After congress apporved the measure in 1792, the US began minting coins.
The first coins to reach the general population were the copper half cent and one cent coins of 1793. The one cent coins were dubbed "large cents" because they contained exactly twice as much copper as the smaller half cent (in those years, a half cent could actually buy something).
The following year, 1794, the first silver issues were released: the five cent half disme (today spelled "dime"), the half dollar, and the silver dollar. Dismes and quarters were first issued in 1796. Gold coins arrived on the scene in 1795, in the form of the ten dollar gold eagle and the five dollar gold half eagle. Quarter eagles, valued at two and one-half dollars, were introduced in 1796.
And the rest is history.
Here is an example of a 1795 Draped Bust Silver Dollar I picked up recently. Very nice indeed.
