71. Is your coin marked? Maybe, maybe not... Most coins made at the United States Mint get a mint mark—a letter code that shows which branch struck the coin. Philadelphia doesn’t always use a mark because it was the first branch. And no marks were used in 1965 through 1967. But today, most coins except Philadelphia’s have mint marks on the back.

72. The Mint has branches—and some get pruned... The United States Mint began making coins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was the capital of the United States at the time. The first branches opened in Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina because gold was discovered nearby, but those branches are not operating today. Branches in California, Colorado, and Nevada soon followed, but the Nevada branch has also been “pruned.” The newest branch is in West Point, New York.

73. Coins, like students, can get low grades... One way coin collectors grade coins is on a scale of 1 through 70. The coin’s grade depends on its condition—dull or shiny, worn or crisp, nicked and scratched or clean. Fortunately, there’s no special grade a coin has to reach to pass the collectible test!

74. We would be eating the national bird!... If Ben Franklin had had his way, the turkey would be our national bird. Maybe then the $2.50 gold coin called the “quarter eagle” would be called the “quarter turkey.” Sounds more like a menu item, doesn’t it? And if the astronaut who landed on the moon had said “The turkey has landed,” ...it just wouldn’t be the same.

75. There was a lot of horsing around at the early Mint... We often rate the power of engines by “horsepower,” but in the early Mint, the power came from real horses! Yes, harnessed horses were one way the machines got the energy to make coins.

76. Our first commemorative coins were first seen at a World’s Fair... 1892 was the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America. To celebrate, Congress provided money for a world’s fair. Chicago hosted the “Columbian Exposition,” as it was called, and two special coins were created for the event. The half dollar coin featured a bust of the explorer and sold at the fair for one dollar. The quarter dollar showed Queen Isabella of Spain, who financed the trip.