What Would Be The Best Buy Of All The Early Commemoratives?

With 50 type coins and 144 total date/mm combinations there are many to choose from .... seems to me the answer to your question comes down to personal choices of which design you like the best within your price range.

Here are some thoughts from me that might help ....

There are a few classics that even if you can find them in XF/AU are outside your price goals ... forget the Hawaiian, Spanish Trail and a problem free Lafayette Dollar.

Also need to keep in mind that many of these coins are simply not readily available in clean, circulated XF grade .... I know because I've spent the last 18 months trying to assemble such a type set and have only acquired 27 of the 50. Lots of luck needed to find for example a Gettysburg in circulated grade .... the price guides show a 'value' in your range .... but there simply are no coins available on the market.

For me .... if I were going to only own one classic silver commemorative and had $200 - $250 to spend .... I search out a clean MS63/MS64 Oregon Trail as that coin.

Fabulous design by the Fraser husband/wife team ... will retain its value IMHO ... and lots of nice coins available at that grade in that price range. The coin was minted for 8 years and has a total 14 date/mm cominations available.

Here is a photo of my 1936-S PCGS MS67 Oregon ... gotta love the classic look of this coin.



Let us know what you come up with .... and show some pics.

David

Edited to add photo

I can't truly argue against any of the classic silver 50 type coins .... each of them in their own way represents a wonderful treasure trove of history and design .... often filled with stories of greed and political maneuvering.

Let's discuss the Albany Half Dollar ...

Minted in 1936 to commemorate of the granting of Albany, NY city charter. Albany is (was?) the 2nd oldest city in the country .... but this was still an event of local interest and not national significance.

Total mintage including assay coins was 25,013 ... eventually 7,342 were returned to the mint for melting ... leaving a total net mintage of 17,671 examples. Compare that total to the 1909-S VDB and let's discuss true rarity.

This has always been a collector favorite due to the excellent design work of Ms. Gertrude Lathrop. She followed on the next year with the design of the New Rochell Half Dollar.

The obverse of the coin features a beaver eating a maple branch. C'mon ... how many other USA coins can you point to that feature a beaver on the obverse? Historical records suggest that Ms. Lathrop actually kept a live beaver in her studio, courtesy of the NY State Conservation Dept, while working on the coin.

The reverse of the coin contains what I think is one of the best 'quiz' questions in US coinage history .... "Which USA coin has the smallest size LIBERTY?"

Look real close above the three figures on the reverse ... there is an eagle flying above them. Look extra real close above the eagle ... and below the CH of "CHARTERED" .... there is the minuscule LIBERTY that Ms. Lathrop was required by law to place on the coin.

The problem with this coin from the OP perspective is that he/she will not find any examples in their price range. Current Numismedia price at MS61 is $294 ... and I have never seen a circulated non-problem example for sale.

Here is a photo of my PCGS MS65 Albany Half Dollar ... great coin indeed!



David

Edited for spllenging

Im trying to complete the set except the big ones ($50 gold,etc). Not only due I love the early commemorates because of the designs but the mintage as well, for example I have a 1939 d Arkansas which has a mintage of only 2000 and who knows how many survived. One of each type is the way to go for me, too much money for an entire set

That is one nice Oregon! the 1915 set is classic and historical so amazing and always will have great value!