Missing parts, old obsolete coins, and the Uniteu States

[Rocco]

I have recently been enthralled with US coinage from 1793-1899. Particularly obsolete coins like the half dime, half cent, large cent, and two cent coins.
A common flaw I’ve noticed is incomplete D letters that look like a U. Example below

Coin die making technology improved a lot after 1900 and missing sections of letters or distorted details pretty much disappeared along with “classic coins”

Some of my recent favorite coin types have been old large copper minted from 1793-1857.
Here are a few examples I own
1828 Half cent

1851 large cent

1865 Two cent (it’s my two cents! lol)

 

[AuAL]

Coins were not minted in Australia until 1853. In the early days of the colony, the major currency was rum. It is very difficult to find examples of this in mint condition.

 

[Outdated]

Coins were not minted in Australia until 1853.

We didn't start minting our own coins until 1910, before that we used several different currencies from around the world including the British Pound and the US Dollar as well as a few European currencies.

Coins of Australia - Wikipedia

In the early days of the colony, the major currency was rum. It is very difficult to find examples of this in mint condition.

All sorts of different things were used to barter instead of relying on foreign currency, and rum was quite popular.

That's how the Rum Jungle south of Darwin got it's name. A wagon train of rum got lost on it's way to Darwin at the beginning of the wet season. The wagons got hopelessly bogged and the entire crew was stuck there. Search and rescue efforts finally found them 6 months later, but by that time they'd eaten most of the bullocks and there was no rum left.

 

[AuAL]

The first coin “minted” in Australia was in 1852 - the “Adelaide pound”. Technically illegal because it was issued without British approval, it was a “coin” minted in Australia. In 1855 the Sydney mint was opened as a branch of Britain’s Royal Mint, making sovereigns that included “Australia” in the design. The first “Commonwealth” coins were, indeed, minted in 1910, after the Commonwealth was proclaimed in 1901, and the Commonwealth Coinage act of 1909.

 

[oregano]

The 2025 American one cent coin could become valuable if current orders to stop minting after 2025 go through. I am thinking of buying a "proof set" of 2025 USA coinage from the US Mint in anticipation of the elimination of the one cent coin. Apparently bags of 2025 one cents are going for quite a bit of money on Ebay as people try to find errors in minting that could drastically increase the future value of a specific coin.

As for antique coins, I really like the "Peace Dollar" minted in the late 1920s. I like the Art Deco modernistic design. The "Buffalo Nickel" five cent coin is also a favorite.

 

[oregano]

Coins were not minted in Australia until 1853. In the early days of the colony, the major currency was rum. It is very difficult to find examples of this in mint condition.

That reminds me of the American colonization of California. The draw was gold. The currency in a lot of areas was gold dust, or small aggregated flakes of gold. Miners would carry a leather satchel of gold dust, and items were bought via "pinches" of dust. Men with large fingers were highly sought after as counter clerks and bartenders.