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One of the staple design approaches of private mints in the United States is the production of silver rounds with historic US coin designs. Many of these designs were extremely popular during their original circulation in the United States, and surviving specimens available decades later are viewed as valuable collector pieces in spite of any signs of wear and tear from years of handling in circulation. The Golden State Mint produces a variety of silver rounds, including those featuring historic US coin designs which are highly sought after by collectors and available in beautiful designs on fractional silver rounds.
The Golden State Mint issues silver rounds in a variety of weights, including varying fractional weights that make it easier for a wider range of investors and collectors to buy silver. The most common weights available from the Golden State Mint in the fractional range include 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz rounds. Each one contains .999 pure silver, and when it comes to fractional silver rounds the Golden State Mint offers three popular US coin designs of the 20th century. These include the following:
Each of these historic US coin designs was originally issued by the United States between 1908 and 1916. All three designs are available on the three popular fractional weights issued by the Golden State Mint.
The Buffalo Nickel was redesigned in 1913 by James Earle Fraser for the administration of President William Howard Taft. The nickel was among the earliest US coins redesigned in the early 20th century, a move that was initiated by President Taft’s predecessor, President Theodore Roosevelt. Fraser was a native of Minnesota and grew up on the plains of the American Midwest. His design included the portrait of an indigenous tribal leader on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse.
The obverse design from Fraser was the compilation of facial features from a variety of different tribal leaders who lived in the early 20th century. The right-profile portrait depicts a native leader with braided hair and feathers woven in at the back. The word “Liberty” is engraved on the right. The Buffalo Nickel design was in circulation on the five-cent pieces from 1913 to 1938, and is currently available on the American Gold Buffalo bullion coin from the US Mint as well.
On the reverse of the Buffalo Silver Rounds, you’ll find the image of an American bison. This design was also created by Fraser and inspired by Black Diamond, a bison that was a resident of the Central Park Zoo in New York City.
Designed in 1908 by Bela Lyon Pratt, the Incuse Indian design is arguably one of the most distinct in the history of American coinage. Pratt developed a design that was centered on the image of an indigenous tribal leader. The Gold Eagle coinage of this era also featured a design with Lady Liberty wearing a native headdress, but Pratt’s design featured a male tribal leader as the figure in the design instead. Pratt’s image appeared on the Quarter Eagle and Half Eagle gold coins from the United States Mint throughout the 1910s and persisted through the early 1920s before going out of circulation.
The design was not unique for its imagery, but rather for its striking. The Incuse Indian, as it is known, was struck in incuse. This means the design was stamped into the coin’s surface rather than engraved onto it, giving it a sunken appearance with few design elements that actually rose above the coin’s surface. On the obverse of the design is the left-profile portrait of a native leader with a full headdress which is surrounded by a circle of stars and the word “Liberty.” The reverse uses the same design, which includes a bald eagle at rest at a Roman fasces surrounded by an olive branch.
Among the most famous and well-known designs in American history, Walking Liberty featured on the nation’s 50-cent piece from 1916 to 1947 and is currently the face of the American Silver Eagle coin collection from the United States Mint. The Walking Liberty design comes from Adolph A. Weinman. Its obverse side depicts Lady Liberty walking toward the sun in search of a bright future, with the American flag over her shoulders and the oak and laurel branches of civic and military success held in her left arm. Her right hand is outstretched toward the horizon.
The reverse of the Walking Liberty fractional rounds includes the image of a bald eagle coming to rest on a mountain’s edge with a small alpine sapling emerging from a crack in the rock.
In addition to the fractional silver rounds offered by the Golden State Mint, you’ll also find options in the Silver Shield Collection. These rounds feature inspiring and one-of-a-kind designs, each of which offers a distinct sentiment toward controversial issues of human society both past and present. The Silver Shield Collection is constantly growing and initiated in 2016 from the mint. The recent issues in this series feature the same reverse design, which includes a sword standing on its point with flames wrapped around it. There is an ornate background field with engravings of the collection name, weight, purity, and silver content of the round, as well as an outer design element of flames.
When it comes to the obverse side of each round in the Silver Shield Collection, the Golden State Mint is always in search of new designs. The available designs you’ll find from JM Bullion include:
The Golden State Mint is a privately-owned mint in the United States. It was founded in 1974 by Jim Pavlakos and today he works alongside his son Andrew to help continue the growth of the Golden State Mint in the future. Many of the silver round designs discussed here are available in other metals as well, including gold rounds and copper rounds in fractional weights, 1 oz weights, and even those weights larger than 1 oz. The Golden State Mint operates facilities in Southern California and Central Florida.
We encourage JM Bullion shoppers to contact us with questions about silver. You can reach us on the phone at 800-276-6508, chat with us live online, or simply send us an email.
