The pushmi-pullyu allure of coins and stamps
Many collectors recall our early history from 75 years ago, when we started out as the Littleton Stamp Company. Then, in six short years we diversified into coins. Perfect pairing!
Dr. Dolittle’s Pushmi-Pullyu animal
Even though we split the company in two in the 1970s with the acquisition of Mystic Stamp – and officially became the Littleton Coin Company – the complementary relationship between the two hobbies remains robust. Not unlike Dr. Dolittle’s pushmi-pullyu animal, fascination with either pastime is often an introduction to the other!
Littleton Coin takes that relationship to another level with its exclusive coin-and-stamp sets. Featured on beautifully illustrated story cards, they offer wonderful opportunities of discovery for youngsters, plus those exploring either hobby for the first time. Let’s take a look at three.
Susan B. Anthony dollars go to school
1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar
Did you know 2020 is a huge year in US women’s history? It’s the 100th anniversary of the Constitution’s 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. It’s also the 200th birthday of activist Susan B. Anthony, who worked tirelessly to get that legislation passed, though it didn’t happen in her lifetime.
In 1979, the US Mint honored Anthony by profiling her on the first US small-sized dollar, making her the first female historical figure with a portrait on a circulating coin. The Susan B. Anthony dollars, affectionately called “Susie Bs”, were struck from 1979-1981 and one last time in 1999.
“Thank you for your efficient response to my order for the Susan B. Anthony coins. My reason for ordering these coins was to complement a school history project assigned to my granddaughter…”
“Thank you for your efficient response to my order for the Susan B. Anthony coins. My reason for ordering these coins was to complement a school history project assigned to my granddaughter,” wrote one of our customers, A.W. from Newport News, VA. We’re always happy to help connect the new generation with events that happened before they were born. Thanks for the compliment, A.W.!
Image courtesy of Mystic Stamp Company
With more at-home education than ever before, Littleton Coin revisited the Susan B. Anthony dollar and followed our curiosity to the three-cent stamp issued with her likeness in 1936. That year was the 16th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s passage. Coincidentally, or not, 1936 also was a presidential election year, pitting Democratic incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a well-known stamp collector, against Republican challenger Kansas Governor Alf Landon. Can you guess who won?
With 2020 being such a milestone year for women’s suffrage history, Littleton Coin designed an illustrated display folder that features both an Uncirculated Susie B and a Mint 1936 Anthony stamp. Customers got a first look at this exclusive offer in our Autumn 2020 Hard to Find catalog. If you aren’t already subscribed, you can sign up here.
75th anniversary of WWII’s victorious end
Image courtesy of Mystic Stamp Company
For those of us collecting for a long time, organizing and categorizing our finds is second nature. But for a youngster, it’s a developed skill. Littleton Coin’s new five-set 1945 WWII coin-and-stamp story cards paying tribute to our Armed Forces and America’s 32nd president are a great way to encourage that organizational development – with history added for extra measure!
Individually, the coins are a Lincoln shell-casing cent on the story card for for the Army (and Air Force); a wartime silver Jefferson nickel for the Marines; a silver Mercury dime for the Coast Guard; a silver Washington quarter for the Navy, and a silver Liberty Walking half dollar for FDR.
The amazingly detailed three-cent stamps – all issued in 1945 – honored those four branches, plus FDR, who died just a month before Nazi Germany surrendered in Europe 75 years ago. Littleton Coin has done additional research, located archival photos, and created timelines for each story card on our Armed Forces and President Roosevelt. You can order all five, or just chose the one that has personal meaning. This offer also made its debut in our Autumn 2020 Hard to Find catalog.
Native American history is US history
Coins and stamps are history in miniature. It’s no small feat to cover a tiny surface with only the most important details. And some of the most layered stories come from Native American history. In 2019, Littleton Coin unveiled an illustrated coin-and-stamp story card that brought to light many nearly forgotten facts of the US space program.
Each display card features a pair of Uncirculated P&D Native American dollars from the US Mint honoring mathematical engineer Mary Golda Ross of the Cherokee Nation. Ross was the first known Native American to work in the US space program and the only woman on the design team for the Atlas-Agena reconnaissance satellite that figured out how to launch a manned craft into space. You can see it taking off on the coin’s background. That scientific breakthrough led to Apollo 11 and the first moon landing in 1969.
2019 Space Program Coin & Stamp Set
We paired the P&D dollars with a Mint 1969 10¢ commemorative stamp honoring Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11‘s commander, standing on the moon. After all, 2019 was the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. And we added historical notes for more depth.
But there’s more to see on that coin’s design. Forty years after Armstrong walked on the moon, astronaut and Navy commander John Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, became the first Native American to walk in space in 2002. You’ll see his helmet and outstretched hands on the upper right. Hats off to Emily Damstra of the US Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program for coming up with the extraordinary design chosen for the reverse of the 2019 Native American dollar.
If you would like to find out more about our exclusively designed coin-and-stamp sets – for you or for a young history student you know – call our friendly customer service representatives at 1-800-645-3122. They’re always happy to help!
