Names of old coins

[Coonhound]

I see a lot of references on this site to names of old coins such as "wheat" penny, "standing" quarter, etc. Is there a web site of book with these descriptions or do they just get passed around by word of mouth? Thanks

 

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[PetesPockets55]

They kind of get a "nickname". And the nickname helps identify the era the coin is from.

The Redbook is probably a good source because it will list the coins chronologically with the official name. Then you might try a Google search for synonyms or nickname of a particular coin.

 

[SusanMN]

The nicknames are pretty much something on the coin that identifies it. The “Standing” quarter has Lady Liberty standing up on it. A “V” nickel has a V on one side and a “seated” dime has lady Liberty seated. A “Wheaty” Penny has sheaves of wheat on the back. Some are a little harder to guess the nickname like a “Barber” dime. There is a guy on this coin but no clue why he is called a Barber.

A big part of the fun of finding an old coin is doing research and figuring out what you have and whether it is rare. The nicknames will all come along as you accumulate finds.

 

[xr7ator]

Mr. Barber designed the coin. All threee, dime, quarter and half.

Google and the internet are chock full of answers to any question you have pretty much.

 

[Coonhound]

Thanks to all of you.

 

[ToddsPoint]

There is a guy on this coin but no clue why he is called a Barber. .

That's not a guy. That's Lady Liberty, but I agree that it looks like a man. Those three ugly repetitious coins that he designed, the Barber dime, quarter, and half, cost him his job. After Teddy Roosevelt was elected president he thought our US coins looked pathetic. He fired Barber, who was by then the head of the mint. He brought in Augustus St. Gaudens, A.A. Weinman, Bela Pratt, McNeil, and later Fraser and they redesigned all or our coins. Gary

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Here's a chronological image ID for all regular strike US coins.

https://coinauctionshelp.com/US_Coin_idetification_guide.html#.Xz6DpTUpCUk

Yeah. Charles Barber's Mom was a beauty from the time laundry was manual, and the plow still needed pulling even when the horse came up lame.

And as a PS - a "Mercury" dime has nothing at all to do with the male demi-god Mercury. It represents freedom of thought and is the profile of a woman (Liberty)

 

[Professor of Engineering]

I would follow the "coin" and "finds of the day" threads. You will learn the nicknames of all the coins in a few sessions. Good Luck!

 

[fistfulladirt]

Mr. Barber designed the coin. All threee, dime, quarter and half.

Google and the internet are chock full of answers to any question you have pretty much.

Weird that we don’t call his 5c piece “Barber nickel.”