Classic Gold and Silver Commemorative Coins
The last design released for the early commemorative coins was the George Washington Carver Half Dollar (Buy on eBay). The authorizing legislation passed in 1951 called for the melting of all unsold Booker T. Washington Half Dollars and the recoinage into coins bearing conjoined profile portraits of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington. Part […]
Some of the problems that had occurred for earlier commemorative issues, reemerged with the Booker T. Washington Half Dollar (Buy on eBay). Authorized in 1946, the coins would be struck in five separate years across three different mint facilities, in an attempt to maximize sales. Eventually, more than one million coins were distributed. The artist […]
After a period of dormancy for commemorative coins, the Iowa Centennial Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) was produced and issued in 1946 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowa’s statehood. Abuses of the commemorative coin program had come to the forefront after a Congressional hearing held on April 15, 1937. There were complaints about some […]
The 1938 New Rochelle Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) was one of several early commemorative issues that celebrated an event of primarily local significance with the issuance of a coin on a national scale. These coins were conceived and planned by the Westchester County Coin Club of New Rochelle, New York. Initially, Lorrilard Wise was […]
A commemorative half dollar was issued to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam (Buy on eBay), during which General McClellan thwarted General Lee’s invasion of Maryland. This followed a separate coin recently issued for the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The obverse of the Battle of Antietam Half Dollar features the […]