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Products showing Modern Commemorative Coins on the Greater Atlanta Coin Show's Numismatic Shoppe

Coins - Classic Commemorative Coins Organized by Design Elements

The classic commemorative coins are organized below by their design elements on both the front and back and can be listed in more than one category.

In general, the US Mint designs commemorative coins to recognize and honor people, places or things. The categories below also take into consideration the design elements on each coin.

This list only includes the classic commemorative coins produced by the US Mint from 1892 through 1954 at which time they discontinued their commemorative coin programs until 1982.

The list is displayed first by the category, and within the category by the first year the coin was minted.

Click on a category to jump down to that area of the list:

Animals
Birds
Buildings or Homes
Exploration
Explorers
Floral, Trees or Agriculture
Founding Fathers
Historical People
Indians
Man (general)
Military or Military Figures
Monuments, Memorials or Statues
Mythical People or Creatures
Music, Documents or Books
Sea Life
Settlers, Frontiersmen or Colonists
Ships, Boats or Canoes
Emblem, Seal or Coat of Arms
Woman (general)

As we add the classic commemorative coins and their details to the web site, clicking on the specific coin's name will lead to a page with more information about the coin. 

 Coin  Years
Minted 
 Denomination  Design Element
 Category:  Animals   
 Lafayette  1900  Dollar  horse
 Maine Centennial  1920  Half Dollar  moose
 Stone Mountain Memorial  1925  Half Dollar  horses
 California Diamond Jubilee  1925  Half Dollar  grizzly bear
 Oregon Trail Memorial  1926-1939  Half Dollar  oxen
 Vermont Sesquicentennial  1927  Half Dollar  catamount
  California Pacific International Exposition  1935-1936  Half Dollar  grizzly bear
 Old Spanish Trail  1935  Half Dollar  head of a cow
 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  badger
 York County Maine Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  horse
 Albany NY Charter  1936  Half Dollar  beaver
  San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge Opening  1936  Half Dollar  grizzly bear
 New Rochelle NY 250th Anniversary  1938  Half Dollar  calf
 Category: Birds
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Half Dollar  eagle
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Quarter Eagle  eagle
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Fifty-Dollar  owl
 Illinois Centennial  1918  Half Dollar  eagle
 Alabama Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  eagle
 Stone Mountain Memorial  1925  Half Dollar  eagle
 Texas Independence Centennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  eagle
 Connecticut Tercentenary  1935  Half Dollar  eagle
 Arkansas Centennial  1935-1939  Half Dollar  eagle
 Bridgeport CT Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  eagle
 Iowa Centennial  1946  Half Dollar  eagle
 Category:  Buildings or Homes
 McKinley Memorial  1916-1917  Dollar  memorial building Niles, OH
 Grant Memorial  1922  Half Dollar  frame house birthplace
 Grant Memorial  1922  Dollar  frame house birthplace
 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial  1925  Half Dollar  Old Belfry
 Fort Vancouver Centennial  1925  Half Dollar  Fort Vancouver
 Sesquicentennial of American Independence  1926  Quarter Eagle  Independence Hall
 Texas Independence Centennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  The Alamo
  California Pacific International Exposition  1935-1936  Half Dollar  observation tower and State of California building at the exposition
 York County Maine Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  stockade on the Saco River
 Lynchburg VA Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  old Lynchburg courthouse
  San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge Opening  1936  Half Dollar  old ferry tower
 Columbia SC Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  old and new capitol buildings
 Delaware Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  Old Swedes Church
 Iowa Centennial  1946  Half Dollar  first stone capitol building at Iowa City
 Booker T. Washington Memorial  1946-1951  Half Dollar  log cabin birthplace, hall of fame building
 Category:  Exploration
 World's Columbian Exposition  1892-1893  Half Dollar  flagship Santa Maria for exploring new world
 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary  1924  Half Dollar  New Nederland ship
 Hudson NY Sesquicentennial  1935  Half Dollar  explorer Henry Hudson's flagship, the Half Moon
 Old Spanish Trail  1935  Half Dollar  map showing the Old Spanish Trail
 Cleveland Centennial / Great Lakes Exposition  1936  Half Dollar  map maker's compass and map
 Long Island Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  a ship under full sail
 Category:  Explorers
 World's Columbian Exposition  1892-1893  Half Dollar  Christopher Columbus
 Lewis & Clark Exposition  1904-1905  Dollar  Lewis on one side and Clark on the other
 Missouri Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  a frontiersman
 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary  1924  Half Dollar  Admiral Coligny and William the Silent
 Fort Vancouver Centennial  1925  Half Dollar  John McLoughlin
 Oregon Trail Memorial  1926-1939  Half Dollar  settlers in covered wagon
 Hawaiian Sesquicentennial  1928  Half Dollar  Captain James Cook
  Maryland Tercentenary  1934  Half Dollar  Cecil Calvert known as Lord Baltimore
 Daniel Boone Bicentennial  1934  Half Dollar  Daniel Boone
 Cleveland Centennial / Great Lakes Exposition  1936  Half Dollar  Moses Cleaveland
 Long Island Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  Dutch settler
 Roanoke Island NC 350th Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  Sir Walter Raleigh, Ellinor and Virginia Dare
 Category:  Floral, Trees or Agriculture
 Louisiana Purchase Exposition  1903  Dollar  olive branch
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Half Dollar  oak branch and olive branch
  Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Fifty-Dollar  western pine branch
 Maine Centennial  1920  Half Dollar  pine wreath, tree
 Grant Memorial  1922  Half Dollar  trees, grass, shrubs
 Grant Memorial  1922  Dollar  trees, grass, shrubs
 Hawaiian Sesquicentennial  1928  Half Dollar  coconut tree
