Commems Collection Classic: 1925 Norse-American Centennial

How circulated was the thin one?

I thoroughly enjoy these posts with the histories of the coins!! To me it's what coin collecting is all about. @ Commens you must have a very vast collection, as you've got coins from several different countries.

Even though this is a bit older, I have to say another great post by Commems (and what a jaw dropping coin that gold piece is!)

One question that comes to mind is why were the bronze pieces struck, or at least why they were struck in such small numbers? Who silver plated them outside the mint and why?

I've measured a raw "Thin" that I had handy and got measurements in the range of 1.35mm to 1.50mm depending on which side I measured (at the edge).

If I recall correctly, the "Thick" medals are about 2.0mm in thickness. (I didn't have one immediately available to measure.)

I'll update as possible.

I measured a raw "Thick" medal and once again found variable measurements. This time the edge thickness varied from 2.25mm to 2.60mm.

Hope this helps.

Unfortunately the seller I saw at the last show with the circulated thin one was not at the show this weekend.

I will definitely be on the lookout in the future.

As originally conceived, the Norse-American medal was going to be a commemorative 50-cent piece. Before the appropriate bill was introduced, however, the Treasury Department was consulted.

The TD objected to the proposed coin bill, but let it be known that it would not object to a medal bill. So as not to risk losing out entirely, the Norse-American Centennial organization agreed to accept a medal instead of a coin. The bill proposing a medal was introduced in the Senate and moved smoothly through approval.

This strong connection to the commemorative coins of the time is the biggest reason why it remains as popular as it does with today's US commemorative collectors.