Coin Dictionary

$20.00 Double Eagle (Liberty 1850-1907) 

Weight: 33.436 grams

Gold Content: .9675 ounces fine gold

Description: The first Double Eagle was minted 1849, at the time of the California Gold Rush.Designed by James B. Longacre, the U.S. mint produced two proof pieces. Formal production minting began in 1850 with the $20 gold coin and continued until 1933. Prior to 1850, the largest denomination of U.S. coinage was the $10 eagle coin. Since the $20 denomination of the Double Eagle was twice as much as that of the eagle, the name “Double Eagle” was adopted. While a very nice design, the Liberty is considered less desirable as compared to the famous and widely admired Saint Gaudens’ watershed design. The “In God We Trust” motto was added in 1866 creating a second version of the Liberty Double Eagle. “Twenty D” denomination was changed to “Twenty Dollars” in 1877 to the reverse of the coin creating the third and final major version of this series.

$20.00 Double Eagle (Saint Gaudens 1907-1933)

Weight: 33.4370 grams

Gold Content: 30.0933 grams fine gold (.9675 troy oz.)

Description: Designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens this coin is named in his honor. He was arguably the premier artist and sculptor of U.S. coinage, of any era. President Theodore “Teddy”Roosevelt decided to change the existing design of the $20 gold coin during the later portion of his presidency. Saint-Gaudens’ initial design was a “high relief” design, it was and still is considered to be one of the finest works of art of adorning any U.S. Coin. Practical production concerns required a “flat-relief” design was needed, due to the eleven strikes it took for the details on the coin to be brought out with the high relief version. Because of the extra effort required to mint the coin only 12,367 high-relief coins were struck. The current collector’s value of these first coins can garner the owner a significant financial return. The design went through several changes, most notably, the Roman numeral date which was changed to the more convenient Arabic numeral format. Interestingly, the early 1907 Double Eagles are the only instances of Roman numerals denoting the date on American coinage, until used again on the 1986-1991 and 2009 gold American Eagles. The motto “In God We Trust” was removed from the initial design due to the belief that putting the name of god on money when possibly it could be used for immoral activities was deemed inappropriate. By mid- year 1908 the “In God We Trust” motto was added to the coin by the U.S. Congress. Two stars were added to the Obverse in 1917 when Arizona and New Mexico gained statehood, increasing the total stars on the coin to 48.

Mintage of the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle ceased in 1933 but the obverse design was “recycled” for American Gold Bullion Coins when that series was started in 1986.   For collectors the U.S. Mint in 2009 introduced a limited run of ultra-high relief double eagles, composed of one ounce.9999 fine gold. Due to the amount of strikes needed it is actually the same size as the gold Double Eagle coin and bears the roman numerals of MMIX. Only 115, 178 of these ultra-high relief coins were minted.

$10.00 Eagles (Liberty 1838-1907)

Weight: 16.718 grams

Gold Content: .48375 ounces pure gold

Description: Designed by Christian Gobrecht who was known for the famous Seated Liberty design. Compared to the earlier designs of the $10 Eagle, notably from 1795 to 1804, this was a substantial re-work of the obverse, changing the “Liberty Head” from its classic design to reflect newer standards of American Beauty. Also added was a more natural pose for the Eagle on the reverse. Originally the $10 eagle coin was of a capped bust which faced to the right with an eagle on the reverse which contained the number of stars related to the current number of states. This was changed during the minting in 1838 to the Liberty Head which faced to the left and a slightly more natural appearing eagle on the reverse. In 1866 the motto “In God We Trust” was added to the design on the reverse on a ribbon that is located above eagle’s head, between its wings.

$10.00 Eagles (Indian 1907-1933)

Weight: 16.718 grams

Gold Content: .48375 oz. of fine gold

Description: The Indian Head $10 eagle coin was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who is arguably the premier sculptor of U.S. coinage. He introduced a higher standard of art for U.S. coins which is evidenced by his Eagle and Double Eagle designs of 1907.  Design changes include on the Obverse a depiction of Liberty’s head is adorned with an “Indian War Bonnet”. The reverse side depicts a more dominate, proud and majestic Eagle as compared to earlier mintages. The first of these coins, lack the motto “In God We Trust” as did the 1907 Double Eagle due to objection of the president, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.  He wanted it removed from U.S. coinage due to the belief that putting the name of god on money that possibly could be used for immoral activities was deemed inappropriate. The motto was restored by the U.S. Congress in 1908.

