Memorial Day is a time to look both back and ahead, and historic coins and currency can help keep those memories alive.
Both the US Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing have issued coins and bills that mark important periods in our nation’s history. They may also coincide with memorable moments in your or your family’s lives.
US Commemorative Coins and Medals
Commemorative coins honor people, places, and events in American history. Modern commemorative coin programs began in 1982 and have depicted everything from baseball to breast cancer awareness and branches of the military. Some memorialize important characters in the country’s social history such as Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King. There’s even a bronze medallion honoring the women pilots of World War II.
Commemorative coins are available directly from the US Mint (for most recent issues) and from coin dealers. Some orders from the Mint even go towards supporting the places and programs they represent.
Historic Coins and Currency
Available from private dealers, coins and currency from past eras are great ways to remember people and events long past. You can find coins from your parents’, siblings’ and other ancestors’ birth years. Several US paper bills coincide with important historical times.
World War II saw several unique and collectible items. Paper bills for use in Hawaii were specially marked as were bills issued to troops in North Africa in case they fell into enemy hands. Copper shortages caused pennies to be made of steel.
Other times and events affected US coins and currency. All evoke memories and can mark important times in the nation’s and your family’s history.
Memories of Exotic Places
Many travelers return home with a few coins or bills from the countries they visit. But if they’re lost or forgotten, foreign coins and currency are readily available as mementos of journeys to remember. It’s also easy to find unusual money like mega-notes from places like Zimbabwe, Indonesia, and Vietnam where hyperinflation led to printing bills denominated in millions or ancient Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic coins. There’s even 2,000-year-old Celtic Ring Money from ancient Ireland that’s both historic and affordable.
Looking to Future Memories
Coins make especially nice ways to look forward as well as back. Gold and Silver Eagle bullion coins minted in special years grow in value as time passes as do proof and mint sets. They’re great for commemorating births, marriages, and graduations.
Coins and currency are great for commemorating important occasions. They’re unique ways to make memories year-round and the possibilities are endless. The Great American Coin Company has coins, currency, and novelties for all occasions. They’re just some of the many items of collectible U.S. coins and paper money as well as currency from around the world we offer. Our inventory is constantly changing, and some items sell out quickly, so be sure to check back often.
