Twenty Cent Piece 1875 -1878

Released in 1875 and canceled only two years later, the Twenty Cent piece is the shortest-lived of all U.S. coins.

It was unpopular with the American public because of its close resemblance to the quarter of that era. The coins have a smooth edge, instead of reeded like other silver coins, the new piece was close to the size of, and immediately confused with, the quarter. Adding to the bewilderment, the obverse, or "heads", sides of both coins were almost identical. After the first year, in which over a million were minted, there was little demand, and the denomination was abolished in 1878.

At least a third of the total mintage was later melted by the government. The Twenty Cent piece is favored among coin collectors today. The coin's obverse was designed by Christian Gobrecht and was re-engraved by William Barber in 1875. Barber designed the reverse. The obverse shows Liberty seated on a rock.  Liberty holds a Union shield in one hand and a liberty cap (a symbol of freedom) in the other.  The reverse shows a left-facing bald eagle. 

The coin was struck in .900 silver.  The coin in this collection is carefully hand-selected for exceptional collector quality and is displayed in a custom presentation with a Certificate of Authenticity.