United States coinage

Top row: Sacagawea Dollar, Lincoln Cent, and Roosevelt Dime. Bottom: Kennedy Half Dollar, and Westard Journey Series Jefferson Nickel California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, and West Virgina state quarters

Circulating United States currency currently includes six denominations of United States coinage: $0.01, $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50 and $1.00. All are produced by the United States Mint, which sells them to the Federal Reserve Banks, which are responsible for putting coins into circulation and withdrawing them from circulation, as demanded by the country's economy.

Coins currently in circulation

Note:
: Very few dimes, quarters, and half-dollars from before 1965 remain in circulation, due to their being removed from circulation for their silver content. The half-dollar retained a lower silver content between 1965 and 1971

: In 1975 and 1976 bicentennial coinage was minted. Coins were dated 1776-1976. The quarter featured a Colonial Drummer, the half dollar Independence Hall, and the dollar coin featured the Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon.

Bullion coins

Main articles: American Gold Eagle, American Platinum Eagle, American Silver Eagle

Non-circulating bullion coins are also produced by the United States Mint. The face value of these coins is symbolic and does not actually reflect the value of the precious metal contained in these coins.

American Silver Eagle

American Silver Eagles contain 999 fine silver.

  • $1, one troy ounce (~31.1 grams) silver

American Gold Eagle

American Gold Eagles contain 916 fine gold (22 karat).

  • $5, 1/10 troy ounce (~3.11 grams) gold
  • $10, 1/4 troy ounce (~7.78 grams) gold
  • $25, 1/2 troy ounce (~15.6 grams) gold
  • $50, one troy ounce (~31.1 grams) gold

American Platinum Eagle

American Platinum Eagles contain 999.5 fine platinum.

  • $10, 1/10 troy ounce (~3.11 grams) platinum
  • $25, 1/4 troy ounce (~7.78 grams) platinum
  • $50, 1/2 troy ounce (~15.6 grams) platinum
  • $100, one troy ounce (~31.1 grams) platinum

Note: 1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams.

Obsolete denominations

  • Half cent
  • Two-cent piece
  • Three-cent piece (silver and nickel varieties)
  • Half dime
  • Twenty-cent piece
  • Gold one dollar coin
  • Two-and-one-half dollar coin or "quarter-eagle"
  • Three-dollar coin
  • Four-dollar coin or "Stella" (not circulated)
  • Five-dollar coin or "half-eagle"
  • Ten-dollar coin or "eagle"
  • Twenty-dollar coin or "double eagle"
  • Fifty-dollar coin or "Half Union" (Commemorative only, California territorial gold, pattern piece)

Note: It is a common misconception that "eagle"-based nomenclature for gold U.S. coinage was merely slang. This is not the case. The "eagle," "half-eagle" and "quarter-eagle" were specifically given these names in the Coinage Act of 1792. Likewise, the double eagle was specifically created as such by name ("An Act to authorize the Coinage of Gold Dollars and Double Eagles", title and section 1, March 3, 1849).

Criticisms

Uniquely for a major currency, the value of U.S. coins is not inscribed on them in numerals. Instead, the value is written in English words, presenting potential difficulties for visitors to the country who do not speak the language well. Furthermore, the coins' inscriptions do not follow a consistent pattern of describing the value in cents: "One Cent" (penny), "Five Cents" (nickel) "One Dime" (dime, worth 10 cents), "Quarter Dollar" (quarter, worth 25 cents), and "Half Dollar" (worth 50 cents); knowledge of these terms is useful for visitors. (It may also be necessary for visitors to learn the coins' colloquial names.)

