Worth Its Weight

Think today's political campaigns are nasty? America's politicians have been slinging mud for centuries—and sometimes, they struck their insults in metal.
From Andrew Jackson's transformation into a jackass to Martin Van Buren's unfortunate footsteps, political tokens of the 1830s turned economic frustration into pocket-sized satire. By 1896, opponents of William Jennings Bryan were manufacturing enormous silver dollars, ridiculous caricatures, and even a miniature coffin to mock his monetary policies. And the tradition didn't end there.
In this Election Day special, host Caroline Turco explores the wonderfully irreverent history of American political exonumia, tracing how tokens, medals, and metallic mementos reflected the changing relationship between money and public participation. Along the way, we celebrate a distinctly American freedom: the right to criticize our leaders, challenge their decisions, and even mint our disagreements.
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Featured Numismatic Objects
1834 Andrew Jackson “I Take the Responsibility” Hard Times Token
A satirical political token depicting Andrew Jackson emerging from a strongbox with a sword and money bag. The reverse portrays a jackass bearing the letters “LL.D.,” mocking Jackson's honorary law degree and his interpretation of presidential authority.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Object and Images
ANA — Tales from the Vault: Hard Times Tokens
1837 “Illustrious Predecessor” Hard Times Token
A running jackass illustrates Martin Van Buren's promise to follow Andrew Jackson's policies, while a tortoise carrying a treasury chest mocks the administration's proposed financial system.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Object and Images
1896 Bryan Money — Comparative Dollars
Oversized silver pieces manufactured to ridicule William Jennings Bryan's proposed free coinage of silver at a sixteen-to-one ratio with gold. These medals turned a complex monetary debate into a striking visual argument.
ANA Money Museum — Bryan Money: Political Propaganda in Metal
1896 Bryan Money — Satirical Pieces
Political medals and tokens featuring deliberately insulting imagery and inscriptions, including “In God We Trust, In Bryan We Bust” and “United Snakes of America.”
ANA Money Museum — Bryan Money: Political Propaganda in Metal
Coin World — The Fight Against the Gold Standard Defines the 1896 Election
1896 William Jennings Bryan Mechanical Coffin
A miniature brass coffin containing a metallic figure of Bryan, accompanied by the inscription “Free Silver Knocked Him Out.” One of the more outrageous examples of presidential campaign memorabilia.
Coin World — 1896 Presidential Campaign Collectibles
2016 “Heads You Win, Tails We Lose” Political Token
A modern example of partisan exonumia, featuring Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on opposing sides of a privately manufactured flipper token.
Coin World — 2016 Presidential Campaign Collectibles
Historical Background & Further Reading
White House Historical Association — Rachel Jackson — The marriage controversy that became political ammunition during the election of 1828.
ANA — Tales from the Vault: Hard Times Tokens — Political satire, monetary instability, and privately issued copper tokens during the Jackson and Van Buren administrations.
ANA Money Museum — Bryan Money: Political Propaganda in Metal — The 1896 free silver controversy and the comparative and satirical objects it inspired.
Coin World — The Fight Against the Gold Standard Defines the 1896 Election — Additional examples of Bryan campaign exonumia, including the mechanical coffin.
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Learn More About the American Numismatic Association
Money Museum
Money Museum Virtual Exhibits
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Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest!
To learn more, explore show notes, and discover more stories carried by money, visit money.org.
Follow the money. Literally.