$5.00 Half Eagles (Liberty 1839-1908)

Weight: 8.359 grams

Gold Content: .24187 oz

Description:  Designed by Christian Gobrecht who was known for the famous Seated Liberty design. This Liberty Head design is the second major revision of the original coin which was first minted in 1795. The design depicts, similar to its $10 counterpart (also by Christian Gobrecht),Liberty head facing to the left surrounded with stars and the year of mintage located underneath Liberty’s neck. The reverse side is adorned by an Eagle, its wings spread, shield on chest, arrows held by a talon with branches of Laurel and Oak held by another, opposite talon. The reverse side was the first U.S. coin to have “Five D” for its denomination and is located beneath the eagle rather than the denomination of “5 D”. In 1866 the reverse side was changed – the motto “In God We Trust” was added on a ribbon located just above the Eagles head and between its wings.

$5.00 Half Eagles (Indian 1908-1929)

Weight: 8.359 grams

Gold Content: 7.5233 grams of .900 gold, .100 copper

Description: This 1908 re-design of the $5 Half Eagle was created by Bela Lyon Pratt a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The obverse of the design is adorned by an Indian wearing a “War Bonnet”, in a “Sunken Relief” format. The face and back of head are surrounded by a total of thirteen stars with the date located beneath the bust. On the reverse, the design corresponds to the $10 Indian Head Eagle Coin. The reverse side depicts a dominate, proud and majestic Eagle with the motto “In God We Trust” located on the right side, an “E Pluribus Unum on the left”. The denomination nomenclature was altered from “Five D.” to “Five-Dollars”.

$3.00 US Gold (Princess 1854-1889)

Weight: 5.02 grams

Gold Content: .14512 oz. gold

Description: This coin was authorized by the U.S. Congress on February 21, 1853. This is the only example of a $3 gold piece ever produced by the U.S. Mint. First minted in 1854, it never was popular or widely accepted by the public; consequently it was not well circulated. While it continued to be produced it’s use in the East and Midwest effectively ended in 1861 and soon disappeared from circulation. Less than 10,000 examples were produced annually through the period from 1860 to 1873. Significant increase in mintages were made from 1874 to 1878 with the thought that the coin would be better received by the public and go into wider circulation, yet never materialized. Only in the West was circulation consistent through the life of the coin, yet its use after 1860 was infrequent at best. The obverse of this design portrays an Indian princess with hair curling over her neck and head crowned with feathers held in place by a band inscribed with the word Liberty. The reverse contains a wreath of tobacco, wheat, corn and cotton with the denomination “3 DOLLARS”. The date is contained on the inside of the wreath. Variations within the production life of the Princess include: in 1854, the word “DOLLARS” is in much smaller letters than other years. 1856 showed much larger letters, cut over the same word in smaller letters. Re-strikes of some years were made of which the most notable were proofs of 1865 and 1873.

$2.50 Quarter Eagles (Early 1795-1839)

Weight: 4.37 grams

Gold Content: 90% fine gold

Description: It was established that “Quarter Eagles” by the U.S. Congress on April 2, 1792, that this issue have a weight of 67.5 grains with .9167 fineness. Congress changed the composition on June 28, 1834 deciding it would weigh 64.5 grains and be .8992 fine. Congress changed the composition once again on January 18, 1837 when it decided the fineness to be .900. Designed by Robert Scot, the first issue was struck in 1796 and did not contain any stars on the obverse.  Other versions of 1796 strikes depicted stars and were carried forward as the standard from then on. The design contained a capped Liberty and faces to the right on the obverse (this was to change later). The reverse contains an Eagle with stars between its wings with a shield protecting its breast. This particular design was produced until 1808 and changed to a caped bust which faced to the left. The Eagle on the reverse was modified and takes up considerably less space than the original design.While the weight and fineness remained unchanged, the size of the coin was changed from 20 millimeters to 18.5 millimeters in 1821. While the overall design remained unchanged until 1834, minor changes were released from 1829 to 1834. These changes incorporated smaller letters, dates and stars. The artwork was revised in 1834, the obverse side was now adorned with a ribbon binding Liberty’s hair with the word “Liberty” which replaced the previous design of the Liberty Cap. The motto on the reverse, “E Pluribus Unum”, was removed.

