The 1995 Civil War Battlefields commemorative coin program consisted of a Copper-Nickel (CuNi) Clad Half Dollar, a Silver Dollar and a Gold Half Eagle ($5.00). Each of the coins was available individually in Proof and Uncirculated, as well as in a variety of two-coin and three-coin sets; a six-coin Proof and Uncirculated set was also available. Multiple special packaging options were created for the program, including a
Young Collector's Edition (YCE) set that included the CuNi Clad Half Dollar. (See links below for my previous posts on the coins.)
The obverse of the Half Dollar, designed by Civil War artist Don Troiani, presents a young Civil War drummer boy in full uniform. The Mint describes the reverse design by
T. James Ferrell simply as "a battlefield scene with a cannon." IMO, the details of the scene and the accompanying "Enriching Our Future by Preserving the Past" quote (a trademark of the Civil War Trust - sponsor of the coin program) strongly suggest that the scene depicts a modern-day preserved battlefield vs. an active wartime battlefield.
1995 Civil War Battlefields CuNi Half Dollar
As with most of the Young Collector sets that preceded it, the Civil War Battlefields
YCE includes an Uncirculated version of the CuNi Half Dollar. The set includes a colorful outer slipcase and artistically-matched inner coin folder. Once again, the illustration style used is cartoon-themed, with Jeremiah, Christina and Charlie the dog back as the young collectors of focus.
The front of the outer slipcase presents a preserved Civil War battlefield scene with Jeremiah, Christina and Charlie standing in front of a Civil War era cannon. The back of the slipcase presents the Uncirculated Half Dollar's
Certificate of Authenticity and
Coin Specifications; the emblem of the US Treasury Department is also displayed.
The
YCE set's educational content included on the panels of the coin folder presents the role(s) that young Americans filled during the Civil War, the importance of preserving remaining Civil War Battlefields and the roles of coins today and during the Civil War years.
Sales of the Civil War Battlefields
Young Collector's Edition set were strong, with 51,947 units sold; sales opened on March 31, 1995. The set had a pre-issue discount price of $11.50 through May 15. After that, the set's regular price of $12.50 was effective.
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Outer Sleeve - Front
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Outer Sleeve - Back
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Coin Folder - Front Cover Panel
The Front Panel of the coin folder duplicates the scene presented on the front of the slipcase, but with a hole cut out to reveal the obverse of the Half Dollar that is mounted within.
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Coin Folder - Inside Front Cover Panel
The Inside Panel of the coin folder's Front Cover briefly introduces how Americans faced off on opposing sides during the Civil War.
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Coin Folder - Inside Flap - Front
The Front of the coin folder's Interior Flap introduces the Civil War Drummer Boys and presents the obverse of the Civil War Battlefields Half Dollar; the coin is embedded in the flap.
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Coin Folder - Inside Flap - Back
The Back Panel of the coin folder's Interior Flap introduces the benefits of Civil War Battlefield preservation and features the reverse of the Half Dollar.
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Coin Folder - Inside Back Cover Panel
The Interior Panel of the Back Cover introduces coin collecting and the connection to history presented by commemorative coins.
1995 Civil War Battlefields Young Collectors Edition: Coin Folder - Back Cover Panel
The Back Panel of the coin folder continues the battlefield scene introduced on the Front Panel, but is absent of text/content.
For more on the 1995 Civil War Battlefields commemorative coin program, see:
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1995 Civil War Battlefields Coins-
1995 Civil War Battlefields - Attempt To Steal-
1995 Civil War Battlefields - First Day CoverFor other of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more on the Modern US Commemorative coin issues, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 02/01/2023 06:04 am