Coins in Costume: Hidden Identities & a $93,000 Silver Eagle | Weekly Weigh-In, October 30, 2026
Some coins have been keeping secrets beneath their costumes. In this Halloween edition of the Weekly Weigh-In, Caroline Turco unwraps a Continental dollar’s earlier identity, investigates a gold sovereign masquerading as a Canadian quarter, and examines the extraordinary rarity behind a nearly $93,000 Silver Eagle.
Plus: a chill in gold and silver prices, quarters suiting up for youth sports, the return of a fractional Gold Buffalo, and a new chapter for the Coin of the Year awards.
Worth Its Weight—made for collectors, open to the curious.
In this episode
A ghost beneath the surface: X-ray research identifies a 1748 Mexico City eight reales beneath a silver Continental dollar. What does this reveal about its manufacture—and what questions remain unanswered?
A chill in the metals market: An October 29 snapshot of gold and silver prices, followed by the $92,812.50 sale of a 2026-P Team USA privy-mark Silver Eagle.
The quarter at the masquerade: A 1969 Canadian quarter struck over a 1966 British gold sovereign brings $28,125. Was its transformation an accident or deliberate mint-floor mischief?
Quarters suit up and a Buffalo rises again: The U.S. Mint unveils its 2027 youth-sports quarters and wheelchair-basketball half dollar, while a one-tenth-ounce reverse-proof Gold Buffalo is scheduled for December 10.
A new dragon watching over the hoard: NGC will manage the Coin of the Year awards beginning in 2027. We revisit memorable winners featuring lunar exploration, Ukrainian cultural heritage, and a Chinese dragon.
Sources & further reading
Continental dollar research
CoinWeek: X-rays reveal a hidden Spanish dollar beneath the Continental dollar
Robert L. Rodriguez, The Continental Dollar: A Journey of Discovery — Whitman Publishing
Precious metals & the Team USA Silver Eagle
Reuters: October 29 gold and precious-metals report
GreatCollections: October 18 auction highlights and realized prices
The Canadian gold quarter
CoinWeek: A British sovereign struck with Canadian quarter dies
Upcoming U.S. Mint coins
U.S. Mint: Youth Sports Coin Collection
CoinNews: Twentieth-anniversary one-tenth-ounce Gold Buffalo preview
Coin of the Year
NGC: Coin of the Year management announcement
U.S. Mint: Apollo 11 five-ounce silver proof wins the 2021 award
CoinWeek: Ukraine wins the 2023 award
ANA: 2026 World’s Fair of Money recap and COTY winners
Market prices reflect October 29 intraday reporting, in U.S. dollars per troy ounce. Auction totals include buyer’s premiums. Mint release schedules and product details are subject to change.
Coming November 5: Numismatic Innovators
Join us Thursday, November 5, for the premiere of Numismatic Innovators with Dr. Donald Kagin, an exclusive interview series hosted here on Worth Its Weight. First guest David Hall, co-founder of PCGS, shares stories from a career that helped transform the hobby. Steve Ivy follows in December.
The series airs on the first Thursday of every month, replacing that week’s Friday Weekly Weigh-In.
Enjoyed the episode? Follow Worth Its Weight and haunt us with a review wherever you listen. Happy Halloween!
Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest!
To learn more, explore show notes, and discover more stories carried by money, visit money.org.
Follow the money. Literally.

The Blood Countess or Blood Money?
A souvenir banknote. Two rival rulers. Hundreds of "victims." What can money reveal about the so-called Blood Countess, Elizabeth Báthory?
In the final spooky-season episode of Worth Its Weight, Caroline Turco explores the terrifying legend of the Blood Countess—and then examines the evidence behind it. Beginning with a modern souvenir note featuring Báthory and Čachtice Castle, we follow coins and historical accounts into a world of divided kingdoms, religious conflict, powerful families, and war.
Coins of Matthias II and Gabriel Báthory introduce the competing authorities surrounding her. Alongside these objects, we examine her wealth and estates, interpretations of her household’s healing practices, and Cambridge academic Dr. Annouchka Bayley’s reassessment of her work educating young women.
How much of the familiar story rests on evidence? What might others have gained from her downfall? And how does a disputed reputation become a marketable legend?
*Content advisory: This episode discusses allegations of torture, murder, and violence against women and girls.
The interpretations discussed in this episode remain contested. The coins illuminate Báthory’s world; they do not independently establish her guilt or innocence.
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Featured numismatic objects
Čachtický Hrad €0 souvenir note, Slovakia, 2019 — EEBX 2019-1. Featuring Elizabeth Báthory and Čachtice Castle. The seller’s description discussed in the episode presents her murderous reputation as fact. This is a souvenir, not legal tender. View the note and seller’s description.
Stephen Báthory medal commemorating the recovery of Livonia and Polotsk, circa 1582. Its reverse adapts imagery from Roman Judaea Capta coinage. Examples were distributed at Jan Zamoyski’s wedding to Gryzelda Báthory in 1583. View both sides and the auction description.
Matthias II silver five-thaler piece, Hungary, 1610, Kremnica mint. A crowned, armored portrait and dynastic arms proclaim the king’s authority in the year of Elizabeth’s arrest. View the coin.
Gabriel Báthory silver military thaler, Transylvania, 1611, Sibiu mint. Its titles and “For country, altars, and hearths” inscription express the prince’s authority during a period of political and military conflict. View the coin.
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Sources and further reading
National Museum in Kraków: Stephen Báthory’s victory medal — medal imagery, dating, and distribution.
University of Cambridge: Annouchka Bayley’s reinterpretation of Báthory — an account of the research and interpretation behind her historical novel, The Blood Countess.
Aleksandra Bartosiewicz, “Elisabeth Báthory—A True Story” (2018) — contrasting accounts of Báthory’s life and arguments for a political conspiracy.
Adam Szabelski, “The Figure of Elisabeth Bathory in Historiography” (2014) — discussion of historical interpretations and proposed political motives.
Rachael Leigh Bledsaw, No Blood in the Water (2014) — a contrasting assessment of conspiracy arguments and the period’s legal practices.
Nádasdy Ferenc Museum: Elizabeth Báthory — biographical overview in Hungarian.
Čachtice Castle: Official history — the castle’s ownership and history.
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Subscribe Today!
If you enjoyed this episode, follow Worth Its Weight wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review—it helps more listeners discover the stories money carries.
And if there’s a coin, note, or piece of monetary history you think deserves an episode, send us your two cents. You never know what might make its way onto Worth Its Weight.
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Learn More About the American Numismatic Association
Money Museum
Money Museum Virtual Exhibits
Explore the ANA
Membership
Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest!
To learn more, explore show notes, and discover more stories carried by money, visit money.org.
Follow the money. Literally.
Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest!
To learn more, explore show notes, and discover more stories carried by money, visit money.org.
Follow the money. Literally.