 Texas Independence Centennial   1934-1938  Half Dollar  spray of laurel, oak branch
 Connecticut Tercentenary  1935  Half Dollar  the Charter oak tree
 Old Spanish Trail  1935  Half Dollar  yucca plant
  California Pacific International Exposition  1935-1936  Half Dollar  grapes and other agricultural bounty from the horn of plenty
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  reeds by a river
 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  olive branch
 York County Maine Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  trees on the mountains
 Albany NY Charter  1936  Half Dollar  maple branch, pine branch and cones
 San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge Opening   1936  Half Dollar  trees on the hillside in the background 
 Columbia SC Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  palmetto tree
 Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary  1936  Half Dollar  sprays of oak and laurel
 Norfolk VA Bicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  floral sprays
 Roanoke Island NC 350th Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  pine branch
 Battle of Antietam Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  trees, grass
 New Rochelle NY 250th Anniversary  1938  Half Dollar  fleur-de-lis
 Category: Founding Fathers
 Lafayette  1900  Dollar  George Washington
 Louisiana Purchase Exposition  1903  Dollar  Thomas Jefferson
  Sesquicentennial of American Independence  1926  Half Dollar  George Washington
 Category: Historical People
 World's Columbian Exposition  1892-1893  Half Dollar  Christopher Columbus
 World's Columbian Exposition, Isabella  1893  Quarter  Queen Isabella I of Spain
 Lafayette  1900  Dollar  George Washington, marquis de Lafayette
 Louisiana Purchase Exposition  1903  Dollar  Thomas Jefferson, William McKinley
 Lewis & Clark Exposition  1904-1905  Dollar  Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
 McKinley Memorial  1916-1917  Dollar  William McKinley
 Illinois Centennial  1918  Half Dollar  Abraham Lincoln
 Pilgrim Tercentenary  1920-1921  Half Dollar  William Bradford
 Alabama Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  William Wyatt Bibb and T.E. Kilby
 Grant Memorial  1922  Half Dollar  Ulysses S. Grant
 Grant Memorial  1922  Dollar  Ulysses S. Grant
 Monroe Doctrine Centennial  1923  Half Dollar  James Monroe and John Quincy Adams
 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary  1924  Half Dollar  Admiral Coligny and William the Silent
 Stone Mountain Memorial  1925  Half Dollar  Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
 Fort Vancouver Centennial  1925  Half Dollar  John McLoughlin
  Sesquicentennial of American Independence  1926  Half Dollar  George Washington, Calvin Coolidge
 Vermont Sesquicentennial  1927  Half Dollar  Ira Allen
 Hawaiian Sesquicentennial  1928  Half Dollar  James Cook
 Maryland Tercentenary  1934  Half Dollar  Cecil Calvert (known as Lord Baltimore)
 Texas Independence Centennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  Sam Houston, Stephen Austin
 Daniel Boone Bicentennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  Daniel Boone
 Arkansas Centennial - Robinson  1936  Half Dollar  Joseph T. Robinson
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  Roger Williams
 Cleveland Centennial / Great Lakes Exposition  1936  Half Dollar  Moses Cleaveland
 Cincinnati Music Center  1936  Half Dollar  Stephen Foster
 Bridgeport CT Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  P.T. Barnum
 Lynchburg VA Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  Carter Glass
 Albany NY Charter  1936  Half Dollar  Thomas Dongan, Peter Schuyler, Robert Livingston
 Roanoke Island NC 350th Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  Sir Walter Raleigh, Ellinor Dare, Virginia Dare
 Battle of Antietam Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  George B. McClellan, Robert E. Lee
 New Rochelle NY 250th Anniversary  1938  Half Dollar  John Pell
 Booker T. Washington Memorial  1946-1951  Half Dollar  Booker T. Washington
 George Washington Carver / Booker T. Washington  1951-1954  Half Dollar  George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington
 Category: Indians
 Missouri Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  an Indian standing with a frontiersman
 Oregon Trail Memorial  1926-1939  Half Dollar  full-length image of an Indian with headdress, blanket, and bow
 Daniel Boone Bicentennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  an Indian holding a tomahawk
 Arkansas Centennial  1935-1939  Half Dollar  portrait of an Indian in a feather headdress
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  an Indian welcoming a man in a canoe
 Long Island Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  portrait of an Indian alongside a European portrait
 Category:  Man (general, see Historical People for specific men)
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Dollar  a Panama Canal laborer
 Maine Centennial  1920  Half Dollar  a farmer and a fisherman
 Missouri Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  an Indian man standing with a frontiersman
 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial  1925  Half Dollar  Minute Man with rifle standing beside a plow, men at the base of the Old Belfry
 California Diamond Jubilee  1925  Half Dollar  a kneeling forty-niner panning for gold
 Fort Vancouver Centennial  1925  Half Dollar  a frontiersman holding a rifle
 Oregon Trail Memorial  1926-1939  Half Dollar  a full-length image of an Indian man with headdress, blanket, and bow; man walking beside oxen
 Hawaiian Sesquicentennial  1928  Half Dollar  a native chief
 Maryland Tercentenary  1934  Half Dollar  two men standing on either side of a shield
 Daniel Boone Bicentennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  an Indian man standing with Daniel Boone
 Arkansas Centennial  1935-1939  Half Dollar  an Indian man's portrait beside a woman's portrait
 Hudson NY Sesquicentennial  1935  Half Dollar  Neptune riding a whale
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  an Indian man greeting a European settler
 Long Island Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  side-by-side portraits of a Dutch settler and an Indian man
 York County Maine Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  sentries guarding the fort
 Elgin IL Centennial  1936  Half Dollar

