» pattern coins

United States Pattern coins are varied and diverse, with mismatched designs and denominations, but display more of the artistic side of the U.S. engravers and mint officials. One cent patterns abound in different designs, like the Annular cent (left), but never made it to circulation status nor lofty mintages.

The Annular Cent is but one example, of the many different proposed designs for a new one cent coin. Furthermore, this created a rare and valuable market, and an alternative market for coin collectors that are not much inspired by the standard designs adopted for American Coinage.

The list of One Cent Patterns doesn’t stop at the Annular Cents, but also includes more familiar alterations of the Indian Cent, Flying Eagle Cent, and Braided Hair types, but also includes other unconventional, and not widely known types like the Shield One Cent, One Cent with the Three Cent Nickel Obverse, and the 1942 Centavo plastic planchet cent, to just name a few.

If you want to know more of these rare patterns, and see pictures, mintages and more information, visit our One Cent Patterns Guides. You will be surprised!

Design Your Own US Coins

Daniel Malone — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:42:30 +0000

Have you ever wanted to design your own US Coin, or a coin in honor of a special occasion? Well, it’s a fact that you can, thanks to a company called coinable.com, and you don’t need to know how to draw or learn anything about coin designing either!

They provide a Power Point coin template that you can easily download, providing you have Power Point software, and you can choose the size, color (gold or silver finishes) and use your own logo or picture. Of course, they can design the coin for you or help you with a design. All you do is send them an email or call them on the phone with your details.

They have three sizes to chose from: 1 9/16″ (40mm), 1 3/4″ (44mm), 2″ (51mm), and several metal finishes to chose from: Antique Bronze, Antique Copper, Antique Silver, Shiny Silver, Matte Silver, Antique Gold, Shiny Gold, Matte Gold, Matte Nickel, Black Nickel, Rhodium, and Imitation Rhodium.

If that’s not enough already, you can chose several other features from this list:Heat changing paint, Glow in the dark paint, Glitter paint, Transparent paint, Pearlescent paint, Two-Tone Plating, Laser engraving/Edge text, Sequential numbering, Sandblasting, Cut-outs, Diamond cut edge, Twist, Flat or Weave, Reeded edge, Epoxy, Silk-screening, Photographic printing, lithography printing.

I was personally amazed at the different possibilities of coins I could have them make. I could have coins made with my children’s picture on them, my own fantasy, copper, reeded edge coin, or my own version of a US Silver Dollar, or make coins for a special occasion, or even a mood coin.

The only drawback is you must order at least 100 coins, but with an order of 300 coins the die cost drops, also different finishes and features have additional costs. But if one just wanted a simple copper coin, fantasy piece, it wouldn’t break the bank.

Also, Susan Headley, of about.com guide to coins, reports on her blog of an Austalian mint that will mint your coins on demand. Read this