Commems Collection Modern: 1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Half Dollar Young Collector's Set

To make each of my Atlanta Olympic Young Collector's Set posts standalone, I have chosen to include the same introduction in all. I have italicized duplicate content.

To date, the largest coin program of the US modern commemorative coin series is the 1996-96 program for the Atlanta Olympics. The program included four CuNi Clad Half Dollars, eight Silver Dollars and four Gold Half Eagles. Each coin was available in Proof and Uncirculated, and, all told, the program included 32 distinct coins (via 16 Design Types).

Each of the Half Dollar coins was available individually, as part of a multi-coin set, in a special single-coin point-of-purchase (POS) package and in four Young Collector's (YC) Sets.

Edition 3 of the Young Collector's Sets was dedicated to Swimming. Swimming has been a part of the modern Olympic Games since they were re-instituted in 1896; the first modern Olympic Games had four swimming events (all were freestyle events, three of different lengths - 100, 500 and 1,200 meters plus a 100 meter event for sailors). The 1996 Atlanta Games had 32 events and the Tokyo Games of 2020 (2021) had 37 events. The United States has been the dominant country in terms of Swimming medals since 1920,

As I've discussed before, the colorful and informative Young Collector's Sets were specifically designed for children ages 6 to 10. They use cartoons and easy-to-understand language to engage kids in the coin collecting hobby and to subtly educate them about US history and coins.

Each of the four Atlanta Olympics YC Sets includes an Uncirculated Half Dollar mounted in a six-panel folder that features youth-oriented artwork (i.e., cartoons) that includes brief information about the Olympic Games, brief information on the sport being presented and brief information on the Mint's YC Set series. "Brief!" was the Mint's guiding principle regarding included content when developing the Sets.

Each coin folder is inserted into a slipcase with coordinating artwork. The front of the slipcase features artwork that wraps around to the back, as well as the Set's titling. The back of the slipcase presents the Set's Certificate of Authenticity and the Half Dollar's Specifications.

The Swimming Half Dollar in the Set is an Uncirculated version, and was struck in San Francisco. Issue Price for the set was $13.95. The Swimming Set sold a total of 16,414 units - a sizeable drop from 1995 YC Set sales - plus another 9,705 units included within the Young Collector's Four-Piece Set. The Four-Piece Set includes the YC Set for each Half Dollar plus a dark green slipcase with silver printing (see the image below).


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Slipcase, Front


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Slipcase, Back


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Coin Folder, Front Panel


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Coin Folder, Inside Front Panel


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Coin Folder, Interior Flap, Front


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Coin Folder, Interior Flap, Back


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Coin Folder, Inside Back Panel


1996 Atlanta Olympics Swimming Young Collector's Set -- Coin Folder, Back Panel


1996-96 Atlanta Olympics Four-Piece Young Collector's Sets -- Outer Slipcase