Coins give us a sublime and tangible connection to history and an artistic expression of the ideals and values of their periods. Like art, a collector need not attempt a “complete” collection of denominations and designs – a representative example of each of various major design families or individual designs can be quite enjoyable, satisfying and informative. This volume with its timeline is targeted to beginning and novice coin collectors to promote the enjoyment and appreciation of US coin design history, but hopefully experienced collectors will also gain new insights.

This comprehensive catalog of experimental and trial pieces issued by the U.S. Mint offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of coin collecting and numismatics. With detailed descriptions and photographs of each piece, as well as historical context and commentary, this book will delight collectors and history buffs alike. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

There's no mistaking the purpose of this book, or the opportunities it may provide you with. This reference contains deep market analysis of popular rare U.S. coins minted in the last century, with advice and alternative collecting and investing options for you to use, plus answers to common collecting questions and concerns including: • How do you start investing coins? • Which types of coins are the easiest to buy and sell? • What coins have become top performers in collecting over the last 50 years? • This book breaks down coin collecting into understandable and applicable steps that can lead to lucrative investments.