Commems Collection Classic: Quick Bits #86 - Celebrating A Century, 1900 To 1954

Wrapping up my survey of classic era US commemorative coins by the century they celebrate...


1900 Lafayette Memorial Dollar

The US commemorative coin series' first silver dollar, the 1900 Lafayette Memorial Dollar was struck "For the purpose of aiding in defraying the cost of a pedestal, and completing in a suitable manner the work of erecting a monument in the city of Paris to General Lafayette, designed by the Lafayette Memorial Commission, as a feature of the participation of the United States in the Paris Exposition of nineteen hundred." The coin features conjoined portraits of General Lafayette (rear) and General George Washington on its obverse, and depicts the Lafayette Statue created by Paul Wayland Bartlett that was erected in Paris by the Lafayette Memorial Commission.




1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Coins

The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Coins were struck for the benefit of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company; the Exposition was held to celebrate the completion/opening of the Panama Canal and the expected economic benefits to (especially) California ports. The coins were sold to the Exposition Company at par/face value with the expectation that it would sell them for more and thus use them as a fund raising tool to help defray Exposition expenses; the coins were generally sold at 2X face. The commemorative coin program for the Exposition featured more designs and denominations than any other program of the classic era: Silver $0.50, Gold $1.00, Gold $2.50 and two Gold $50.00 coins.










Maybe someday, I'll buy a lottery ticket, win, and be able to afford the Pan-Pac $50 pair - until then, images from PCGS Coinfacts will have to do.


1916-17 William McKinley Birthplace Memorial Gold Dollar

The 1916-17 William McKinley Memorial Gold Dollar was struck "in commemoration of the erection of a memorial to William McKinley, late President of the United States." William McKinley was the 25th US President, serving in office from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901; he was shot twice in the chest by anarchist Leon F. Czolgosz on September 6, 1901 and died eight days later. McKinley was assassinated while attending a public reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. There are two McKinley "Memorials" in Ohio, the Birthplace Memorial (i.e., the one connected to the coin) is in Niles, OH; Canton, OH is home to the McKinley National Memorial which is McKinley's Tomb.




1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar

The 1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar was struck "in commemoration of the commencement on June 18, 1923, of the work of carving on Stone Mountain, in the State of Georgia, a monument to the valor of the soldiers of the South, which was the inspiration of their sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters in the Spanish-American and World Wars, and in memory of Warren G. Harding, President of the United States of America, in whose administration the work was begun." Collectors familiar with the coin are aware that it bears no mention of Harding within its "as stuck" designs.




1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition Half Dollars

The 1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition Half Dollars were created "in connection with the California-Pacific International Exposition to be held in San Diego, California, in 1935 and 1936." The coin is commonly referred to as the "San Diego." The Exposition was open for two seasons - May 29, 1935 to November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936 to September 9, 1936. Commemorative half dollars were struck in conjunction with each season; 1935 in San Francisco, 1936 in Denver.




1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Opening Half Dollar

The 1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Opening Half Dollar was struck "in celebration of the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge." The bridge, which connects the cities of San Francisco and Oakland via two main spans, opened to the public on November 12, 1936; the two spans of the bridge meet on Yerba Buena Island in the Bay. Motorists could purchase the commemorative half dollar during the original bridge's opening days at kiosks at the entrances for $1.50 each. The current bridge is no longer the original - its eastern span to Oakland was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and was subsequently replaced.




1946-51 Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Half Dollars

The 1946-51 Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Half Dollars were struck "to commemorate the life and perpetuate the ideals and teachings of Booker T. Washington." Washington was born April 5, 1856 and died on November 14, 1915. The coin was more of a "lifetime achievement" commemorative honoring the man's accomplishments as a teacher, leader and spokesman for the US African-American community; the coin did not mark a particular anniversary of an important date/event in his life. I included it among the 1900s commemorative coins because a significant portion of BTW's legacy was established in the 1900s.




1951-54 George Washington Carver - Booker T. Washington Half Dollars

The 1951-54 George Washington Carver - Booker T. Washington Half Dollars came about via an amendment to the bill for the Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Half Dollar. The coins were struck "in order to commemorate the lives and perpetuate the ideals and teachings of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, two great Americans." As with the BTW Half Dollar, I've included the George Washington Carver piece in the 1900s even though he was born on January 1, 1864 because the coin is not really commemorating his birth, but rather his life and the legacy, much of which he built during the 1900s. Carver, a botanist by training, helped southern farmers become less reliant on cotton as their main crop, developed a crop rotation approach to prevent depletion of the soil's nutrients and invented/developed over 300 product ideas for peanuts, over 100 for sweet potatoes, 75 for pecans and dozens for soybeans.




And that's it - all of the classic-era US gold and silver commemorative coin programs categorized by the century they recall. Hope you enjoyed the various reads!


You can find more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more details on each of the coins presented here and links to other Quick Bits stories, by visiting: Commems Collection.