For historical reasons, the size of the coins does not increase consistently with their face value. Both the one cent (penny) and the five cent (nickel) are larger than the dime, worth ten cents, and the less common 50-cent coin is larger than the recent Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony dollar coins. The sizes of the dime, quarter, and half dollar are holdovers from before 1965, when they were made from 90% silver; (the half dollar was struck in 40% silver clad until 1970. Beginning in 1971 it has been struck in the same cupro-nickel clad as the dime, quarter, and new Eisenhower dollar) their sizes thus depended upon the amount of silver which cost their respective values, and this helps explain why the dime is the smallest of the coins. The current diameter used in dollar coins was introduced in 1979 with the Susan B. Anthony dollar, so their size was not dependent upon silver, and was thus chosen somewhat arbitrarily, with no relation to the Eisenhower dollars which were the same size as the Peace and Morgan silver dollars used earlier in the 20th century.

Many object to the low values and cumbersome sizes of U.S. coins, as unlike other First World nations, the U.S. has never adjusted the basic scheme of its coinage to accommodate the many-fold inflation of the past century. Historically coins were intended to be a convenient form of money for making a wide variety of small, day-to-day purchases, and still function this way in Europe and Great Britain.


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Historically coins were intended to be a convenient form of money for making a wide variety of small, day-to-day purchases, and still function this way in Europe and Great Britain. These include:. has never adjusted the basic scheme of its coinage to accommodate the many-fold inflation of the past century. This in turn means that soldiers have to be trained to fight in a specific type of terrain. coins, as unlike other First World nations, the U.S. The terrain over which a war is fought has a big impact on the type of combat which takes place. Many object to the low values and cumbersome sizes of U.S. Non-lethal chemical weapons, such as tear gas and pepper spray, are widely used.

Anthony dollar, so their size was not dependent upon silver, and was thus chosen somewhat arbitrarily, with no relation to the Eisenhower dollars which were the same size as the Peace and Morgan silver dollars used earlier in the 20th century. Various treaties have sought to ban its further use. The current diameter used in dollar coins was introduced in 1979 with the Susan B. Poison gas as a chemical weapon was principally used during World War I, and resulted in an estimated 91,198 deaths and 1,205,655 injuries. Beginning in 1971 it has been struck in the same cupro-nickel clad as the dime, quarter, and new Eisenhower dollar) their sizes thus depended upon the amount of silver which cost their respective values, and this helps explain why the dime is the smallest of the coins. Intentional air pollution in combat is called chemical warfare. The sizes of the dime, quarter, and half dollar are holdovers from before 1965, when they were made from 90% silver; (the half dollar was struck in 40% silver clad until 1970. Military action produces a very small percentage of air pollution emissions.

Anthony dollar coins. Terrorism can be considered an extreme form of asymmetrical warfare. Both the one cent (penny) and the five cent (nickel) are larger than the dime, worth ten cents, and the less common 50-cent coin is larger than the recent Sacagawea and Susan B. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a common example of asymmetrical warfare. For historical reasons, the size of the coins does not increase consistently with their face value. This type of war often results in guerrilla tactics. (It may also be necessary for visitors to learn the coins' colloquial names.). Asymmetrical warfare is a conflict between two populations of drastically different levels of military mechanization.

Furthermore, the coins' inscriptions do not follow a consistent pattern of describing the value in cents: "One Cent" (penny), "Five Cents" (nickel) "One Dime" (dime, worth 10 cents), "Quarter Dollar" (quarter, worth 25 cents), and "Half Dollar" (worth 50 cents); knowledge of these terms is useful for visitors. A war where the forces in conflict belong to the same country or empire or other political entity is known as a civil war. Instead, the value is written in English words, presenting potential difficulties for visitors to the country who do not speak the language well. (Compare with unconventional warfare and nuclear warfare.). coins is not inscribed on them in numerals. "Conventional warfare" describes either:. Uniquely for a major currency, the value of U.S. This usage is not always recognized as valid, however, particularly by those who do not accept the connotations of the term.

Likewise, the double eagle was specifically created as such by name ("An Act to authorize the Coinage of Gold Dollars and Double Eagles", title and section 1, March 3, 1849). When one country sends armed forces to another, allegedly to restore order or prevent genocide or other crimes against humanity, or to support a legally recognized government against insurgency, that country sometimes refers to it as a police action. The "eagle," "half-eagle" and "quarter-eagle" were specifically given these names in the Coinage Act of 1792. Smaller armed conflicts are often called riots, rebellions, coups, etc. This is not the case. Wars are a natural outgrowth of the free market and class system, and will not disappear until a world revolution occurs. coinage was merely slang. It sees wars as imperial ventures to enhance the power of the ruling class and divide the proletariat of the world by pitting them against each other for contrived ideals such as nationalism or religion.

