"BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO assessing a status of "obsolete" - as long as the issuing entity recognizes the debt and honors it - they are NOT obsolete. They are "current" and "good as gold".

Jill; I have located the clipping that I had misplaced which I referenced to in a previous post to Larry H. From the May 21, 2001 issue of Coin World, the largest weekly newspaper published in the world, is the following article by respected author Col. Bill Murray.

"Is this the real money?" I asked the owner of the first coin shop I ever walked into. He looked at the 2-cent coin and said yes, it was real money. Early numismatic learning also informed me the Mint issued the 2-cent coin only from 1864 to 1873. Its greatest claim to fame lies in the fact it first carried the motto "In God We Trust".

Fairly soon in my numismatic education, I discoverd other denominations once struck by the mint but no longer.

Some background may interest you. In the Act of April 2, 1792, Congress provided for a Mint and gave guidance for denominations to be used. "Eagles - each to be the value of ten dollars or units ... Half Eagles - each to be the value of five dollars..."

In like manner the act listed quarter eagles, and then continued, ".... Dollars or units - each to be of the value of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current .." Then came, "Half Dollars - each to be half the value of a dollar ...." followed by quarter dollars, dismes, half dismes, cents and half cents. Twenty-dollar gold coins, or double eagles, came later.

Half dismes (half dimes in today's vernacular) weren't called nickels. The metal, nickel, didn't appear in U.S. coinage until 1856 in the Flying Eagle cent. Half dimes were struck from 1794 to 1805 and again from 1829 to 1873, but have not been issued since that date.

Two-cent coins and half dimes do not complete the list of coin denominations that have become "OBSOLETE" (emphasis is mine).

Search in the Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, and you will discover the other examples of obsolete denominations of United States coins. A small, but interesting collection of these makes a nice display and will intrigue many of your friends and relatives.... great for show and tell and non-numismatists. We've already considered the 2-cent coin and the half dime, but what of the others?

1851 saw the advent of a silver 3-cent coin, nicknamed the trime. This, the smallest of United States silver coins, left the Mint every year until 1873. It came into being to accompany the lowering of postal rates from five to three cents. The copper-nickel 3-cent coin, the second coin issued with nickel in its composition, overlapped with the trime in circulation, being issued from 1865 to 1889.

In 1875, a 20-cent coin made its appearance. Unpopular at the outset, this coin was discontinued after 1876 except for Proof coins produced in 1877 and 1878.

There you have it, a small, specialized collection. (**Note: At this point in the article, author Col. Bill Murray goes on to list prices in various grades for the above coins.... so I'm now skipping to the final two paragraphs)

No gold pieces have been struck as circulating coinage since 1933, so each is an {b]obsolete denomination. (Emphasis is mine) Adding them to your collection can get costly, especially considering the $3 & $4 coins. An example of an EF $3 gold coin can be found in the neighborhood of $600, but a $4 (Stella) wil command a five-figure price.

A collection of all the obsolete coins would be nice, but considering the hobby budget of most of us, inclusion of each of the obsolete gold coins may be prohibitive.

**(That article, my friends was written by the very respected Col. Murray; not Archie Black or Kelley or what's his name. By the way... ALL OF THESE "OBSOLETE" COINS ARE STILL REDEEMABLE FOR FACE VALUE contrary to the views some as to what constitues a valid definition of the word "obsolete". Please adress any opposing viewpoints to Coin World P.O. Box 150 Sidney, OH c/o Col. Bill Murray ... )