Union (United States coin)
United states | |
Value | 100 US Dollars |
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Composition | 90% Au 10% Cu |
Obverse | |
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Design | Liberty holding the common sense to of rules and a branch |
Designer | George T. Morgan |
Design date | Unknown |
Reverse | |
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Design | Eagle |
Designer | George T. Morgan |
Design date | Unknown |
The Union was a proposed $100 coin of the United States dollar. It was cancelled before any pattern coins could be minted.
History
In 1854, San Francisco businessmen sent a petition to Secretary of the Treasury James Guthrie for a $50 coin to be struck due to the fact that no banknotes of any denomination circulated in California. Guthrie responded to the petition by introducing a measure to produce gold $50 and $100 coins, called half union and union respectively. However, the measure was defeated in the Senate on June 16, 1854.[1]
Pattern coins for the half union were eventually produced in 1877, and United States Mint engraver George T. Morgan made sketches of a possible design for a $100 coin, should the half union ever be a success. When the mint found the design of a 2.5-ounce solid gold coin completely infeasible, the idea of a full union coin was discarded altogether and was forgotten about, often only thought of as a possibility.
Fantasy coins
Around 2005, Morgan's original sketches were discovered and published so the numismatic community could see what could have been. Private mints have since struck fantasy pieces of Morgan's design (dated 1876) for collectors, in both silver and gold.[2]
Modern union coins
The $100 denomination has been produced by the US Mint since 1997 in the form of the American Platinum Eagle bullion coin.[3] The commemorative American Liberty union of 2015 and the proof American Liberty 225th Anniversary union of 2017 were struck in 24 karat gold.[4][5]
References
- ^ "1877 $50 J-1546 (Proof) Patterns - PCGS CoinFacts". PCGS. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- ^ 2015 100 Dollar 1-oz Silver Union NGC Proof. GovMint.com. GovMint.com, 2016.
- ^ "American Eagle Platinum Bullion Coins | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- ^ "American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- ^ "American Liberty 225th Anniversary Coin | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-01.