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Leif Ericson Millennium Commemorative Coins
The Leif Ericson Millennium commemorative coins are a series of coins issued in 2000 by the United States Mint to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Leif Ericson's discovery of the Americas. United States coin One of the two coins of the series was a silver one dollar coin. The obverse features a portrait of Leif Ericson, designed by John Mercanti. The reverse features Ericson's ship, designed by T. James Ferrell. Of the 500,000 coins authorized, the Philadelphia Mint struck 28,150 uncirculated and 58,612 proof coins. File:2000 Leif Ericson Uncirculated Dollar.jpg, Uncirculated Leif Ericson dollar Icelandic coin The other coin had the same composition and specifications as the silver dollar, but was denominated in 1,000 Icelandic króna. The obverse features an image of Stirling Calder’s sculpture of Leif Ericson, while the reverse features an eagle, a dragon, a bull and the giant from the Icelandic Coat of Arms. Both sides of the coin were designed by Thro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Dollar
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish dollar, Spanish silver dollar, divided it into 100 cent (currency), cents, and authorized the Mint (facility), minting of coins denominated in dollars and cents. U.S. banknotes are issued in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, popularly called greenbacks due to their predominantly green color. The U.S. dollar was originally defined under a bimetallism, bimetallic standard of (0.7734375 troy ounces) fine silver or, from Coinage Act of 1834, 1834, fine gold, or $20.67 per troy ounce. The Gold Standard Act of 1900 linked the dollar solely to gold. From 1934, its equivalence to gold was revised to $35 per troy ounce. In 1971 all links to gold were repealed. The U.S. dollar became an important intern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Mercanti
John M. Mercanti (born April 27, 1943) is an American sculptor and engraver. He was the twelfth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint until his retirement in late 2010. Biography Mercanti was born in Philadelphia. There, he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia College of Art and the Fleisher Art Memorial School. He also served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for six years. In 1974, Mercanti joined the United States Mint as a sculptor-engraver after working as an illustrator. On May 19, 2006, he was appointed Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint (also known as Supervisor of Design and Master Tooling Development Specialist). The position had been officially vacant for 15 years following the retirement of Elizabeth Jones, the Mint's eleventh Chief Engraver, in 1991. In June 2011, Mercanti became a paid spokesperson for Goldline International and appeared in a television commercial for the company. In 2021, Mercanti was named one of Coin Worl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coat Of Arms Of Iceland
The coat of arms of Iceland displays a silver-edged, red cross on blue shield, alluding to the design of the flag of Iceland. It is the only national arms to feature four supporters: the four protectors of Iceland (''landvættir'') as described in Heimskringla, standing on a block of columnar basalt. The bull (''Griðungur'') is the protector of northwestern Iceland, the eagle or griffin (''Gammur'') protects northeastern Iceland, the dragon (''Dreki'') protects the southeastern part, and the rock-giant ('' Bergrisi'') is the protector of southwestern Iceland. Great respect was given to these creatures of Iceland, so much that there was a law during the time of the Vikings that no ship should bear grimacing symbols (most often dragonheads on the bow of the ship) when approaching Iceland. This was so the protectors would not be provoked unnecessarily. The ''landvættir'' also decorate the obverse (front) of the Icelandic króna coins, but animals of the ocean (fish, crabs, and dolp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Statue Of Leif Erikson (Reykjavík)
''Leifr Eiricsson'', sometimes called the Leif Eiricsson Memorial, is statue of Norse explorer Leif Erikson created by American artist Alexander Stirling Calder. The artwork was commissioned by the United States government as a gift to the Icelandic people for the 1,000th anniversary of the Alþingi in 1930. The statue was unveiled on July 17, 1932, in Reykjavík, Iceland atop a hill overlooking the city. A second casting of the statue was made for the Icelandic exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair; this casting currently stands at the Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. The statue's plaster model is part of the Smithsonian Institution's collection. As an iconic image of Leif, Calder's statue has inspired a number of other artworks, and its image has been reproduced on stamps, souvenirs, and so forth. Creation In June 1930, the Icelandic government held , a celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Alþingi, the country's parliament. Preparatory to the ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Stirling Calder
Alexander Stirling Calder (January 11, 1870 – January 7, 1945) was an American sculpture, sculptor and teacher. He was the son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder and the father of sculptor Alexander Calder, Alexander (Sandy) Calder. His best-known works are ''George Washington as President'' on the Washington Square Arch in New York City, the ''Swann Memorial Fountain'' in Philadelphia, and the ''Statue of Leif Erikson (Reykjavík), Leif Eriksson Memorial'' in Reykjavík, Iceland. Education A. Stirling Calder was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder and Margaret Stirling. He attended city public schools, and enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Fall 1885, at age 15. He studied under Thomas Eakins for several months, until Art Students' League of Philadelphia, the teacher's forced resignation in February 1886. Calder remained at PAFA, studying under Thomas Anshutz and James P. Kelly. Two of his sculptures were accepted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proof Coinage
