Canceled denominations of United States currency
The United States has several coins and banknotes which were proposed at one time but never adopted.
Banknotes
A three dollar bill was proposed two times during the 1860s. A design was engraved for a potential $3 United States Note, and a 1865 law called for a $3 National Bank Note, but neither proposal came to fruition.
| Denomination | Obverse | Reverse | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3 note | | | Not to be confused with fake or privately issued obsolete notes or the three-dollar Continental currency banknotes issued during the American Revolution |
Coinage
There have been several United States coins which were proposed but never adopted. Most of the coins listed below, although never adopted, were produced in limited numbers as patterns.
| Denomination | Obverse | Reverse | Weight | Diameter | Material | Edge | Minted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver center cent 1¢ | | | 4.48 g | 24.00 mm | Cu (ring) Ag (plug) | reeded | 1792 | The first and only US bi-metallic coin until the 2000 Library of Congress ten dollar coin. |
| Ring cent 1¢ | | | various weights | 90% Cu | 10% Ag[a] | 1850–1851, 1853[b], 1884–1885 | 196 ring cents (originals and restrikes) are known to exist.[1] Examples exist with or without a hole. | |
| Aluminum cent 1¢ | | | 0.937 g | 19.05 mm | 96% Al 4% trace metals | plain | 1973–1975 | 1,579,324 coins dated 1974 were produced, but were not put in circulation and nearly all were later destroyed.[2] |
| Two-cent billon 2¢ | | | 3.84 g | ~13.00 mm | 90% Cu 10% Ag | plain | 1836 | [3] |
| Two and a half cent piece 2.5¢ | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | never minted | Proposed in 1916 by US mint director Robert W. Woolley.[4] Civil War tokens of this denomination exist. | ||
| Three-cent bronze 3¢ | | | 10.89 g | 28.57 mm | 95% Cu 5% Zn | plain | 1863 | |
| Ring nickel 5¢ | | | plain | 1884–1885 | [5][6] | |||
| Gold ring half dollar 50¢ | | | 1852 | [7] | ||||
| Gold ring dollar $1 | | | 1849, 1852 | [8][9] | ||||
| Two dollar piece $2 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | never minted | Proposed but not minted.[10] Some privately struck renditions exist.[11] | ||
| Stella $4[12][13] | | | 7.00 g | 22 mm | 6.00g Au 0.30g Ag 0.70g Cu | reeded | 1879–1880 | [14] |
| Half-union $50 | | | 83.58 g | 50.80 mm | 90% Au 10% Cu[c] | reeded | 1877 | Commemorative coins of this denomination were issued in 1915.[16] Several bullion coins are produced in this denomination. |
| Union $100 | | | unknown | unknown | 90% Au 10% Cu | unknown | never minted | Canceled before any patterns could be minted (fantasy coin shown). Some commemorative and bullion coins are minted in this denomination. |
Notes
- ^ Pattern coins for the ring cent were struck in various metals, including copper, aluminum, and nickel, as well as billon.
- ^ 1853 ring cents are restrikes dated 1850, although they can be distinguished from the original 1850 cents in that they use a different reverse design.
- ^ Although circulation strikes of the Half Union were to be 90% gold 10% copper, only two of the twenty known pattern coins were struck with this composition. The other 18 were struck in 100% copper, although some were later plated with gold by the mint.[15]
References
- ^ "1792-1856". uspatterns.stores.yahoo.net. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Yeoman 2014, p. 123.
- ^ Yeoman 2014, p. 375.
- ^ "Mint proposed 2.5-cent piece in 1916". Coin World. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ "J1724/P1934". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "J1742/P1954". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "J135/P162". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "J115/P130". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "J136/P163". uspatterns.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Dr. Sol Taylor: Our Odd-Denomination Coins". Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ "Coin Designs by Daniel Carr. 1987-2001 Apollo Astronaut dollar, two dollar bi-metallic circulating coins". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ Shark, Bullion (June 8, 2022). "The $4 Stella Gold Coin: A Failed Idea That Collectors Loved". CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
- ^ "The History of U.S. Coins - APMEX". learn.apmex.com. June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
- ^ Yeoman 2014, p. 254.
- ^ "Fifty Dollar". uspatterns.stores.yahoo.net. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Yeoman 2014, p. 289.
Bibliography
- Yeoman, R.S. (2014). Bressett, Kenneth (ed.). A Guide Book of United States Coins 2015 (68th ed.). Atlanta, Georgia: Whitman Publishing. ISBN 978-079484215-4. OCLC 875521690. OL 28306197M.








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