 pioneers, one on the front and several on the back

 Category:  Military or Military Figures
 Lafayette  1900  Dollar  General Lafayette on horseback
 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial  1925  Half Dollar  Minute Man with rifle, men defending Lexington
 Stone Mountain Memorial  1925  Half Dollar  Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
 Texas Independence Centennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  General Sam Houston and Stephen Austin
 Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary  1936  Half Dollar  a Union veteran and a Confederate veteran
 Battle of Antietam Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  Generals George B. McClellan and Robert E. Lee
 Category: Monuments, Memorials or Statues
 Lafayette  1900  Dollar  statue of General Lafayette
 McKinley Memorial  1916-1917  Dollar  McKinley Memorial building
 Illinois Centennial  1918  Half Dollar  Lincoln's portrait based on the statue in Springfield IL
 Grant Memorial  1922  Half Dollar  the memorial of Grant's birthplace
 Grant Memorial  1922  Dollar  the memorial of Grant's birthplace
 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial  1925  Half Dollar  Minute Man based on statue by Daniel Chester French
 Stone Mountain Memorial  1925  Half Dollar  memorial to the Soldier of the South
 Elgin IL Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  "Pioneer Family Memorial"
 Booker T. Washington Memorial  1946-1951  Half Dollar  memorial to his contributions
 Category: Mythical People or Creatures
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Half Dollar  Columbia - the female personification of the United States of America
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Quarter Eagle  hippocampus - mythological sea horse
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Fifty-Dollar  Minerva - Roman goddess of wisdom
 Texas Independence Centennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  winged Victory
 Hudson NY Sesquicentennial  1935  Half Dollar  Neptune, Roman God of the sea, and a mermaid
  California Pacific International Exposition  1935-1936  Half Dollar  Minerva - Roman goddess of wisdom
 Category: Music, Documents or Books
 Pilgrim Tercentenary  1920-1921  Half Dollar  pilgrim carrying a Bible
 Monroe Doctrine Centennial  1923  Half Dollar  scroll and quill pen
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  Roger Williams carries a bible in his left hand
 Cincinnati Music Center  1936  Half Dollar  female kneeling holding lyre
 Albany NY Charter  1936  Half Dollar  rolled charter in hand
 Category: Sea Life
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915

