In recognition of the Baltimore Ravens win last night in the Super Bowl, I thought I'd present a bit of "Commemorabilia" that I picked up at one of the Whitman Baltimore Expos last year.
Shown below is a small granite chip that came from Stone Mountain itself. More specifically, from stone removed during the carving of General Robert E. Lee's likeness on the mountain (at least allegedly!). As you'll note from the text printed on one of the side panels of the box, chips of granite such as this were given to those contributing $0.25 or more to the Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association to support the carving of the memorial. A rather nice gift for such a potentially small donation!
The box measures 2-1/4" in length, 1-1/2" in width and 3/4-inch in height. The granite chip in my box is approximately 9/10-inch in length, 8/10-inch in width and 3/10-inch in height. To keep the chip from rattling around inside the box, it was/is wrapped in tissue paper.
Read More: Commems CollectionOn the front side of the box is an artist's rendering of the proposed memorial. The poor quality of the box's photograph doesn't allow me to show a clear enlargement, but hopefully you can see (through the pixelation) that the depiction shows the larger scale of the original proposal vs. what was ultimately carved. The text featured on the box also proved to be optimistic!
It was certainly a creative way to "dispose" of some of the stone removed from the face of Stone Mountain during its carving and was just one of the many methods used by the Association to raise money for the memorial's creation.
From my experience, it is a fairly scarce item from the classic commemorative period. One auction company claims that there are only 50 or so still surviving with their original boxes. I can't say with any certainty how accurate this estimate is, but I can say that I've rarely encountered examples as I've wandered the bourse floor of the many coin shows I've attended over the years.
I've also included my ungraded Stone Mountain half-dollar that I keep in a Capital Plastics holder that features a brief backgrounder on the coin. The coin is the first commemorative I purchased on my journey to my present collection - it grades a Choice AU.
Enjoy!
Stone Mountain Granite Chip Box - Front + Side Panel
Enlarged View of Memorial as Shown on Front of Box
Stone Mountain Granite Chip Box - Back + Side Panel
Stone Mountain Granite Chip
1925 Stone Mountain Commemorative Half-Dollar - Obverse
1925 Stone Mountain Commemorative Half-Dollar - Reverse
My original post on the Stone Mountain half-dollar can be found here:
http://goccf.com/t/119791
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Posted 02/05/2013 02:21 am