$2.50 Quarter Eagles (Liberty 1840-1907)

Weight: 4.18 grams

Gold Content: .12094 oz. gold – 90% Gold – 10% Copper

Description: The Liberty Head (Coronet) was produced from 1840 until 1907.  This coin is notable in that minimal changes were made during the nearly seventy years it was minted. This is a testament to its classic design by Christian Gobrecht and its overall usefulness. The design itself closely resembles the prior design. Notable differences include the head of Liberty being reduced in size and with more attention to minor details and flourishes. The Eagle on the reverse side also received the same treatment with the size decreased and detail enhancements made, chiefly the wings, arrows and the branches. Interestingly a one year variant was made in 1848. Gold which was supplied to the mint from California contained the abbreviation “CAL”. Its location was directly above the Eagle’s head on the reverse of the coin. Several proof quality specimens with the CAL abbreviation are currently known to exist and command handsome prices in the market.

$2.50 Quarter Eagles (Indian 1908-1929)

Weight: 4.18 grams

Gold Content: 3.7616 grams, .900 gold, .100 copper

Description: The Quarter Eagle Indian Head was designed by Bela Lyon Pratt, a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The obverse side depicts an Indian facing to the left wearing a “War Bonnet” with stars located on both the front and back of the head with the word “Liberty” written above the head and year below the bust. The reverse side is adorned with an Eagle alert to danger. The Eagle was based upon the Standing Eagle design that adorned the reverse side of Saint-Gaudens gold ten dollar coin of 1907. This series was not popular among collectors of the day,consequently high quality examples are few and when available, are quite valuable. Interestingly, the Eagle on the reverse was a recessed relief.  Though unfounded, some were concerned that the Eagle would in fact would attract germs and spread untold disease amongst the citizens.

Gold Pandas – 1 oz (2013 & Prior)

Weight: 31.103 grams

Gold Content: .999%

Description: Minting of the Chinese Golden Panda coin commenced in 1982 by the China Mint of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Every year from 1982 to 2002 has featured a different design of the Giant Panda on the obverse while the reverse side depicted the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven. The reverse through the years had minimal design changes.  The original back design was used from 1982 to 1991. From 1992 to 1999 the design was changed by adding a small thin ring around the Hall of Prayer which decreased the size of the Hall of Prayer. From 2000 to the Present the outside of the ring was filled and the Chinese lettering and the year of mintage were changed from depressions into impressions. From 1982 to 2000 the face value of the coin was originally at 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 500 Yuan. The obverse side the value of the Gold Panda is worth is valued at 500 Yuan, that is approximately $80 U.S. The melt value of the gold in the coin is considerably more than the face value.

Gold Pandas – ½ oz (2013 & Prior)

Weight: 15.5515 grams

Gold Content: .999%

Description: Description: Minting of the Chinese Golden Panda coin commenced in 1982 by the China Mint of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Every year from 1982 to 2002 has featured a different design of the Giant Panda on the obverse while the reverse side depicted the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven. The reverse through the years had minimal design changes.  The original back design was used from 1982 to 1991. From 1992 to 1999 the design was changed by adding a small thin ring around the Hall of Prayer which decreased the size of the Hall of Prayer. From 2000 to the Present the outside of the ring was filled and the Chinese lettering and the year of mintage were changed from depressions into impressions. From 1982 to 2000 the face value of the coin was originally at 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to it was changed to 200 Yuan. The obverse side the amount the coin is worth is marked at 200 Yuan that is approximately $32.00 U.S. The melt value of the gold in the coin is considerably more than the face value.