 Dollar

 dolfins
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Quarter Eagle  hippocampus - mythical sea horse
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Fifty-Dollar  eight dolphins on the octagonal version
 Maryland Tercentenary  1934  Half Dollar  fish
 Hudson NY Sesquicentennial  1935  Half Dollar  whale, mermaid
 Category: Settlers, Frontiersmen or Colonists
 Maine Centennial  1920  Half Dollar  farmer and fisherman
 Pilgrim Tercentenary  1920-1921  Half Dollar  pilgrim
 Missouri Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  a frontiersman and an Indian standing with a frontiersman
 Fort Vancouver Centennial  1925  Half Dollar  a frontiersman
 Oregon Trail Memorial  1926-1939  Half Dollar  settlers and a Conastoga wagon
 Daniel Boone Bicentennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  frontiersman Daniel Boone and on the back standing with an Indian
 Long Island Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  a Dutch settler and an Indian man
 Elgin IL Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  a single pioneer on the front and several on the back
 Roanoke Island NC 350th Anniversary  1937  Half Dollar  Ellinor Dare holding baby Virginia Dare
 Category: Ships, Boats or Canoes
 World's Columbian Exposition  1892-1893  Half Dollar  the flagship Santa Maria
 Pilgrim Tercentenary  1920-1921  Half Dollar  the Mayflower ship
 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary  1924  Half Dollar  the Nieuw Nederland ship
 Hudson NY Sesquicentennial  1935  Half Dollar  Hudson's flagship, the Half Moon
  California Pacific International Exposition  1935-1936  Half Dollar  Ship in the background
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  a canoe
 Long Island Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  a Dutch sailing vessel
  San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge Opening  1936  Half Dollar  ships in the bay headed toward the bridge
 Delaware Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  Swedish ship, the Kalmar Nyckel
 Norfolk VA Bicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  ship under full sails
 Roanoke Island NC 350th Anniversary

 1937

 Half Dollar  two sailing ships
 Category: Emblem, Seal or Coat of Arms
 Illinois Centennial  1918  Half Dollar  reverse based on Illinois State seal
 Maine Centennial  1920  Half Dollar  arms of the State of Maine
 Alabama Centennial  1921  Half Dollar  seal of Alabama at the time of the centennial
 Maryland Tercentenary  1934  Half Dollar  arms of the State of Maryland
 Hudson NY Sesquicentennial  1935  Half Dollar  seal of the city of Hudson
  California Pacific International Exposition  1935-1936  Half Dollar  several elements from the Great Seal of California
 Providence RI Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  an anchor on a shield
 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  elements of the Coat of Arms and the Great Seal of Wisconsin
 York County Maine Tercentenary  1936  Half Dollar  an adaptation of the York County seal
 Columbia SC Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  the state emblem, a palmetto tree
 Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary  1936  Half Dollar  two shields representing the Union and Confederate armies separated by a fasces
 Norfolk VA Bicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  the obverse shows the Seal of Norfolk and the reverse includes the Royal Mace of Norfolk
 New Rochelle NY 250th Anniversary  1938  Half Dollar  fleur-de-lis adapted from the seal of the city
 Iowa Centennial  1946  Half Dollar  elements from the Iowa State Seal
 Category: Woman (general, see Historical People for specific women)
 World's Columbian Exposition, Isabella  1893  Quarter  kneeling woman symbolizing women's industry
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Half Dollar  a woman representing Columbia personifying the USA
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Quarter Eagle  a woman representing Columbia riding on a mythical sea horse
 Panama-Pacific Exposition  1915  Fifty-Dollar

 a woman's helmeted head representing Minerva, goddess of wisdom

 Monroe Doctrine Centennial  1923  Half Dollar  two suggested female figures forming the Western Hemisphere
 Sesquicentennial of American Independence  1926  Quarter Eagle  female figure symbolizing Liberty
 Oregon Trail Memorial  1926-1939  Half Dollar  woman and child in Conastoga wagon
 Texas Independence Centennial  1934-1938  Half Dollar  kneeling female figure with wings representing Winged Victory
 Arkansas Centennial  1935-1939  Half Dollar  portrait of a young woman wearing a Liberty cap
 Cincinnati Music Center  1936  Half Dollar  woman with a lyre
 Lynchburg VA Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  standing woman representing Liberty
 Elgin IL Centennial  1936  Half Dollar  pioneer woman holding baby
 Columbia SC Sesquicentennial  1936  Half Dollar  woman standing with scales in one hand and sword in another representing justice

Each of the classic commemorative coins relates to a bit of history both in the subject matter and in the people who designed the coins to be struck by the US Mint.

Click on Classic Commemorative Coins by Date or Classic Commemorative Coins by Denomination to see more summary information including estimated value.

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