Note: It is a common misconception that "eagle"-based nomenclature for gold U.S. The economic theories also form a part of the Marxist theory of war, which argues that all war grows out of the class war. Note: 1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams. It is most often advocated by those to the left of the political spectrum, who argue that such wars serve the interests of the wealthy, but are fought by the poor. American Platinum Eagles contain 999.5 fine platinum. invasion of Iraq. American Gold Eagles contain 916 fine gold (22 karat). Unquestionably a cause of some wars, from the empire building of Britain to the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in pursuit of oil, this theory has been applied to many other conflicts including the 2003 U.S.

American Silver Eagles contain 999 fine silver. In this view, wars begin as a pursuit of new markets, of natural resources, and of wealth. The face value of these coins is symbolic and does not actually reflect the value of the precious metal contained in these coins. Another school of thought argues that war can be seen as an outgrowth of economic competition in a chaotic and competitive international system. Non-circulating bullion coins are also produced by the United States Mint. For example, Sweden made efforts to deceive Nazi Germany that it would resist an attack fiercely partly by playing on the myth of Aryan superiority, and by making sure that Hermann Göring only saw Elite troops in action, often dressed up as regular soldiers, when he came to visit. Main articles: American Gold Eagle, American Platinum Eagle, American Silver Eagle. If you think that you can convince the opponent that you will fight, the opponent might desist.

The quarter featured a Colonial Drummer, the half dollar Independence Hall, and the dollar coin featured the Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon. One major difficulty is that in a conflict of interests, some deception or at least not telling everything is a standard tactical component on both sides. Coins were dated 1776-1976. The American decision to enter the Vietnam War was made with the full knowledge that the communist forces would resist them, but did not believe that the guerrillas had the capability to long oppose American forces. : In 1975 and 1976 bicentennial coinage was minted. The Argentinean dictatorship knew that the United Kingdom had the ability to defeat them, but their intelligence failed them on the question of whether the British would use their power to resist the annexation of the Falklands. The half-dollar retained a lower silver content between 1965 and 1971. In theory to have enough information to prevent all wars both need to be fully known.

Note:
: Very few dimes, quarters, and half-dollars from before 1965 remain in circulation, due to their being removed from circulation for their silver content. The first is to find out the ability of an enemy, the second their intent. . There are two main objectives in the gathering of intelligence. All are produced by the United States Mint, which sells them to the Federal Reserve Banks, which are responsible for putting coins into circulation and withdrawing them from circulation, as demanded by the country's economy. While purely random events, such as storms or the right person dying at the right time, might have had some effect on history, these only influence a single battle or slightly alter the outcome of a war, but would not mean the difference between victory and defeat. Circulating United States currency currently includes six denominations of United States coinage: $0.01, $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50 and $1.00. This theory is predicated on the notion that the outcome of wars is not randomly determined, but fully determined on factors such as doctrine, economies, and power.

Fifty-dollar coin or "Half Union" (Commemorative only, California territorial gold, pattern piece). If it had been known for certainty that the Third Reich would collapse after only a few years of war, the Nazis would not have launched the invasion at all. Twenty-dollar coin or "double eagle". If in 1940 it had been known with certainty the Germans would dominate central Europe for many decades, it is unlikely the Norwegians would have resisted. Ten-dollar coin or "eagle". The Norwegians did not know whether the German domination would be permanent and also felt that noble resistance would win them favour with the Allies and a position at the peace settlement in the event of an Allied victory. Five-dollar coin or "half-eagle". The Norwegian decision to resist the Nazi invasion was taken with the certain knowledge that Norway would fall.

