A Brief History of U.S. Coinage: From the 1792 Mint Act to Today
The United States didn’t have a national currency until 1792. Before that, colonists and early Americans made do with Spanish milled dollars, British coin,
The deep-reference section of Learn — the mints and manufacturers behind the world’s bullion, the history of gold and silver as money, the science of why gold doesn’t tarnish and silver does, and a glossary that demystifies the jargon. Start here when you want context, or as a sanity check while reading another article.
The United States didn’t have a national currency until 1792. Before that, colonists and early Americans made do with Spanish milled dollars, British coin,
A troy ounce is the unit of weight precious metals are sold and priced in — 31.1035 grams, or about 9.7% heavier than the
How many grams in an ounce? The honest answer is: it depends on the ounce. Precious metals don’t use the kitchen-scale ounce (28.3495 grams).
The United States Mint is the federal agency responsible for every coin that passes through American hands. It runs four active production facilities —
A numismatist is someone who studies and collects coins, paper money, tokens, and related objects. The word comes from the Latin numisma, meaning “coin.”
