Silver Twenty Cent Piece
Item
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Title
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Silver Twenty Cent Piece
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Description
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Silver twenty cent piece, 22 mm in diameter.
Obverse: Liberty head turned to the left, wearing chiton, seated on a rock, left hand holds pole bearing Liberty Cap, right hand supports shield of the United States with scrolled motto LIBERTY, thirteen stars arc above and surround the figure, the date, 1875, in exergue.
Reverse: eagle with outstretched wings in center, left talon holds an olive branch. The right talon holds three arrows. Two interlaced, capital “C”s, mint mark for Carson City, just below crossing of branches and arrows clutched by eagle and above the “Y” in “TWENTY”; denomination, TWENTY CENTS, arcs along rim at base.
Legend: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs above and surrounds eagle. Coin is extremely worn.
A twenty-cent coin, also called a “double disme” had been proposed as early as 1791 but found to be impactable. In February 1874 Senator John Percival of Nevada introduced a bill authorizing coinage of twenty-cent pieces. The Senator’s motives remain unclear but were probably influenced by western silver strikes and the 1873 Mining Act. Designed by William Barber, the coin proved universally unpopular. Minted for circulation only from 1875 to 1876, a bill repealing authority to manufacture these coins became law on May 2, 1878.
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Identifier
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2008.036.007
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Source
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USA
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Subject
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Numismatics
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Provenance
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William and Catherine Sell
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Date Created
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1875 CE
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Is Part Of
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Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
