Days Of Classic US Commemorative Coins

Final day of this thread - I am saddened to see it end ... but also pleased with all the contributions from so many folks.

commems topic for the final day is my favorite classic commemorative ...

As the proud owner of two sets ... I claim special privilege to share two favorites

1937 Battle of Antietam Anniversary Half Dollar - PCGS MS67/CAC



This coin is without doubt the most visually stunning coin in my entire commemorative collection - alas my poor digital photographs in no way convey the visual power of the eye appeal when held in hand.

This coin is my favorite in the MS set because of it's spectacular eye appeal - a truly amazing coin that appears today just as it left the mint presses in 1937.

I remain somewhat skeptical that my raw coin submittal resulted in 'only' a PCGS MS67 technical grade - believe the wizards got this one wrong.

1936 Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary Half Dollar - PCGS VG10



Look closely at this honestly circulated coin - notice the bruises and bumps ... indicative of a lifetime in service of our nations commerce.

This is an amazing coin - very rare - but not the rarest in my set ... that honor goes to my G04 Elgin (assist to commems).

This circulated commemorative is however most visually powerful -

Recognize that only 26,928 Gettysburg were distributed - all sold at a significant premium ($1.65 ... later $2.65) to avid collectors of the day during the commemorative craze era.

That such a coin could escape the collectors of the day and be spent is mind-boggling to me ... that it could be in circulation so long to obtain the wear evident on this rare and treasured example is ... well ... why the pursuit of these coins in honestly circulated state brings me such collecting joy.

David

I cannot really chose my Favorite commemorative. Many designs are preferred, some are more valuable, and in the narrowing search for completion the most recent holds key in my mind as a favorite. The most recent is a Cincinnati raw and yet unphotographed. Most valuable would be the Antietam but I have yet to crack the top three of the series. Design falls to the classic beauty of the Oregon trail issues.

I have really enjoyed learning about the classic commemoratives and seeing everyone's posts and pictures.

Thank you.

-MV

The near-exclusive use of the 50-cent denomination for the silver coins of the series is certainly one of its intriguing elements.

Two of the arguments against the use of the 25-cent denomination were the small size of the coin and its heavy use in day-to-day commerce (vs. the half dollar). The size limited the artistic potential of commemorative designs. One of the reasons the Treasury Department often cited for its opposition to most commemorative coin proposals was the potential for them to enter circulation and cause confusion within the general public. This would have been even more of an issue for 25-cent pieces which circulated more than half dollars.

Regarding the dollar denomination, it was largely a case of the silver dollar not being a popular coin at the time as evidenced by the fact that it was not even struck in most years of the classic commemorative era. I agree, however, that its size would have allowed greater design flexibility.

Another aspect is the fact that the commemorative coins were being used as fund raisers by their sponsors and the half-dollar denomination provided a "sweet spot" for the premiums put on the coins. Charging a dollar (or more) for a 25-cent piece didn't work well for sales of the 1893 Isabella Quarter and wouldn't have been well received at other times either (too big of a multiple). The offering price for silver dollars would have had to have been noticeably higher than for a half dollar (even at a similar multiple to those used to determine the selling prices for 50-cent pieces) and sponsors were concerned that they might price themselves out of the market. Asking $3 or $4 for a $1 face value coin in the 1920s would have been problematic for many collectors.

Hope that helps a bit! It's a multi-faceted story!

Love the photos. Why did you choose these particular pieces? Catch your eye somehow? I've started my own collection of classic commemoratives since this thread concluded. So far I've picked up a 1936 Oregon Trail, a 1918 Illinois, a 1922 U.S. Grant and a 1946 BT Washington. All coins are MS 63 to 66. Love these pieces of history and to me, these were most significant.

Very nice!

I will try to alert you if this one gets rebooted.

Still a great read