Silver Type coins

For more than two centuries, silver coins have played an essential role in American commerce and provide collectors with a remarkable timeline of the nation’s history through coinage. Early denominations included the small Half Dime, first produced in 1794, followed by the unusual Three-Cent Silver piece introduced in 1851. As the nation developed, familiar denominations such as the dime, quarter and half dollar evolved through an extraordinary succession of designs—from Flowing Hair, Draped Bust and Capped Bust coinage to the Seated Liberty series of the 19th century and the Barber, Mercury, Standing Liberty and Walking Liberty designs of the early 20th century. Later issues such as the Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter, Franklin Half Dollar and Kennedy Half Dollar carried the tradition of circulating U.S. silver coinage into the modern era.

These coins were struck at several historic U.S. Mints, creating an enormous variety of dates, mintmarks and rarities for collectors to pursue. The New Orleans Mint played an especially fascinating role, producing Half Dimes, Dimes, Quarters and Half Dollars, as well as the remarkable 1851-O Three-Cent Silver—the only Three-Cent Silver coin ever struck outside Philadelphia and the only issue in the entire series to bear a mintmark. These historic “O-Mint” issues provide another connection to Paramount’s exclusive New Orleans Legacy Series (N.O.L.S.), which celebrates the rich numismatic legacy of coins struck at the New Orleans Mint. Whether assembled by denomination, design, mint, date or as a complete U.S. silver type set, these coins allow collectors to hold tangible pieces from nearly every era of American history—from the earliest years of the Republic and westward expansion through the Civil War and into the 20th century.