1917 Type I Standing Liberty quarter. MS-60 $230. This issue, designed by sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil, was first produced in 1916. Miss Liberty is portrayed as a goddess standing in an entryway, holding an olive branch for peace and a shield for preparedness. Her right breast is fully exposed. The Standing Liberty quarter has always been a favorite with collectors and was coined until the design was replaced by the Washington quarter in 1932, to observe the 200th anniversary of our first president's birth.
1942 Liberty Walking half dollar. MS-63 $50. I have selected this as an inexpensive example of the 1916-1947 design by Adolph A. Weinman, who also created the Mercury dime. Depicted on the obverse is Miss Liberty striding toward the sunset, wearing a star spangled cape. The reverse illustrates an eagle on a rocky crag with a pine branch. Perhaps no better testimonial to the beauty and endurance of this design can be given than by noting that in 1986 when the Treasury Department decided to issue silver bullion coins it could not find a better design than Weinman's old motif, and it was resurrected for further use. The Liberty Walking half dollar was produced during a very pivotal time in American history, an era which saw the entry of the United States into World War I, followed by the rollicking decade of the twenties, the Depression of the 1930s, World War II, 1942-1945, and the post-war years.
1979-P Anthony dollar. MS-63 $1.50 (but you can probably obtain one for the face value of $1 at your bank). The Anthony dollar represents an interesting coinage experiment of our own time - an experiment not far different from that of the short-lived 1875-1878 twenty-cent piece. From the outset the public confused the small-size Anthony dollars with quarters, as both seemed to be about the same diameter, especially if handled quickly in change. The Anthony dollar was a failure from the start. Hundreds of millions of them now are stored in Treasury vaults. Perhaps someday these will be avidly collected, as they deserve to be.
1907 Arabic numerals Saint-Gaudens gold double eagle. MS-63 $575. I have selected the style with Arabic numerals, which represents the first year of issue of the motif designed by one of America's most famous sculptors. There is something nice about owning a large, heavy, and impressive double eagle, and for my money the 1907 Arabic numerals Saint-Gaudens is a nice representative of the denomination. This coin is not inexpensive in the same sense that a 1942 Mercury dime or 1979 Anthony dollar is, but for an Uncirculated $20 double eagle it is among the cheaper varieties.
PCGS Coin Guide Table Of Contents
