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Why are Slugs not called Half Unions?
Zoins
Posts: 33,910 ✭✭✭✭✭
$50 gold coins are generally called slugs but $50 gold patterns are generally called half unions.
- Why are the coins called slugs and not half unions?
- Why are the patterns called half unions and not slugs?
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The half union was a U.S. Mint pattern that was struck in 1877. The "slug" or California $50 gold piece was a private issue which had a semi-official status if it was once struck in the early 1850s by The U.S. assay office in San Francisco. The slug was struck in a different era before the concept of the "union" and "half union" was conceived.
Why aren't they called Quintuple Eagles?
Why aren't 1 oz. gold eagles called Half Unions?
Why are gold eagles called eagles when an eagle is a $10 gold coin? Shouldn't only the quarter ounce AGE be called an eagle at all?
And if silver eagles are silver eagles, why aren't Morgan or Peace Dollars silver eagles?
So many questions before my morning coffee?
You just gave me a HUGE headache...................and I already had one cup.
Pete
They were called several things, including quintuple eagles, quints, adobes, slugs, ingots (they were basically considered only so much gold in coin shape, witness the open --D--C on the earliest $50 varieties, leaving the possibility of odd dollars and cents amounts to be entered). See the Redbook, page 391 in the 2017 edition.
Also. The American Silver Eagle is a design, not a denomination. That's why Morgans or Peace aren't. They are dollars. ASEs are dollars of a different design.
Kind regards,
George
thank you, but it was a joke.
Althougn morgan and peace dollars have eagles on them. In fact the design element are the same: liberty obverse, eagle reverse
Do questions such as this keep people awake nights??
Honestly, such things do not even occur to me...While coins are super important to me, I have so many other things to do, I just do not have time to ponder the imponderable.... 
Cheers, RickO
From the Red Book, "... was known variously as a slug, quintuple eagle, or five-eagle piece. It was officially termed an ingot."
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
Apparently they were but it seems something changed to make the term less popular.
I agree with ricko. Some people are trying a little too hard. Collecting coins is very important in my life, but these questions would never occur to me.
Everyone collects their own way. Learning is a big part of numismatics. Here specifically, some may like etymology while others don't.
There are some great answers and info above! I personally am thankful for the posters above and the Red Book for trying hard
having these questions come across my plane of thought is one thing, spending any energy or time to figure them out is another.
Some people need more fresh air and sunshine ....
Kind regards,
George
I'm surprised some people are raining on this thread. Asking questions about history or etymology is a great way to explore numismatics. I joked around on this thread, but I actually found the basic information that came out on the thread to be interesting.