Cigar Box Gold, Medieval Kings & D. B. Cooper’s $20 Bill | Weekly Weigh-In
A gold coin hidden in a cigar box brings $97,600, newly reported dollar errors send collectors checking their purchases, and a damaged $20 bill carries a six-figure connection to D. B. Cooper.
This week, Caroline Turco catches up on what’s making news in numismatics, from strong proof-set sales and growing interest in circulated banknotes to a rare Norwegian coin identified during museum cataloguing. We also explore how Harold II presented himself on money in the fateful year 1066—and make a personal detour to the Paris Opera.
In this episode
Proof-set follow-up: Strong sales for the $107 Semiquincentennial Proof Set add another perspective to the affordability discussion.
Collector market: Arthur Friedberg’s analysis examines stronger prices for circulated large-size U.S. banknotes.
Cigar box treasure: An exceptionally preserved 1867-S Liberty Head half eagle emerges from a family collection.
Missing-layer dollars: Three reported Trump dollar errors—and why an asking price is different from a completed sale.
In circulation: The Gettysburg Address quarter begins its journey through the banking system.
From ceiling to coin: A former opera singer’s personal pick connects the Palais Garnier, Marc Chagall, and French commemorative coins.
Olaf’s unexpected appearance: A closer reading of an inscription reveals a rare coin of Norway’s king and future saint.
Harold II and 1066: Crown, sceptre, and the word PAX—peace—preserve a king’s authority before his defeat.
D. B. Cooper’s ransom: The surviving portion of a single $20 note sells for $134,200.
Sources and further reading
Proof sets and the collector market
CoinNews: 2026 Innovation Reverse Proof Set Breaks Record — includes the latest Semiquincentennial Proof Set sales update.
Greensheet: October 2026 Market Analysis—Collector Grade Notes Strong
Cigar box treasure
Heritage’s auction description: 1867-S Liberty Head Half Eagle, PCGS MS63
Heritage: October auction results, including the half eagle and Cooper ransom note
NGC Coin Explorer: Liberty Head Half Eagles, 1839–1908
Modern coins
CoinWeek: Three Trump Dollar Missing-Clad-Layer Errors Reported
CoinNews: Gettysburg Address Quarter Enters Circulation
ANA Reading Room: A Change in Canvas—From Ceiling to Coin — a personal selection from October 2025.
Medieval kings
Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo: Rare Olaf Coin Identified in the Mørstad Hoard
British Museum: How Harold Was Depicted Before the Bayeux Tapestry—and What It Tells Us
The E-Sylum: Harold II and the British Museum Presentation
D. B. Cooper
Heritage: The $20 Ransom Note Offered in This Auction
FBI: The D. B. Cooper Hijacking
Coming next
Elizabeth Báthory—the so-called Blood Countess. Could money help exonerate her? Our spooky-season exploration follows wealth, power, and coins into the world behind her horrifying reputation.
Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest!
To learn more, explore show notes, and discover more stories carried by money, visit money.org.
Follow the money. Literally.

