Legendary Coins & Currency

Closed February 10, 2008

This exhibition explored 56 rare and historically significant artifacts from the Museum's National Numismatic Collection—more than half of which had never been on view or had not been displayed for many years. Coins, bills, medals and captivating oddities—such as pattern designs, fantasy coins and homemade clam shell money from the Great Depression—were on display.

The exhibition featured:

  • 1913 Liberty Head nickel, one of the most celebrated 20th-Century coins
  • 1877 U.S. $50 (“Half Union”) patterns, the largest U.S. coin ever struck
  • 1849 Double Eagle ($20), a significant reminder of the California gold rush
  • 1652 Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling
  • 1906 Barber pattern Double Eagle
  • and the 1907 Saint-Gaudens Ultra High Relief Double Eagle, often considered to be among America’s most beautiful coins.

The website for this exhibition was retired in December 2019 due to incompatibility with current Web standards. A view of the previous home page can be seen below. Follow this link to see highlights from the National Numismatic Collection.

View of the exhibition website home page
This screenshot captures the home page of the former Legendary Coins & Currency website.