What’s trending for National Coin Week this year?
Did you know that popular culture emerged in the aftermath of WWI? Peace and prosperity gave rise to new entertainment that found eager audiences. Today, those artifacts are sought-after collectibles. In a nod to that enthusiasm, National Coin Week’s 2025 theme focuses on pop culture in numismatics. We here at Littleton Coin are so there!
Toon Towns
Thanks to rapidly evolving film technology, the ability to draw action one frame at a time gave rise to cartoons in the early 1920s. Brothers Max and Dave Fleischer set up Hollywood’s earliest animated cartoon studio, and before long adapted the newspaper strip that featured Popeye® via a deal made with King Features SyndicateTM. Littleton Coin followed those historic footsteps with an exclusive arrangement to offer collectors $2 coins from Ascension Island, plus a special selection of colorized Federal Reserve Notes that feature the spinach-loving sailor man and his friends.
Before the Roaring ‘20s came to a close, Max and Dave had two fraternal rivals in the form of Walt and Ray who formed the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. It debuted Steamboat Willie in 1928 and that cute couple Mickey and Minnie Mouse! These low-mintage silver coins rarely stay in stock long, which is a testament to their place in pop culture. We also have Mickey’s beloved dog Pluto and his best friend Donald Duck.
As Hollywood competition heated up, the Disneys and Fleischers found themselves up against the formidable four siblings who were the Warner Brothers. By WWI, they had expanded from showing films to distributing them and finally to producing them. In 1923, they registered their combined business units as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Their entertainment empire grew throughout the 20th century, adding DC Comics in 1967 even while expanding content creation to include television and music. Here’s a heart-warming chibi-sized character coin from Warner Bros.’s comedic movie about family ties, Buddy the Elf.
Celluloid & Vinyl Heroes
The end of a second world war set the stage for the emergence of muscle cars that captured the fancy of a public now accustomed to driving around. With a fast-forward design and a powerful engine, the most iconic muscle car of all time is the Ford Mustang, at least according to the passionate arguments we’ve heard! Neo-noir crime fighter John Wick (played by actor Keanu Reeves in that film franchise) drives a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1.
But if you want to tool around town or back country roads, Ford’s sporty coupe – the 1969 Mustang BOSS 302 – is the one favored by women and men, alike. Thanks to our arrangement with Ford Motor Co., you can find it on this Happy Birthday $2 Note. Or, gift a Ford fan this this exceptional $2 silver coin.
Over the years we’ve offered commemorative coins that celebrate movie stars, like John Wayne. Thanks to the U.S. Mint’s U.S. Womens Quarter series, traditional coin collectors and consumers, alike, discovered the film industry’s first Asian-American film and television actor Anna May Wong.
From the same quarter series, we learned of the fabulous salsa singing sensation Celia Cruz. In fact, music has been part of American popular culture for quite some time as this Innovation Dollar from Kentucky’s bluegrass music heritage confirms.
Just as music of the Jazz Age blossomed after WWI, rock ‘n’ roll emerged after WWII. It wasn’t all that long ago that Littleton Coin showcased commemorative silver coins honoring John Lennon and Yoko Ono and AC/DC along with Fender Guitars, like this one whose sound was the backdrop of California’s surf culture and those Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello beach movies.
Hitting Pause
Looking for a more traditional coin reference to pop culture? Littleton Coin has a dandy decade series that spans 1900 to 2020. Each display card cites cultural milestones and historic events against a backdrop of five era-specific coins: cent, nickel, dime, quarter and half dollar. Like all of Littleton’s coin clubs, you can acquire these sets at your own pace when you sign up for our easy-to-use Coins on Approval Service. Great series for budding history buffs!
Writ Lit
Mass appeal is the name of the game for creating cultural artifacts that will be popular with the widest audience possible. A genre that surprised me was dark fantasy. Check out these two unusual coins. They pay homage to the 19th century horror classics Dracula and Frankenstein that can still grab our imagination, even in broad daylight!
In 1894, British writer Rudyard Kipling’s collection of short stories about the orphaned “man cub” Mowgli being raised by wolves was turned into an animated cartoon film by Disney. Struck for 2025’s Year of the Snake, this silver coin celebrates the relationship between Mowgli and Kaa, the young boy’s mentor and friend in Kipling’s original.
Even though this is the final year of the U.S. Women Quarters series, collectors have enjoyed getting to know the talented trailblazers whose achievements changed the course of American history. Three were poets published in the 20th century: Maya Angelou, Zitkala-Ša and Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Poetry as popular culture? You bet!
Want to Visit Us?
“[My husband] knew of the company from reading Superman comics as a kid in the ‘50s. As we were driving through on vacation he said, ‘Let’s see what it looks like.’ So surprised and pleased! We stumbled upon a tour.” M.J.V., Endicott, NY
We’re always thrilled to connect with those who remember our early marketing campaigns. Not only did we promote coin collecting in comic books, but our founder Maynard Sundman even advertised on the inside of pink bubblegum wrappers!
In honor of 2025’s National Coin Week, our Gift Shop is featuring a special two-month-long lobby exhibit on popular culture found on coins and paper currency. It’s open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1309 Mt. Eustis Road in the Littleton Industrial Park, accessible off Route 302. You’ll also discover a nice variety of pop culture items in our Money Museum. Free, 30-minute tours led by our knowledgeable staff are held at 1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. School tours welcomed and by appointment. To make reservations, call: 1-800-645-3122.
