Half Cent History & Info
1793 Liberty Cap Half Cent. Made of copper. Head facing left.
1794-1797 Liberty Cap Half Cent. Made of Copper. Head facing right.
1800-1808 Draped Bust Half Cent. Made of Copper.
1809-1836 Classic Head Half Cent. Made of Copper.
1840-1857 Braided Hair Half Cent. Made of Copper.

Cent History & Info
The Cent or what is commonly called a penny is the most common find of all. You should find more of this coin than any other so know it well. It is the Rodney Dangerfield of coins and gets no respect. It has quite a history. Large Cents and half cents were the first coins struck under the authority of the United States Government. The small cent began production as a result of the Act of February 21, 1857.

Large Cents
Large Cents were minted from 1793-1857. These are fun detector finds!
1793 Flowing Hair Cent. Made of copper. Has chain on reverse side in a circle.
1793 Flowing Hair Cent. Made of Copper. Has wreath on reverse side.
1793-1796 Liberty Cap Cent. Made of Copper. Many variations.
1796-1807 Draped Bust Cent. Made of Copper. Many variations in hair.
1808-1814 Classic Head Cent. Made of Copper.
1816-1857 Coronet Cent. Made of Copper.

Small Cents
1856-1858 Flying Eagle Cent. Made of Copper.
1859-1909 Indian Head Cent. Made of Copper.
1909-1958 Lincoln Wheat Cent. Made of Copper. Originally issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. President Lincoln profile on one side and two wheat ears on the other. SPECIAL ISSUE of this cent during World War II because of the shortage of copper. Copper was needed for fabrication of bullets and cartridges. This cent was made of zinc coated steel and only in 1943. Also known as a "war penny". Your detector will reject this one as iron junk. Many of these are found in poor shape because the zinc wore off and the steel rusted away. In 1944-1958 a lot of pennies were struck from brass (salvaged cartridge cases from the military) because of the continuing shortage of new copper. That is why these might register a little differently on your detector as well.
1959-1982 Lincoln Memorial Cent. Made of Copper. President Lincoln profile on one side and Lincoln Memorial on the other.
1983-present Lincoln Memorial Cent. Made of Copper coated zinc. Same design as previous coin. Mint was losing too much money minting from solid copper so the switch was made to the cheaper zinc composite coin.

Three Cent Piece History & Info
The three cent piece was authorized by Congress March 3, 1851.
1851-1873 Silver Three Cent Piece. Made of Silver, it is the smallest of all the Silver coins.
1865-1889 Three Cent Piece. Made of Nickel and Copper. Was designed to replace the Silver three cent piece

Quarter History & Info
The Quarter was authorized in 1792 but not issued until four years later. This coin is quite popular, especially with metal detector users. Old timers often called it a "two bit" coin. The old cheerleader cheer, that goes..."Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar!..." originated from an old monetary system that held it's reference in the quarter. So when an old timer asks you for two bits, you know he means a quarter.

1796 Draped Bust, small Eagle reverse. Made of Silver.
1804-1807 Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle Reverse. Made of Silver.
1815-1838 Capped Bust. Made of Silver.
1838-1891 Seated Liberty. Made of Silver.
1892-1916 Barber Quarter. Made of Silver. Also known as Liberty Head Quarter.
1916-1930 Standing Liberty Quarter. Made of Silver.
1932-1964 George Washington Quarter. Made of Silver.
1965-Present George Washington Quarter. Clad coin, copper core sandwiched with two layers of Nickel. Special Issue 1976 in celebration of Bicentennial. Bicentennial quarters with "S" mint mark are Silver Clad.

Half Dollar History & Info
The half dollar was authorized by the Act of April 2, 1792 and first minted in December of 1794.
1794-1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar. Made of Silver.
1796-1807 Draped Bust Half Dollar. Made of Silver.
1807-1839 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Made of Silver.
1839-1891 Seated Liberty Half Dollar. Made of Silver.
1892-1915 Barber Half Dollar. Made of Silver. Also known as Liberty Head Half Dollar.
1916-1947 Walking Liberty Half. Made of Silver.
1948-1963 Franklin Half. Made of Silver. Benjamin Franklin on one side, Liberty Bell on other. Sometimes called Liberty Bell Half.
1964 Kennedy Half. Made of 90% Silver. President Kennedy on one side, Eagle on other.
1965-1970 Kennedy Half. Clad coin, 40% Silver clad to copper core. Same design as previous.
1971-Present Kennedy Half. Clad coin, copper core sandwiched with two layers of Nickel. SPECIAL ISSUE for bicentennial in 1976. Some bicentennials are Silver Clad. Mint mark is "S" on these.

Dollar History & Info
The Silver Dollar was authorized by Congress April 2, 1792. First coins appeared in 1794. The name comes from the German word Taler. The Taler was the name of a large European Silver coin.
1794-1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. Made of Silver.
1795-1804 Draped Bust Dollar. Made of Silver. THE 1804 is extremely RARE.
1836-1839 Gobrecht Dollar. Made of Silver.
1840-1873 Seated Liberty Dollar. Made of Silver.
1873-1885 Trade Dollar. Made of Silver.
1878-1921 Morgan Dollar. Made of Silver. Also known as the Liberty Head Dollar.
1921-1935 Peace Dollar. Made of Silver.
1971-1978 Eisenhower Dollar. Clad coin, copper core sandwiched with two layers of Nickel. SPECIAL ISSUE bicentennial coin 1976. Bicentennial with mint mark of "S" are Silver Clad.
1979-1981 Susan B. Anthony Dollar. Clad coin, copper core sandwiched with two layers of nickel. One of the most unpopular coins ever produced. About the size of a quarter.

Half Dime History & Info
Half Dimes were first coined in 1795 as a result of being authorized by the Act of April 2, 1972.
1794-1795 Flowing Hair Half Dime. Made of Silver.
1796-1805 Draped Bust Half Dime. Made of Silver.
1829-1837 Capped Bust Half Dime. Made of Silver.
1837-1873 Seated Liberty Half Dime. Made of Silver.

Twenty Cent Piece History & Info
The twenty cent piece was a short lived coin. It was authorized by Act of March 3, 1875. Unpopular with people because it was easily confused with a quarter.
1875-1878 Twenty Cent Piece. Made of Silver.