Gold Pandas – ¼ oz (2013 & Prior)

Weight: 7.7758 grams

Gold Content: .999%

Description: Minting of the Chinese Golden Panda coin commenced in 1982 by the China Mint of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Every year from 1982 to 2002 has featured a different design of the Giant Panda on the obverse while the reverse side depicted the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven. The reverse through the years had minimal design changes.  The original back design was used from 1982 to 1991. From 1992 to 1999 the design was changed by adding a small thin ring around the Hall of Prayer which decreased the size of the Hall of Prayer. From 2000 to the Present the outside of the ring was filled and the Chinese lettering and the year of mintage were changed from depressions into impressions. From 1982 to 2000 the face value of the coin was originally at 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 25 Yuan. The obverse side the amount the coin is worth is marked at 100 Yuan which is currently equal to $16.00 U.S. The melt value of the gold in the coin is considerably more than the face value.

Gold Pandas – 1/10 oz (2013 & Prior)

Weight: 3.1103 grams

Gold Content: .999%

Description: Minting of the Chinese Golden Panda coin commenced in 1982 by the China Mint of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Every year from 1982 to 2002 has featured a different design of the Giant Panda on the obverse while the reverse side depicted the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven. The reverse through the years had minimal design changes.  The original back design was used from 1982 to 1991. From 1992 to 1999 the design was changed by adding a small thin ring around the Hall of Prayer which decreased the size of the Hall of Prayer. From 2000 to the Present the outside of the ring was filled and the Chinese lettering and the year of mintage were changed from depressions into impressions. From 1982 to 2000 the face value of the coin was originally at 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 10 Yuan. The obverse side the amount the coin is worth is marked at 50 Yuan which is currently equal to $8.00 U.S. The melt value of the gold in the coin is considerably more than the face value.

Gold Pandas – 1/20 oz (2013 & Prior)

Weight: 1.5552 grams

Gold Content: .999%

Description: Minting of the Chinese Golden Panda coin commenced in 1982 by the China Mint of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Every year from 1982 to 2002 has featured a different design of the Giant Panda on the obverse while the reverse side depicted the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven. The reverse through the years had minimal design changes.  The original back design was used from 1982 to 1991. From 1992 to 1999 the design was changed by adding a small thin ring around the Hall of Prayer which decreased the size of the Hall of Prayer. From 2000 to the Present the outside of the ring was filled and the Chinese lettering and the year of mintage were changed from depressions into impressions. From 1982 to 2000 the face value of the coin was originally at 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 100 Yuan but in 2001 it was changed to 5 Yuan. The obverse side the amount the coin is worth is marked at 25 Yuan which is currently equal to $4.00 U.S. The melt value of the gold in the coin is considerably more than the face value.

Chinese Panda (Gold Coins)

Weight: Varies

Gold Content:  .999%

Description: Between the years of 1987 and 1994 the Chinese Mint has released five different; five ounce gold panda coins each with a design unique to the year of release. All the coins are proof in quality; have a 60 millimeter diameter and are set at the legal face value of 500 Yuan. Like other Panda coins a panda graces the obverse and the Hall of Prayer located on the reverse. All five ounce coins were released in a plastic capsule and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Some versions of the coins also have unique identifier numbers located on the rim of the coin. Production of the five ounce coin ceased in 1995 and then resumed again in.

12 ounce Gold Panda Coins have been released too, though as well but the dates of release are much more varied when compared to other Gold Panda Coins. Values of these coins vary considerably depending on the mint date. Measuring 70 millimeters in diameter the details of the coin are easy to determine. The face value is 1000 Yuan. The 1999 mintage tend to be more valuable than others particularly, 1986 to 1988. Larger coins have also been minted during more recent years. The size ranges from 1 kilogram, 5kilograms and the largest, a 10 kilogram. Which there are only 12 examples. Another variation from China is a coin minted in 1995 containing five ounces of gold, surrounded by a silver ring of two ounces. Only 199 coins are known to exist.

