Commems Collection Classic: "Did You Know?" #28 - Gold Commemorative Coins Of The Classic Series

There are various schools of thought on what constitutes a Type Set for the Gold Commemorative Coins of the Classic Series, with some including only one coin of the two-year issues, while others include both, some (wealthy collectors in particular) view the Panama-Pacific International Exposition $50 gold coins as part of a legitimate Type Set, while others (the vast majority of commemorative coin collectors) choose to consider the market cost of the gold quintuple eagle coins as placing them in their own category and not part of their "standard" Type Set.

There is more, though not universal, agreement in terms of which coins make up a Complete Set. Once again, it comes down to the inclusion of the $50 coins. The core of a complete gold set includes 11 coins - the eight core Types plus the issues with a second year or variety: 1904-05 Lewis and Clark Exposition, 1916-17 William McKinley Memorial and Grant Centenary varieties (w/ Star and No Star). Whether the gold $50 coins are included is a matter of personal collecting preferences - I've included them in my "13" count here.

Production of the gold commemorative coins of the classic era was split between Philadelphia and San Francisco. the Philadelphia Mint struck the majority of the issues, with the San Francisco Branch Mint managing the Panama-Pacific International Exposition coins; the Denver Branch Mint did not strike any gold commemorative coins.

In my mind, the Gold Type Set consists of 10 coins (8 if the $50 coins are excluded), while a Gold Complete Set includes 13 coins (11 if the $50 coins are excluded).

I previously covered the classic-era silver commemorative coins in posts about the silver Type Set and the silver Complete Date and Mint Mark Set. You can read the posts here:

- "Did You Know?" #26 - Silver Commemorative Coin Types By Mint
- "Did You Know?" #27 - Silver Commemorative Coins By Date/Mint Mark


Mint Facilities by Gold Coins Struck:

Philadelphia: 6 of 10 Core Types

- 1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Gold Dollar - Thomas Jefferson (1)
- 1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Gold Dollar - William McKinley (1)
- 1904-05 Lewis and Clark Exposition Gold Dollar (2)
- 1916-17 William McKinley Memorial Gold Dollar (2)
- 1922 Grant Centenary (either w/ Star or No Star variety) (2)
- 1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial Gold Quarter Eagle (1)

Note: Numbers in parentheses represents count of coins in Complete Set.

In terms of total coins, the Philadelphia Mint produced 9 of the total of 13 coins (69.2%) in a Complete Date, Mint Mark and Variety Set (total includes the two varieties of the Grant Centenary Gold Dollar Type).


San Francisco: 4 of 10 Core Types

The San Francisco Branch Mint struck the following gold classic-era US commemorative coin Types:

- 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Gold Dollar (1)
- 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Gold Quarter Eagle (1)
- 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Gold $50 - Round (1)
- 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Gold $50 - Octagonal (1)

Note: Numbers in parentheses represents count of coins in Complete Set.

In terms of total coins, the San Francisco Branch Mint produced 4 of the 13 coins (30.8%) in a Complete Date, Mint Mark and Variety Set (total includes the two Gold Quintuple Eagle coins - $50 coins).

Denver: 0 of 10 Core Types

The Denver Branch Mint did not strike any classic commemorative gold coins.