In conjunction with the American Numismatic Association, author David W. Lange and researcher Mary Jo Meade present a fascinating look into the history of the United States Mint. From its roots in the pre-colonial eras, through independence and confederation, the intriques, tribulations, and triumphs of the 1800's, and into the modern day-through war, peace, famine, earthquakes, gold rushes, good times and bad-we follow the twists and turns of one of the federal government's most intriguing bureaus. This hard cover book features vintage photographs and documents throughout. Hundreds of enlarged, high-detailed images of American coins, tokens, medals and much more to enjoy!

"Money may seem hopelessly mundane and culturally meaningless, but it has dominated--and documented--world history since the time of the ancient Greeks. This heavily illustrated book provides a spirited account of the first coinages and their living descendants in our pockets and purses. It explains how people from Jesus to The Beatles have used numismatics to explore the social, political, economic, and religious history of the world"--

Like other volumes in this series, Ancient History from Coins demystifies a specialism, introducing students (from first year upwards) to the techniques, methods, problems and advantages of using coins to do ancient history. Coins are a fertile source of information for the ancient historian; yet too often historians are uneasy about using them as evidence because of the special problems attaching to their interpretation. The world of numismatics is not always easy for the non-specialist to penetrate or understand with confidence. Dr Howgego describes and anlyses the main contributions the study of coins can make to ancient history, showing shows through numerous examples how the character, patterns and behaviour of coinage bear on major historical themes. Topics range from state finance and economic policy to imperial domination and political propaganda through coins types. The period covered by the book is from the invention of coinage (ca 600BC) to AD 400.

From the Back Cover: From wampum beads to modern commemoratives: when you learn about the money of the United States of America, you learn the story of how our nation came to be-and catch a glimpse of where it's headed. America's Money, America's Story explores the fascinating evolution of the country's dollars and cents, as told by one of the most respected numismatic scholars in the world. This is a book for the beginning or advanced collector, the full-time coin dealer and the part-time bank cashier. It is a book for everyone who loves the drama, romance, and exciting twists and turns of American history. Dr. Richard Doty traces the path of American money from the pre-European days of beaver pelts to today's world of gold bullion and presidential dollars. Newly updated second edition, now in full color; Over 600 crisp, full-color photographs; A "who's who" of American coins and paper money, as well as mints and moneyers; Chapters on historical events and eras including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the California Gold Rush, America's Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties, World War II, and many others. A full bibliography for further research, plus an index with more than 900 entries. Comprehensive, Authoritative. Thorough. Beautifully illustrated. America's money, America's story is as grand as the great nation it portrays.