A headless rider guarding a lonely cross stone. Witches flying across the Brocken on Walpurgis Night. A mysterious piper abducting a village's children.
In the years surrounding Germany’s defeat in World War I, communities across the country issued their own emergency money, or notgeld, to fill shortages of official currency. What began as a practical solution soon became something more colorful—and considerably stranger.
In this spooky-season episode of Worth Its Weight, Caroline explores three German notgeld notes that draw on local legends, folklore, and fear. Along the way, she examines how emergency money became a canvas for community identity, tourism, collector demand, and stories much older than the notes themselves.
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What Was Notgeld?

Notgeld—literally “emergency money”—was issued by municipalities, businesses, and other local organizations when official coins and currency became scarce. During and after World War I, shortages of metal coinage encouraged increasingly widespread local issues. By 1920 and 1921, many colorful Serienscheine were produced in sets aimed partly at collectors, featuring local history, scenery, legends, and folklore.
The ANA Edward C. Rochette Money Museum explores German emergency currency, its origins, materials, and transformation into a collector market.
ANA Money Museum — German Notgeld
ANA Money Museum — World War I German Emergency Money
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Featured Objects:
Berga, 25 Pfennig, 1921 — The Headless Rider
Issued by the town of Berga an der Elster on October 1, 1921, this 25-pfennig note depicts a headless horseman standing watch near a boundary stone.
Its inscription tells the story:
“The rider without a head keeps watch at the stone cross every dark night. He fell while storming the castle. His name is no longer spoken.”
The note belonged to a larger illustrated series drawing on local legends and supernatural stories. Its imagery shows how notgeld could preserve folklore as readily as civic monuments or historical events.
Object credit: Berga an der Elster, 25 Pfennig Notgeld, October 1, 1921.
View the Berga Headless Horseman note
Explore the complete Berga notgeld series and inscriptions

Brocken, 25 Pfennig, 1921 — Witches on the Mountain
The 25-pfennig issue draws directly from the imagery of Walpurgis Night, pairing witches and supernatural transportation with lines from Goethe’s Faust.
The highest peak in Germany’s Harz Mountains, the Brocken was long-associated with witches, supernatural gatherings, and Walpurgis Night (April 30 into May 1).
By the nineteenth century, those associations had been immortalized in Goethe’s Faust and increasingly marketed to visitors. Tourism, folklore, literature, and local commerce all converged on the mountain.
A series of Brockengutscheine issued in 1921 by Brocken innkeeper Rudolph Schade featured witches, broomsticks, goats, Faust, Mephistopheles, and quotations from Goethe.
Object/type credit: Brockenwirt Rudolph Schade, Brocken Gutschein series, 10, 25, 50 and 75 Pfennig, July 1, 1921.
Explore the Brocken Walpurgis Night notgeld series

Hamelin, 50 Pfennig, 1918 — The Pied Piper
Long before the colorful collector series of the early 1920s, Hamelin issued emergency notes during the actual small-change shortages of World War I.
Its 1918 50-pfennig notes drew on the city’s most famous legend: the Pied Piper.
According to the familiar story, Hamelin hired a mysterious piper to rid the town of rats. After the townspeople refused to pay him as promised, he returned and led away the town’s children.
The legend has much older roots than the rat-catching version now familiar to most listeners, and its historical basis remains uncertain. What matters numismatically is that Hamelin turned its most recognizable story into an emblem of local identity—one that could circulate from hand to hand.
Object credit: City of Hamelin, 50 Pfennig Notgeld, July 1, 1918.
View the Hamelin 50 Pfennig issue
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Subscribe Today!
If you enjoyed this episode, follow Worth Its Weight wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review—it helps more listeners discover the stories money carries.
And if there’s a coin, note, or piece of monetary history you think deserves an episode, send us your two cents. You never know what might make its way onto Worth Its Weight.
---
Learn More About the American Numismatic Association
Money Museum
Money Museum Virtual Exhibits
Explore the ANA
Membership
Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest!
To learn more, explore show notes, and discover more stories carried by money, visit money.org.
Follow the money. Literally.