Proof coinage refers to special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the die (manufacturing), dies (as in demonstrating that something is true) and for archival purposes. In modern times, proofs are often struck in greater numbers, especially for coin collecting, coin collectors (numismatists). Nearly all countries have issued proof coinage. Preparation of a proof striking usually involved polishing of the dies. They can usually be distinguished from normal circulation coins by their sharper rims and design, as well as much smoother "fields"— the blank areas not part of the coin's design. The dies for making modern proof coins are often treated with chemicals to make certain parts of the design take on a frosted appearance, with the polished fields taking on a mirror finish. Several other methods have been used in the past to achieve this effect, including sand blasting the dies, and matte proofs. Proof coins of the early 19th century even appear to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philadelphia Mint
The Philadelphia Mint is a branch of the United States Mint in Philadelphia. It was built in 1792 following the Coinage Act of 1792, in order to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States, and is the first and oldest national mint. History First building (1792–1833) The Coinage Act of 1792 entered into law on April 2, proclaiming the creation of the United States Mint. Philadelphia at that time was the nation's capital, and the first mint facility was built there. David Rittenhouse, an American scientist, was appointed the first director of the mint by President George Washington. Two lots were purchased by Rittenhouse on July 18, 1792, at Seventh Street and 631 Filbert Street in Philadelphia for $4,266.67. The next day, demolition of an abandoned whiskey distillery on the property began. Foundation work began on July 31; by September 7, the first building was ready for installation of the smelting furnace. The smelt house was the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dollar Coin (United States)
The dollar coin is a United States coin with a face value of one United States dollar. Dollar coins have been minted in the United States in gold, silver, and base metal versions. Dollar coins were first Mint (coin), minted in the United States in 1794. Dollar coins have almost never been popular in circulation since their inception. Despite efforts by the U.S. government to promote their use to save the cost of printing United States one-dollar bill, one dollar bills, the Susan B. Anthony Dollar, Anthony Dollar, the Sacagawea Dollar and the Presidential Dollar Series are all seldom seen in circulation, since most Americans prefer to use the United States one-dollar bill, dollar bill. For this reason, since December 11, 2011, the United States Mint, Mint has not produced dollar coins for general circulation, and all dollar coins produced after that date have been specifically for Coin collecting, collectors. These collector coins can be ordered directly from the Mint, while pre- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Icelandic Króna
The króna () or krona (sometimes called Icelandic crown; currency sign, sign: kr; ISO 4217, code: ISK) is the currency of Iceland. One króna was formerly divided into 100 eyrir (plural "aurar"). Name Like the other Nordic countries, Nordic currencies (such as the Danish krone, Swedish krona and Norwegian krone) that participated in the historical Scandinavian Monetary Union, the name ''króna'' (meaning ''crown'') comes from the Latin language, Latin word ''wiktionary:corona, corona'' ("crown"). The name "Icelandic crown" is sometimes used alternatively, for example in the financial markets. First krona, 1874–1981 The Danish krone was introduced to Iceland in 1874, replacing the earlier Danish currency, the Danish rigsdaler, rigsdaler. In 1885, Iceland began issuing its own banknotes. The Icelandic krona separated from the Danish krone after the dissolution of the Scandinavian Monetary Union at the start of World War I and Icelandic sovereignty from Denmark in 1918. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. Silver is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native metal, native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc Refining (metallurgy), refining. Silver has long been valued as a precious metal. Silver metal is used in many bullion coins, sometimes bimetallism, alongside gold: while it is more abundant than gold, it is much less abundant as a native metal. Its purity is typically measured on a per-mille basis; a 94%-pure alloy is described as "0.940 fine". As one of the seven metals of antiquity, silver has had an enduring role in most human cultures. Other than in currency and as an in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a single continent, the Americas or America is the 2nd largest continent by area after Asia, and is the 3rd largest continent by population. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with their Lists of islands of the Americas, associated islands, the Americas cover 8% of Earth's total surface area and 28.4% of its land area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera, a long chain of mountains that runs the length of the west coast. The flatter eastern side of the Americas is dominated by large river basins, such as the Amazon basin, Amazon, St. Lawrence River–Great Lakes, Mississippi River System, Mississippi, and Río de la Plata Basin, La Plata basins. Since the Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
