Volume I · Twenty entries from the Whitman canon
Series One is the first of five releases that will work through all 100 entries from Whitman's canonical reference — twenty of the most consequential coins in American numismatic history, authored card by card by past A.N.A. president Jeff Garrett.
For more than two decades, Whitman Publishing's 100 Greatest United States Coins has been the definitive ranking of America's most significant coinage. Now in its sixth edition, the book was authored by Jeff Garrett — past president of the American Numismatic Association, professional numismatist, and one of the most respected voices in the field.
Every Minted Legends card draws its rank, its imagery, and its narrative directly from Garrett's source material. The card you hold is a faithful tribute to the entry in the book.
Presented chronologically — from the Mint's first coin in 1792 to the storied 1933 Double Eagle — each entry bears its rank in the 100 Greatest list, the year and name of the coin, and Garrett's notes on what makes it consequential.
The first coin struck by the United States Mint. About 1,500 were produced from silver bullion reportedly supplied by George Washington himself, and tradition holds that Martha Washington was the model for the Liberty portrait — a piece of American origin story rendered in silver.
A radical experimental pattern. Rather than mint a massive copper cent carrying a full cent's worth of metal, the Mint inserted a small silver plug into a smaller copper planchet — solving the intrinsic-value problem with elegance. Roughly 14 specimens are known to survive.
The first quarter dollar struck by the United States Mint, and the lowest-mintage early quarter ever produced. Only 6,146 were struck before the denomination was suspended for nearly a decade. Few survive in any meaningful condition.
Among the great American gold rarities, with only a handful of examples confirmed. The "Plain 4" variety is believed to have been struck later from original dies, joining a small constellation of pieces that have never circulated and have never been common.
A War of 1812–era rarity. Just 635 were struck, and only eleven are known to exist today. Most American gold of this era was melted abroad — making any survivor extraordinary, and an 1815 half eagle a singular prize.
A striking variety with twelve obverse stars rather than the standard thirteen — a die anomaly that yielded one of the period's most coveted rarities. Fewer than ten specimens are known, traded almost exclusively among advanced collectors.
The first U.S. silver dollars produced since 1804, and among the most beautiful coins ever struck by the Mint. Gobrecht's seated Liberty would go on to define American silver coinage for half a century — beginning with these striking, sparingly issued pieces.
Long believed to be a Proof-only issue, recent research suggests some specimens are genuine circulation strikes. Between fifteen and eighteen pieces are known. The romantic nickname is attributed to dealer Abe Kosoff, who handled several examples between the 1940s and 1970s.
A first-year San Francisco gold issue with a tiny mintage of just 246 pieces. Few examples survive in any grade, and the coin stands as one of the foundational rarities of the western Mint era.
A short-lived reverse design by Mint engraver Anthony Paquet was recalled almost immediately for technical reasons — but not before a quantity of double eagles slipped into circulation from San Francisco. Most were used or melted; survivors are among the great American gold rarities.
A transitional rarity from the year the Mint quietly removed the rays from the Shield Nickel's reverse. A handful of Proofs were struck retaining the original design — a small, technical issue that turned into one of the great Proof rarities of the era.
The first year of the Carson City Mint, struck for circulation in the high desert and shipped across the West. About fifty are known of the approximately 3,789 produced — making it the keystone issue of the entire Carson City double eagle series.
Possibly unique. Tradition holds that one of two specimens struck was placed in the cornerstone of the new San Francisco Mint when it was laid in 1870. If true, the second known specimen is the only one collectors can ever own.
The most mysterious U.S. silver issue. Only five examples are known, all Proofs — and none appears in any official Mint record. The coins surfaced years after the Trade Dollar series had ended, leaving collectors and historians to speculate ever since.
Only twenty-four were struck; nine are known to survive. Legend has it that San Francisco Mint superintendent John Daggett gave three to his young daughter, Hallie — who is said to have spent one of them on ice cream. The romance and the rarity have made the 1894-S a singular American coin.
Mint records show 880 Proofs and 12,000 business strikes — but not one of the business strikes has ever surfaced. The Proof issue therefore stands as the only available 1895 Philadelphia dollar, earning it the standing title "King of Morgans" among set collectors.
Theodore Roosevelt's "pet crime." Commissioned to beautify American coinage, Saint-Gaudens designed it with extraordinary sculptural relief — so high it required three strikes per coin and proved unsuitable for circulation. About 11,250 were produced before the design was flattened for mass production.
The most famous "key date" in twentieth-century American coinage. Only 484,000 were struck before the public outcry over Brenner's prominently displayed initials forced their removal. Generations of collectors have chased it ever since.
A celebrated overdate variety produced when a 1917 die was repurposed for 1918 at the Denver Mint, leaving traces of the earlier date visible beneath the new. One of American numismatics' most beloved errors, hunted in every roll for over a century.
The most valuable coin ever sold at auction. 445,500 were struck before President Roosevelt's 1933 gold recall — and nearly all were melted in the vaults before release. Only one specimen is legally permitted in private hands. It last changed hands in 2021 for $18,872,250.