not have to pay

commoncents05

I remember Howard Zinn- he was the author of my AP US History book. It was a very interesting course and I learned a lot. I found it interesting at the time how much collecting coins helped me in the class, I already knew about most presidents, the gold debate in the late 1800's, etc.

-Paul

ricko

Coins are history, be they classics or moderns. From Roman coins to ASE's, they represent their period in time. Our modern coinage, as poor as it is, still reflects attitudes and issues of contemporary life. The precious metals represent an attempt to make an artistic statement for period. The Presidential and Hags reflect the craze of political correctness... the Sacagawea reflects a political effort to assuage guilt and recognize a piece of our history. The SBA was a PC mollification for the feminists. And so on.... Cheers, RickO

ebaytrader

<< <i>There weren't any taxes until 1913 - and then most folks did not have to pay >>




Funny, as that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Pentimento

<< <i>A little while ago US Mint wages were posted from the early part of the 20th Century. A $20 Saint at face value would be about one week of the average worker's pay. The interesting thing is that a 1oz AGE at spot is about one week of an average worker's pay today. >>



average weekly full-time wage (2nd quarter 2007) -- $690



<< <i> remember Howard Zinn- he was the author of my AP US History book. >>



Me too. My teacher was always saying "Don't forget your Zinn reading!"

Zoins

<< <i>Coins are history, be they classics or moderns. From Roman coins to ASE's, they represent their period in time. Our modern coinage, as poor as it is, still reflects attitudes and issues of contemporary life. The precious metals represent an attempt to make an artistic statement for period. The Presidential and Hags reflect the craze of political correctness... the Sacagawea reflects a political effort to assuage guilt and recognize a piece of our history. The SBA was a PC mollification for the feminists. And so on.... Cheers, RickO >>

I would say Sacagawea and SBA fall under political correctness. Modern commems such as the Jamestown commem with a female woman Indian and the Little Rock Nine commem may also fall under political correctness. With the Jamestown commem, old school design may have just put historically prominent Englishman with a historically prominent Indian leader. As it is, there are some non-descript people on it. The Little Rock Nine one is to affirm civil rights and should be commemorated but it is also PC.

Sacagawea and the Return to Monticello also fall under political lobbying.

I would not necessarily say the Presidential and Hags fall under political correctness as there are many non-PC Presidents. The coins might fall under making money from collectors or education.