Buffalo Nickel

Weight: 5 grams

Composition: .750 copper, .250 nickel

Description: The Buffalo Nickel was struck by the United States from 1913-1938 and designed by American sculptor, James Earl Fraser, who has a lot of his work displayed in Washington D.C. and is the sculptor of the iconic End of the Trail statue depicting a Native American warrior slumped over his horse. The Buffalo Nickel was part of an attempt to beautify American coinage. It features the profile of an American Indian on the obverse and an American Bison on the reverse. Many Native American Indians claimed to be the “nickel Indian” but Fraser said that his goal in creating the face was to be a type, not a portrait, and that he used a number of American Indians for the Nickels profile. In its first year, the Buffalo Nickel was first released with the buffalo standing on a mound, but then it was redesigned so the buffalo was standing on a thinner line. There were also a few other types of this coin due to mint errors, such as the 1916 Doubled-Die Obverse, which means the date 1916 can be seen twice on the coin, 1916 looks as though it has been stamped twice. Also the 1918 D 8 over 7 where the a 7 can be seen under the 8 in the date. One of the more famous varieties though is one we have already talked about in a previous post, it is the 1937 D Three Legged Buffalo, which is worth a substantial amount more than its Four legged counterpart.

 Franklin Half Dollar

Weight: 12.50 grams

Composition: .900 Silver .100 copper

Produced from 1948 to 1963, the Franklin Half Dollar was always made in 90% silver.
It features the likeness of founding father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse with the Liberty Bell and a small eagle on the reverse. The design of the coin was first commissioned to John R. Sinnock. Sinnock started to design the coin based on some earlier work he had done featuring Franklin, but he passed away before he was able to complete the design, so the design was finished by Gilroy Roberts. This is a fun coin for collectors because it is still a pretty common coin, but it still has a value far over its face value. There is a wide range of grades and prices for this coin so you can get into collecting Franklin Half Dollars at any level.

Seated Liberty Twenty Cent Piece

Weight: 5 grams

Composition: .900 Silver .100 copper
The Twenty Cent Piece is no longer in circulation, and it was a very short-lived coin.
It was in circulation from 1875 to 1878. Many people complained about this coin, especially about the similarities in the design of this coin and the Seated Liberty Quarter Dollar. This caused a lot of confusion among the public. Because of the short time this coin was minted it makes for a great complete set collection. With only four years of being minted there are only four coins to buy, or seven if you are looking for one from each mint it was made in. some coins can only be found in better conditions and can be quite expensive, but 1875-1876 coins can be found in a wide variety of grades and prices.

Silver Three Cent Piece (Trime)

Weight: .80 grams

Composition: .750 Silver .250 copper
The Silver Three Cent Piece (also known as the Trime) was minted from 1851-1873. Designed by James B. Longacre, it is the smallest silver coin ever to be minted in the United States. Three cents seems like a strange denomination to make a coin for, but if we take a look back at the time period, postage rates had just dropped from five cents to three cents, so there was a call for a small easy to handle coin that could be used in these transactions. The obverse of the coin features a six pointed star with a shield in the middle, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the date around the outside. The reverse has the Roman numeral for the number three and six pointed stars around the outside.

Kennedy Half Dollar

90% silver

Weight: 11.50 Grams

Composition: outer layer, .800 silver .200 copper

40% silver

Weight: 11.50 Grams

Composition: .400 Silver .600 copper

Copper-Nickel

Weight: 11.34 Grams

Composition: .750 copper .250 nickel

The Kennedy Half Dollar was first minted in 1964, just a few short months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as a way for the nation to pay their respects to him and it is still minted today. In its first year it was made of 90% silver but after that it was 40% silver clad, and now it is copper-nickel clad.

The U.S. mint was able to approve the coin and start producing it very quickly due to previous designs done by Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro.

Peace Dollar

Weight: 26.73 grams

Composition: .900 Silver .100 copper

This coin was designed by Anthony de Francisci: as a result of a contest held to design the new silver dollar coin.

The contestants were given the instruction that the coin was to be emblematic of peace and to include  a depiction of Liberty on the obverse “to be made as beautiful and full of character as possible” and the reverse would feature an eagle, as well as all of the required aspects of U.S. currency.  de Francisci modeled the face of Liberty after his own wife, Teresa because he did not have enough time to hire a model. He said that Liberty was not exclusively his wife, but the mouth, nose were hers, but the face had been somewhat elongated. She said that being the face of Liberty on this coin was the fulfillment of a childhood dream. The Peace Dollar was in circulation from 1921 to 1928 and then again in 1934 and 1935.

