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What is the most American coin?
Shamika
Posts: 18,785 ✭✭✭✭
My vote is the Buffalo nickel. What do you think?
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How about the 1792 Half Disme?
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I agree with the buffalo nickel.
Another vote for the Buffalo Nickel.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Many, how about the Lincoln cent.
Morgan Dollar
Absolutely the Buffalo nickel.
I think Saint-Gaudens double eagle.
No bad answers. I'll take the Franklin half.
I'm with the Buffalo Nickel followed by the Mercury Dime followed by the Walker Half.
The Oregon Trail commemorative coin with the Indian on one side and pioneers on the other side would be a good choice. This was a great idea for a thread topic by the way.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Do you mean the least political? That would be un-American
I vote anything that shows the eagle with olive branches and arrows - peace and strength are the hallmarks of our country
Good choices... I would nominate the Morgan Dollar... Liberty, Eagle, big silver....Cheers, RickO
Having traveled to many countries over the years, I would have to say the Lincoln Cent is the most American coin. Many people in foreign countries have shown me their collections, which always contained at least one Lincoln cent.
Another vote for the Buffalo nickel.
I think there are many that qualify. The buffalo, Oregon commem, Morgan, and early Bust Liberty examples all must surely qualify. Some of the modern Platinum bullion designs are also fantastic.
However, of all the US coins produced in the last 50 years, this one is particularly well done and uniquely American:
due to the Politically corrupt way in which it came into being I think the Morgan Dollar best represents the current view that many have of America.
Every picture (and handle) tells a story, don't it?
BuffaloIronTail
Gotta be the Morgan Dollar.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
any of the bust gold.
when i read the thread title, immediately i thought of the lincoln cent. i think it has to be the most American coin because of lincoln, plus there are billions of them on earth, and it's been into space.
great thread topic...btw...but should have been a poll.
Close call for me between the buffalo nickel and the Oregon Trail commemorative.
Could still be a poll once enough nominations are in.
Lincoln Cent
1909 to date - Can't beat that.
That's a strong contender in my mind, too. I'm probably in the minority here but I also think it's an excellent, well rendered coin. I also think the Oregon trail is a good choice, too. But the Buff 5c is still #1 with me.
Oregon Trail Half Dollar - it symbolizes the push westward, the realization of manifest destiny, victory over Britain, Mexico, the French, and the Indians, plus the assimilation of new territory. Frankly one of the greatest, most glorious conquests in world history.
As a matter of fact I have a complete set of Oregon Halves many dates 2-3 deep.
It's the mighty buffalo nickel. Of course it is, don't be ridiculous.
No coins says I'm from the USA like the buffalo nickel does.
This is a new pick up for me. I think I'll do a thread just on this piece. I purchased this one from manorcourtman and It's over the top with eye appeal, the way I collect.
Walking Liberty Half
I hate to disagree with Bryce, but none of the modern coins would even qualify.
It has to be the Buffalo Nickel hands down.
I think the mercury dime
Small but just looks like Americian as does the WLH
The Buffalo nickel is hard to beat. Is it the last design without "In God We Trust"?
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
It's hard to top the Buffalo nickel, but a good argument could be made for the $20 Saint, or even the Morgan dollar.
For me it is the Buffalo nickel followed closely by the Lincoln penny.
Donato
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Canada could have just as easily made the Buffalo Nickel.
The most "American" coin is likely the 1976 Ike dollar. It celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Moon landing and Eisenhower. Very American.
I like your answer and that it is a dollar also helps. But I disagree that Canada could have made a coin like the Buffalo nickel, mainly because they are bound to place the current monarch on the obverse.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
You have to be more specific. If you are talking about American ideals, then something like the Walking Liberty half dollar, with an allegorical Liberty striding toward the light/sun and a bold, strong Eagle--striving for peace but ready for war--make sense. If you are talking about America today, then any of the messed-up, ugly, modern, politically-correct, attempt-to-please-everybody-and-please-nobody coins would serve just fine.
I'm torn between the Morgan Dollar and and a double eagle based just purely on how I would see & perceive coins used through history, on TV and such, nice solid heavy coins......though I suspect not many avg people of the time got their hands on an eagle. Based on my age (56) I can't say the lincoln or buffalo nickel were ever very important to me.... on use alone it would have to be the Washington quarter for me.
@DIMEMAN
I'm not disagreeing with you. I think the buff is probably the "right answer." But, if you had to pick a modern design, I think the Sac dollar would be a strong contender. I'm a little biased as I have spent many fine days in the mountains around her birthplace.
I could pick the WLH, but the design is borrowed from the French semeuse design of Oscar Roty, and therefore not entirely American.
I think I would answer the question differently today than 5 or 10 years ago...
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Yes, that's true. Canada does have a claim on the bison along with the U.S., even tough they couldn't do the Buffalo nickel as we did because of that monarchy thing.
I'll go with the 1792 Half Disme, seeing it was the first coin struck in July of 1792 by the newly formed U.S. Mint. If I were David Rittenhouse, I would have struck 1792 pieces, not 1500, 1792 pieces would be more fitting, jmo.
The Peace dollar is a good choice too.
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Gosh, I like reading all the nominations, but my vote would be the buff nickel design that captures the majesty of native Americans and the plains sweeping herds of beasts that must have been awe inspiring.
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."
I agree the Lincoln cent. One of those is on MARS!!!
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As my avatar might suggest, the Buffalo 5c gets my vote
Thematically, and anthropologically, the buffalo nickel and oregon trail are excellent choices, while figuratively and allegorically speaking, the walking liberty half, St. Gaudens double eagle, and possibly the draped bust, heraldic eagle silver and gold coins of 1798-1807 would be my picks. Good answers all though
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Unquestionably the Buffalo nickel is the most American of coins.
I also like the Indian cent. Again an Indian, only this time a representation of Liberty, and very much a coin in use during the time the US went from being a regional power (as somewhat signified by the agricultural products on the reverse), to a Goliath on the World stage.
With regards to the Lincoln on Mars, it is a 1909 VDB (albeit harshly cleaned). However, if we're talking about far flung coinage with a shot at being called the most American of coins, the hands down winner would have to be Washingtons. There are two (State) Washingtons on the New Horizons probe that went by Pluto last year. The quarters were used to help balance the spacecraft, hence the use of two of them. Specifically the two States are Maryland, where the NASA facility (Goddard research center) overseeing New Horizon is located, and Florida, where New Horizons was launched from. Currently the VDB on Mars is ~ 34,000,000 miles away. The Washingtons on New Horizons are currently ~ 3,520,000,000 miles away, and moving away at about 36,400 miles an hour... roughly 11 miles a second,.
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