Something a little different today, a non-certified example of the 1935 California-Pacific Exposition commemorative half-dollar.
I'll do a full write-up on the coin itself when I retrieve my next batch of certified coins from the bank and post this one, but for tonight I thought I'd post one of the many original holders for the series that I have collected over the years.
Read More: Commems CollectionThere were several different styles of holders for the California-Pacific Expo (AKA San Diego) half-dollar: plain, unmarked cardboard holders for either one or three coins, a folder depicting the tower and dome of the "California Building" of the Exposition, a folder with "Merry Christmas" inscribed on it and a colorful green and red Christmas card.
The holder in my collection is the "California Building" variety which is also depicted on the coin itself. Today, the building and tower contain the San Diego Museum of Man, during the Exposition the California Building served as part of the entrance to the Exposition. The building, especially the tower, is one of San Diego's most notable landmarks.
My experience has been that holders for the California-Pacific Exposition are more scarce than a number of the other commemorative holders (e.g., the Norfolk holder, the Roanoke Colony folder, etc.), though none of the holders should be viewed as common.
These particular holders often "featured" a piece of tape to hold the commemorative coin in place; you can see remnants of such tape in the interior image below. Not great for the coin and/or future coin collectors, but for non-collectors looking for an Expo souvenir it likely wasn't a concern.
As you can see, the coin has toned considerably over the years (mostly spent in the holder) and would likely grade no better than Choice AU at this point. All-in-all, a nice piece of historical ephemera to supplement my core collection.
Enjoy!
1935 California-Pacific Exposition Holder -- Front
1935 California-Pacific Exposition Holder - Interior
1935 California-Pacific Exposition Half-Dollar -- Obverse
1935 California-Pacific Exposition Half-Dollar - Reverse
Posted 04/10/2012 7:45 pm