Two-Cent Piece

Weight: 6.22 grams

Composition: .950 copper .050 tin and zinc

The Two-cent piece was produced from 1864 to 1872 for circulation. It was designed by James B. Longacre. This particular coin did not gain much popularity as the one-cent coin and the nickel were much more convenient. As a result each year it was minted it has a decreased mintage. The Idea for a two-cent coin was initially proposed by a Senator from Connecticut, Uriah Tracy, in 1806.  In subsequent years, others tried to push for a two-cent coin to be made, but it was not until the American Civil War that it was finally minted. During the Civil war many citizens hoarded all government-issued coinage and as a result there was a huge shortage.  Many people began to make private tokens as a form of payment, so the Two-cent piece was an attempt for the government to take control of the countries financial stability once more.

Walking Liberty Half Dollar

Weight: 12.50 grams

Composition: .900 Silver .100 copper

The Walking Liberty Half Dollar has an interesting history. Robert W. Woolley was the new United States Mint Director in 1915 and he believed that it was required by law to change our coinage every 25 years due to this passage of legislature, “The Director of the Mint shall have power, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to cause new designs … to be prepared and adopted … But no change in the design or die of any coin shall be made oftener than once in twenty-five years from and including the year of the first adoption of the design … But the Director of the Mint shall nevertheless have power, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to engage temporarily the services of one or more artists, distinguished in their respective departments of art, who shall be paid for such service from the contingent appropriation for the mint at Philadelphia.” The current coinage at the time was the Barber coinage designed by Charles E. Barber so Woolley began the process of replacing it. A competition was held and resulted in Adolph A. Weinman creating the winning design. The design of the Walking Liberty Half features a depiction of the goddess Liberty walking left towards the sun while holding a bundle of branches and an American flag. The reverse depicts an eagle outstretching its wings looking as if it is about to take flight.

Barber Dime

Weight: 2.50 grams

Composition: .900 Silver .100 copper

The Barber Dime was from 1892 to 1916 and was designed by the U.S. Mints chief engraver Charles E. Barber as part of the Barber series which consisted of the dime, quarter and half dollar. The Barber dime features a depiction of liberty wearing a wreath made from an olive branch and a headband bearing the word “LIBERTY” on it. On the reverse there is a wreath made from corn, maple, and oak leaves surrounding the words “ONE DIME” There have been mixed feelings about the Barber Dime, some people saying, when it was first released, that it is essentially a knock off of the design for the Morgan Dollar. While in more modern times has become a highly collected coin.

1878 Morgan Dollar; 8 Feather Variety

Weight: 26.73 G

Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper

1878 Morgan Dollar is a unique coin for any coin collector. 1878 was the first year of a new designed silver dollar coin named after its designer, George T. Morgan, who was a student of the Royal Mint in London England.  Three different mints coined 1878 Morgan Dollar,  Philadelphia, San Francisco and the Carson City mint. Each Mint’s coin can be distinguishedy the mint mark below the eagle’s tale or and absence of it. San Francisco 1878 Morgan Dollars are distinguished by “S” Mint mark, Carson City Mint Morgan Dollars can be distinguished by “CC” mint mark located below the eagle’s tale. Further effecting value of 1878 Morgan Dollar, 3 varieties of this coin are known to collectors. Easily identifiable changes were made in the first year to the reverse design of the Morgan dollar. Well worth checking, the specific reverse variety of your coin has an impact on value in the uncirculated grade. The hardest of the three reverses to spot are the small details determining the 7 over 8 feather variety. Look for tips of feathers extending from underneath the major feathers. The 8 Tail Feather variety illustrates how minor missed details can drastically change value of the coin. Bald eagle has only seven tail feathers.  Original design of 1878 Morgan Dollar displayed the correct number of tail feathers – seven.  However, the original dies were designed with 8 tail feathers. It was too late to recall any of the coins that had already been struck, thus 8 tail feather 1878.