This is perhaps the most numismatically important American coin. The 1652 New England Shilling was the first government coin minted in the original thirteen colonies that would become the United States.

The lack of hard currency in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1652 led the government to commission John Hull and Robert Sanderson (who happened to be the only two silversmiths in North America) to strike silver shillings, sixpence, and threepence to support the local economy.

Made in a roughly circular shape, the New England Shilling had a stylized NE stamped near the edge on one side, and the Roman numeral XII stamped at the opposite end on the other side. The irregular shape made clipping the coins a trivial matter. They were discontinued after a few months in favor of the more traditional-looking Willow Tree shillings in 1653.

Just as the New England Shilling was the first coin minted in North America, the 1792 half dime is equally important as the first coin minted by the United States. Legend has it that President George Washington offered up his sterling silver dining set for the silver to mint the 1792 half dime.

What we do know is that the silver was hand-delivered to the Mint on July 11, 1792 by Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. Two days later he logged the receipt of "1,500 half dismes of the new coinage."

Technically, these coins pre-date the Mint. The Mint building was still under construction and wouldn't be ready until December. The government leased the basement of Philadelphia toolmaker John Harper for use as a temporary Mint location in the meantime.

The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is probably the most famous US coin among the general public. It easily makes our list of 20 rare coins that serious collectors want.

The Lincoln cent was introduced in 1909 to mark the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Victor David Brenner was chosen to design the coin. Following the lead of foreign coin artists, he added his name in small letters below the wheat sheaves on the reverse of the cent.

Certain newspapers began agitating over Brenner's initials, claiming this was an illegal attempt by the artist to get free advertising. To prevent delays, the Mint buffed out Brenner's initials on the dies and resumed production.

Here is one of the most famous error coins of all time. The 1943 Lincoln Wheat cents struck on bronze planchets create excitement whenever they appear at auction. Due to wartime shortages of copper in 1943, the US Mint was forced to use zinc-coated steel blanks to make one-cent coins.

From the more than 1.1 billion Wheat cents made that year, approximately 25 were struck on bronze blanks left over from 1942. The public was galvanized into searching for these extremely rare coins by newspaper accounts, including the (false) rumor that Henry Ford would give a new car to anyone who could present him with a 1943 bronze cent.

The 1937-D 3-Legged Buffalo nickel is another rare coin that is famous among the general public. As a result of some overzealous polishing on a damaged reverse die at the Denver Mint, the right front leg of the bison was completely removed from the surface of the die.

The 1937-D 3-Legged Buffalo nickel sees robust demand in all grades, yet is more affordable than other coins on our list. CDN Greysheet prices run from $364 in Almost Good AG3 to $39,000 in MS66.

Another American numismatic first, the 1856 Flying Eagle cent was the first "small" cent. Technically a pattern coin, so many were made and distributed that some collectors consider it a circulation issue.

The Flying Eagle cent is credited for the birth of American coin collecting by the general public. When people learned the large cent was being discontinued, they began keeping them instead of using them.

The 1893-S Morgan dollar is the absolute key date of circulation strike Morgans. A tiny 100,000 mintage and the popularity of "hard money" in the Western US means that perhaps one in ten have survived to the present day. Most are heavily worn.

Because so few were put aside, Mint State 1893-S Morgan dollars are by far the rarest coin in Morgan dollar history, aside from the proof-only 1895. The sole coin graded MS67 sold in 2021 for $2 million, compared to "only" $546,250 ten years earlier.

The 1921 High Relief Peace dollar is another historically important rare coin. Even though production didn't begin until December 28th, a little more than 1 million silver dollars were struck in Philadelphia by the end of the year.

Like many other new coin designs at the turn of the 20th century, the initial Peace dollar had very high relief features. This led to there not being enough silver in the blank to completely fill the highest point in the design when struck under normal pressure. For this reason, fully struck Mint State coins command a premium.

The 1916-D Mercury dime is a key date in the series, both for being a first-year issue and the extremely small mintage of 264,000 coins. In comparison, more than 22 million 1916 Mercury dimes were produced in Philadelphia, and more than 10 million by the San Francisco Mint.

1916-D Mercury dimes, when they are available, are usually heavily worn. Most of the surviving population grade VF or lower. Competition is intense whenever an even more rare Full Bands 1916-D is seen at auction.

The 1848 "CAL" Liberty Head quarter eagles were the first coins made from gold from the California Gold Rush. In late 1848, Military Governor Colonel Richard B. Mason sent 228 ounces of the first gold mined in California to the Secretary of War in Washington DC.

Many collectors consider the 1848 CAL quarter eagle the nation's first commemorative coin. They are undeniably the first coins made from 100% California Gold Rush gold, and perhaps the only coins for which that distinction can be made.

The 1933 Indian Head gold eagle is a famous numismatic rarity that almost didn't survive government gold confiscation. 312,500 gold eagles were struck in January and February 1933, but only a handful made it out of the vaults at the Philadelphia Mint before the government ordered all gold coins be melted down.

Unlike the famous 1933 double eagle, the 1933 gold eagle is completely legal to own. Resourceful Mint employees took advantage of the gap between the announcement of Executive Order 6102 and its implementation to trade back-date $10 gold eagles for 1933s.

The 1907 High Relief Wire Rim double eagle is one of the most sought-after rare coins in American history. It was the first Saint-Gaudens double eagle to be released to the public.

The 1907 High Relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle wasn't deliberately made with a wire rim. The excessive pressure needed to force the gold in the coin blank to completely fill the die pressed the collar die out just enough for a narrow fin of gold to form along the rim.

11,250 Wire Rim High Relief double eagles were struck, and nearly all of them were saved before they could circulate, at least at first. PCGS has graded nearly 100 of them at XF40 or below, showing that some did eventually enter circulation.