There's little doubt that the Oregon Trail Memorial half dollars struck from 1926 to 1939 (though not in every year), feature the most popular designs of the classic-era of US commemorative coins - the coin has won multiple polls. The work of
James Earle Fraser and
Laura Gardin Fraser (his wife and fellow artist-sculptor), the coins have been the subject of counterfeiting as well as medallic tribute. The coin's designs reflect a common vision of the American West, and strike an emotional chord for many within the United States.
1926 Oregon Trail Memorial Half Dollar
One aspect of the Oregon Trail commemorative coin series that has always stood out to me, however, is the fact that it did not commemorate a particular anniversary - it is much more of a multi-year "achievement" piece as it was meant as a tribute to the many emigrants/pioneers who traveled west from Missouri and forged the Oregon Trail in the mid 1800s.
In 1993, to mark the 150th anniversary of the "Great Migration" (1843) - a trip by >900 emigrants across the American West to Oregon via the Oregon Trail - multiple commemorative medals were issued. Some were "official" issues (e.g., by the State of Oregon) some purely commercial in nature. Multiple of the sesquicentennial anniversary medals used the designs of the 1926-39 Oregon Trail half dollars as a core design element.
Presented here is one of the medal types that I thought made a nice exonumic supplement to my 1926 Oregon Trail Memorial Half Dollar. The type features a depiction of the 1926 Oregon Trail Memorial Half Dollar at its center (in actual size) with a wide outside border that carries its commemorative inscriptions. I would classify the depictions of each side of the classic-era coin as "faithful" to the originals, though clearly not exact duplicates.
Presented here are three versions of the medal from my collection: Bronze, Silver and Selectively Gold-Plated Silver. The silver versions are edge-numbered: my regular silver piece is numbered 03027 which suggests a planned mintage of at least 10,000. The gold-plated silver piece is also edge-numbered, mine carries the number 05228. I do not know if the gold-plated version was produced as part of the silver medal's run of 10,000 (or more) or if it had its own production run of 10,000 (or more). The bronze piece is unnumbered.
I paid more than spot for the silver rounds, but not exorbitantly so. I've seen some on-line sellers ask multiple $100s for the silver versions, whether plain, gold-plated or colored. While I like the historical anniversary commemorated by the medals, and appreciate their design aesthetic, I would never pay such prices. (But that's just me, you may feel differently!)
I haven't yet found any indication that the medals were officially sponsored releases, but neither have I seen a definitive statement to the contrary. If anyone has documented knowledge of the origin status of these pieces, please post so that we can all learn!
1993 Oregon Trail 150th Anniversary Medal - Bronze
1993 Oregon Trail 150th Anniversary Medal - 0.999 Fine Silver 
1993 Oregon Trail 150th Anniversary Medal - Selectively Gold-Plated 0.999 Fine Silver
For more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Oregon Trail commemorative stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/28/2024 08:38 am