Four-dollar coin or "Stella" (not circulated). Lack of information may not only be to who wins in the immediate future. Three-dollar coin. The leaders of these nations chose not to resist as they saw the potential benefits being not worth the loss of life and destruction such resistance would cause. Two-and-one-half dollar coin or "quarter-eagle". On the other hand, Finland's decision to resist a similar Soviet aggression in 1939 led to the Winter War. Gold one dollar coin. However, throughout history there are as many invasions and annexations that did not lead to a war, such as the U.S.-led invasion of Haiti in 1994, the Nazi invasions of Austria and Czechoslovakia preceding the Second World War, and the annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union in 1940.

Twenty-cent piece. This notion is made harder to accept because it is far more common to study the cause of wars rather than events that failed to cause wars, and wars are far more memorable. Half dime. This notion is generally agreed to by almost all scholars of war since Clausewitz. Three-cent piece (silver and nickel varieties). This is based on the notion that wars are reciprocal, that all wars require both a decision to attack and also a decision to resist attack. Two-cent piece. If both sides at the outset knew the result neither would fight, the loser would merely surrender and avoid the cost in lives and infrastructure that a war would cause.

Half cent. This theory, advanced by scholars of international relations such as Geoffrey Blainey, argues that all wars are based on a lack of information. $100, one troy ounce (~31.1 grams) platinum. A popular new approach is to look at the role of information in the outbreak of wars. $50, 1/2 troy ounce (~15.6 grams) platinum. This theory accounts for the relative decrease in wars during the past fifty years, especially in the developed world, where advances in agriculture have made it possible to support a much larger population that was formerly the case, and where birth control has dramatically slowed the increase in population. $25, 1/4 troy ounce (~7.78 grams) platinum. Thomas Malthus (1766 - 1834) wrote that populations always increase until they are limited by war, disease, or famine.

$10, 1/10 troy ounce (~3.11 grams) platinum. This is one of the earliest expressions of what has come to be called the Malthusian theory of war, in which wars are caused by expanding populations and limited resources. $50, one troy ounce (~31.1 grams) gold. Enter upon the road to the Holy Sepulcher; wrest that land from a wicked race, and subject it to yourselves.". $25, 1/2 troy ounce (~15.6 grams) gold. Let hatred, therefore, depart from among you; let your quarrels end. $10, 1/4 troy ounce (~7.78 grams) gold. Hence it is that you murder and devour one another, that you wage wars, and that many among you perish in civil strife.

$5, 1/10 troy ounce (~3.11 grams) gold. Pope Urban in 1095, on the eve of the First Crusade, wrote, "For this land which you now inhabit, shut in on all sides by the sea and the mountain peaks, is too narrow for your large population; it scarcely furnishes food enough for its cultivators. $1, one troy ounce (~31.1 grams) silver. This differs from the traditional approach of Carl von Clausewitz and Leopold von Ranke that argue it is the decisions of statesmen and the geopolitical situation that leads to war. Thus World War I was not a product of international disputes, secret treaties, or the balance of power but a product of the economic, social, and political situation within each of the states involved. One based on the works of Eckart Kehr and Hans-Ulrich Wehler sees war as the product of domestic conditions, with only the target of aggression being determined by international realities.

Sociology has thus divided into a number of schools. Rummel has found that civil wars and foreign wars are very different in origin, but Jonathan Wilkenfield using different data found just the opposite. Data looked at by R.J. Many sociologists have attempted to divide wars into types to get better correlations, but this has also produced mixed results.

One correlation that has found much support is that states that are democracies do not go to war with each other, an idea known as the democratic peace theory. A detailed study by Michael Haas found that no single variable has a strong correlation to the occurrence of wars. So far none of these formulas have successfully predicted the outbreak of future conflicts. More recent databases of wars and armed conflict have been assembled by the Correlates of War Project, Peter Brecke and the Uppsala Department of Peace and Conflict Research.

