Well, you have to do something to focus attention. If you're talking about money, why not show it? That seemed to work. It's entertaining to gaze upon and be able to touch something handled by our ancestors.

THe New Orleans mint produced just over 1.5 million Liberty Seated dimes in 1857; over two million in 1841 and again in 1842.
http://www.coincommunity.com/us_dimes/seated_liberty.asp

Notice how few coins were minted during the Civil War and Reconstruction. That makes coins minted during those years rare and fairly expensive.