In 1920, the United States Bureau of the Mint struck a commemorative silver coin that celebrated the 100th anniversary of Maine joining the Union and officially becoming a state. Fast-forward 100 years, we are now celebrating the 200th anniversary of Maine joining the union and the 100th anniversary of the release of this special half dollar coin. The Western gold rush continues to be a fascinating period in American history. Typically when people hear "gold rush," people are reminded of the famous California expedition that produced massive amounts of gold. Amid the great rush for gold in the West also arose the demand for coins in the nineteenth century. This became a problem in California, where there was a shortage of circulating coins. Further, the raw gold proved not to be a very practical material for daily economic exchanges. As a result, a number of private mint companies arose to meet the demand for coins. However, most...It has been almost half a century since the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing. A few months ago, Congress enacted legislation to produce a gold, silver and clad coin to commemorate the moon landing. The Mint recently revealed the image that will potentially be placed on the reverse side of every coin. The United States Mint was established after Congress passed the Coinage Act on April 2, 1792. The U.S Mint’s first federal building was built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia was the nation’s capital at the time. As the nation grew, the need for more coins became apparent. The building became too small. The mint moved buildings in 1829, 1901, and 1969.