The statistical analysis of war was pioneered by Lewis Fry Richardson following World War I. Some use detailed formulas taking into account hundreds of demographic and economic values to predict when and where wars will break out. Sociology has long been very concerned with the origins of war, and many thousands of theories have been advanced, many of them contradictory. Theorists such as Ashley Montagu emphasize the top down nature of war, that almost all wars are begun not by popular pressure but by the whims of leaders and that these leaders also work to maintain a system of ideological justifications for war.

They see the fighting of animals, the skirmishes of hunter-gatherer tribes, and the organized warfare of modern societies as distinct phenomena each with their own causes. Many anthropologists also see no links between various forms of violence. To this school the acceptance of war is inculcated into each of us by the religious, ideological, and nationalistic surroundings in which we live. Thus if human societies could be reformed, war would disappear.

They see it as fundamentally cultural, learned by nurture rather than nature. Several anthropologists take a very different view of war. By this theory, war is another 'opiate of the masses' by which a state controls its people and prevents revolution. Thus the people are prevented from seeing that their true enemy is in fact their own repressive government.

War inspires fear and hate among the people of a nation, and gives them a 'legitimate' enemy upon whom they can focus this fear and hate. In his fictional book Nineteen-Eighty-Four, George Orwell talks about war being used as one of many ways to distract people. Kennedy, who argue that the organized, sustained war of humans differs more than just technologically from the territorial fights between animals. These theories have been criticized by scholars such as John G.

The earliest advocate of this theory was Konrad Lorenz. We have the same instincts of a chimpanzee but overwhelmingly more power. However, while war has a natural cause, the development of technology has accelerated human destructiveness to a level that is irrational and damaging to the species. This school tends to see war as an extension of animal behaviour, such as territoriality and competition.

A distinct branch of the psychological theories of war are the arguments based on evolutionary psychology. This extreme school of thought argues leaders that seek war such as Napoleon, Hitler, Bush and Stalin were mentally abnormal. Other psychologists have argued that while human temperament allows wars to occur, they only do so when mentally unbalanced men are in control of a nation. Critics, of course, point to various examples of female political leaders who had no qualms about using military force, such as Margaret Thatcher or Indira Gandhi.

This theory has played an important role in modern feminism. One alternative is to argue that war is only, or almost only, a male activity and if human leadership was in female hands wars would not occur. If war is innate to human nature, as is presupposed by many psychological theories, then there is little hope of ever escaping it. Periods that are seen as peaceful are actually periods of preparation for a later war or when war is suppressed by a state of great power, such as the Pax Britannica.

A solution adapted to this problem by militarists such as Franz Alexander is that peace does not really exist. If the innate psychology of the human mind is unchanging, these variations are inconsistent. In addition, they raise the question why there are sometimes long periods of peace and other eras of unending war. While these theories may have some explanatory value about why wars occur, they do not explain when or how they occur.

This combines with other notions, such as displacement where a person transfers their grievances into bias and hatred against other ethnic groups, nations, or ideologies. While this violence is repressed in normal society it needs the occasional outlet provided by war. Durban and John Bowlby have argued that human beings, especially men, are inherently violent. Psychologists such as E.F.M.

Social scientists criticize this approach arguing that at the beginning of every war some leader makes a conscious decision and that they cannot be seen as purely accidental. There are some conditions and situations that make them more likely but there can be no system for predicting where and when each one will occur. Taylor famously described wars as being like traffic accidents. P.

J. A. Historians tend to be reluctant to look for sweeping explanations for all wars. Representatives of many different academic disciplines have attempted to explain war.

There is great debate over why wars happen, even when most people do not want them to. Sometimes the term "war" will not be used in order to circumvent national constitutions which restrict the power of the executive to wage war without the agreement of other branches of government. For example, the United States Government referred to the Korean War as a "police action", and the British Government was very careful to use the term "armed conflict" instead of "war" during the Falklands War in 1982 to comply with the letter of international law. This has resulted in wars (in the sense defined in the introduction to this article) without formal declaration and combatants who officially choose terms other than "war," such as:.

