By; Fred Reed for Coins Magazine

No collection of Rebel currency is complete without Criswell Type No. 1, the fabled “Montgomery $1,000” note, so-called because they were issued early in the Civil War from the first Confederate States of America capital with “MONTGOMERY” on their face.

Yet only about 100 individuals at any one time have the opportunity to call this fabled rarity their own. This is because only 115 are believed to remain from the 607 notes originally issued in 1861, and some collectors own more than one. In fact, one fabled collection existing today has an unfathomable 10 of these wonderful rarities.

From the outset Confederate officials turned to the printing press to fund unprecedented expenditures brought on by armed conflict. By the end of the war, the insurgents had buried themselves under a pile of worthless promises to pay.

By Nancy Oliver and Richard Kelly - Coins Magazine

By the middle of the 19th century, the 1804 silver dollar was the topic of much discussion in numismatic circles, and had become the object of many a collector’s fancy. Newspaper stories were plentiful on the subject of this rare coin, with much discussion related to the quantity that were actually minted—either in 1804 or perhaps at some later date. Many questioned the accuracy of the Mint director’s report of 19,570 having been made—for less than 15 genuine examples were thought to exist.

Scores of interesting interviews showed up in newspapers nationwide concerning coins as collectibles, many with a special mention of the 1804 silver dollar and its mintage numbers. Most of the discussions were done with individuals considered to be quite knowledgeable on the subject of this coin at that time. The following are some excerpts from just a few ……….

State quarters depict only dead individuals due to U.S. Mint tradition rather than law

A reader in Utah recently commented on the topic of State quarter dollar designs as icons of modern life discussed in “The State Quarters” column published in the July 2 issue of Coin World. In his comments he brings up a subject that’s frequently misunderstood.

Joshua Smith commented that Iowa’s proposed use of a design to commemorate the Sullivan brothers – five Waterloo, Iowa, brothers who died aboard the same ship during World War II – was not disqualified “due to a broad prohibition in Congress’ authorizing legislation against the depiction of deceased persons. … The prohibition is against designs depicting ‘busts’ of persons.”

A collector who wants “everything,” might want to start with the Eisenhower dollar coin.

“Here’s a series that offers it all. Yet, as a series, it’s probably the most underrated of all. It enjoys little or no respect among most dealers and is seriously and inadequately served,” writes James Barlow in the preface to the CONECA Attribution Guide to Eisenhower Dollar Die Varieties by author James Wiles, published on behalf of Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America.

The Eisenhower dollar is often referred to as the “Ike” dollar, derived from the nickname that, according to various sources, Dwight D. Eisenhower apparently acquired as a child and bore most of his life.