Sometimes the term "war" is restricted by legal definition to those conflicts where one or both belligerents have formally declared war. By only illegalising "war against the rules", it is alleged, such treaties and conventions, in effect, sanction certain types of war. It must be noted that in war such treaties are generally thrown to one side if they interfere with the vital interests of either side; some have criticised such conventions as simply providing a fig leaf for the inhuman practice of war. 135, entered into force 21 October 1950.

A couple of examples are: Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference, Geneva, 26 October-29 October 1863 and Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 75 U.N.T.S. Treaty signing has since been a part of international diplomacy, and too many treaties to mention in this scant article have been signed. The most pervasive of those are the Geneva Conventions, the earliest of which began to take effect in the mid 1800s. A number of treaties regulate warfare, collectively referred to as the laws of war.

Charter, "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.". The United Nations is the latest and most comprehensive attempt to, as stated in the preamble of the U.N. In modern times, increasing international attention has been paid to peacefully resolving conflicts which lead to war. In some cultures, for example, conflicts have been highly ritualized to limit actual loss of life.

While culture, law, and religion have all been factors in causing wars, they have also acted as restraints at times. Total war is the modern term for the targeting of civilians and the mobilization of an entire society; when every member of the society has to contribute to the war effort. Limitations on the targeting of civilians, what type of weapons can be used, and when combat is allowed have all fallen under these rules in different conflicts. At times throughout history, societies have attempted to limit the cost of war by formalizing it in some way.

Today, some see only just wars as legitimate, and believe that it is the goal of organizations such as the United Nations to unite the world against wars of unjust aggression. The defeat and repudiation of the fascist states and their militarism in the Second World War, the huge psychological and physical damage of nuclear war and a growth of the respect for the sanctity of individual life, as enshrined in the concept of human rights and as a cultural consequence of falling natural mortality rates and birth rates, have contributed to the current view of war. At the outbreak of World War I the writer Thomas Mann wrote, "Is not peace an element of civil corruption and war a purification, a liberation, an enormous hope?" This attitude was embraced by many societies from Sparta in Ancient Greece and the Ancient Romans to the fascist states of the 1930s. Many thinkers, such as Heinrich von Treitschke saw war as humanity's highest activity where courage, honor, and ability were more necessary than in any other endeavour.

The negative view of war has not always been held as widely as it is today. Gandhi (called "Mahatma" or "Great Soul"). This position was passionately defended by the Indian leader Mohandas K. Pacifists believe that war is inherently immoral and that no war should ever be fought.

Today war is generally seen as undesirable and morally problematic, although this view is contested by some. Although many ancient nations and some more modern ones viewed war as noble, over the sweep of history concerns about the morality of war have gradually increased. Throughout history, war has been the source of serious moral questions. The study of warfare is known as military history.

Inventions created for warfare play an important role in advances in other fields, but modern technology has greatly increased the potential cost and destruction of war. Armies with iron weapons easily defeated armies armed with bronze. As well as organizational change, technology has played a central role in the evolution of warfare. Organization and structure has since been central to warfare, as illustrated by the success of highly disciplined troops of the Roman Empire.

The earliest city states and empires in Mesopotamia became the first to employ standing armies. War seems as old as human society, and certainly features prominently in the recorded histories of state-cultures. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed."---The Art of War by Sun Tzu. "Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Tao to survival or extinction.

. A war to liberate an occupied country is sometimes characterised as a "war of liberation", while a war between internal elements of the same state may constitute a civil war. A common perception of war is a series of military campaigns between at least two opposing sides involving a dispute over sovereignty, territory, resources, religion or a host of other issues. War is contrasted with peace, which is usually defined as the absence of war.

Other terms for war, which often serve as euphemisms, include armed conflict, hostilities, and police action (note). War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organizations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of lethal violence between combatants or upon civilians. Space warfare. Air warfare.

Urban warfare. Mountain warfare (sometimes called alpine warfare). Sub-aquatic warfare. Naval warfare or Aquatic warfare.

Jungle warfare. Desert warfare. Ski warfare. Arctic warfare.

War where nuclear or biological weapons are not used. A war between nation-states. "crime against international peace". "police action";.

"state aggression by armed force";. "armed conflict";.