Coins - Classic Commemorative
Coins
The US Mint produced the classic commemorative coins starting in 1892 and continued through 1954, which included
both silver and gold coins.
The denominations of the classic commemorative coins consist of the silver quarter dollars, silver half dollars,
silver and gold dollars, gold quarter eagles ($2.50) and gold fifty-dollar coins. Most classic commemorative coins
are of the silver half dollar variety.
These commemorative coins are legal tender, have a face value and some even circulated back in the day.
Currently, these commemorative coins are more valuable as a collectible coin than as a circulating
coin.
The laws that made each of these coins possible included statements to keep the commemorative coins under the
same monetary laws as the circulating coinage. For example, from the Oregon Trail Memorial commemorative half
dollar legislation,
"That all laws now in force relating to the subsidiary silver coins of the United States, and the coinage or
striking of the same, regulating and guarding the process of coinage, providing for the purchase of material
and for the transportation, distribution, and redemption of coins, for the prevention of debasement or
counterfeiting, for security of the coin, or for any other purposes, whether said laws are penal or otherwise,
shall, so far as applicable, apply to the coinage herein authorized:"
The other laws held similar statements keeping the specific commemorative coins under the monetary
laws already in place.
From 1892 through 1954, the US Mint designed and produced many commemorative coins - though not every year. And,
for some years, for example 1936, they made many different designs.
Centuries ago, the Greeks and Romans made coins to honor and recognize people, places or things. The US
Mint continued that practice with the designs on the classic commemorative coins.
Classic Commemorative Coins by Date organizes each
of the coins by date and lists their denomination, precious metal content and range of values.
Classic Commemorative Coins by
Denomination lists the coins first by denomination or face value and then by alphabetical order and
includes their precious metal content and range of values.
Classic Commemorative Coins by Design
Elements groups the coins by the various design elements found on both the front and back and
can be listed in more than one category.
As we add the details about the various classic commemorative coins to the web site, each coin will have its own
page with an active link in the list below to access the information.
Alabama Centennial Silver Half
Dollar 1921
Albany NY Charter Silver Half
Dollar 1936
Arkansas Centennial Silver Half
Dollar 1935-1939
Battle of Antietam
Anniversary Silver Half Dollar 1937
Battle of Gettysburg
Anniversary Silver Half Dollar 1936
Booker T. Washington
Memorial Silver Half Dollar 1946-1951
Bridgeport CT Centennial Silver
Half Dollar 1936
California Diamond
Jubilee Silver Half Dollar 1925
California
Pacific International Exposition Silver Half Dollar 1935-1936
Cincinnati Music Center Silver
Half Dollar 1936
Cleveland Centennial / Great Lakes
Exposition Silver Half Dollar 1936
Columbia SC
Sesquicentennial Silver Half Dollar 1936
Connecticut Tercentenary Silver
Half Dollar 1935
Daniel Boone
Bicentennial Silver Half Dollar 1934-1938
Delaware Tercentenary Silver Half
Dollar 1936
Elgin IL Centennial Silver
Half Dollar 1936
Fort Vancouver Centennial Silver Half
Dollar 1925
George Washington Carver /
Booker T. Washington Silver Half Dollar 1951-1954
Grant Memorial Silver Half
Dollar 1922
Grant Memorial Gold Dollar 1922
Hawaiian
Sesquicentennial Silver Half Dollar 1928
Hudson NY
Sesquicentennial Silver Half Dollar 1935
Huguenot-Walloon
Tercentenary Silver Half Dollar 1924
Illinois Centennial Silver Half
Dollar 1918
Iowa Centennial Silver Half
Dollar 1946
Lafayette Silver Dollar 1900
Lewis & Clark Exposition Gold Dollar 1904-1905
Lexington-Concord
Sesquicentennial Silver Half Dollar 1925
Long Island Tercentenary Silver
Half Dollar 1936
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Gold Dollar 1903
Lynchburg VA
Sesquicentennial Silver Half Dollar 1936
Maine Centennial Silver Half
Dollar 1920
Maryland Tercentenary Silver Half
Dollar 1934
McKinley Memorial Gold Dollar 1916-1917
Missouri Centennial Silver Half Dollar 1921
Monroe Doctrine Centennial Silver Half Dollar 1923
New Rochelle NY 250th
Anniversary Silver Half Dollar 1938
Norfolk VA Bicentennial Silver
Half Dollar 1936
Old Spanish Trail Silver Half Dollar 1935
Oregon Trail Memorial Silver Half
Dollar 1926-1939
Panama-Pacific Exposition Silver Half Dollar 1915
Panama-Pacific Exposition Gold Dollar 1915
Panama-Pacific Exposition Gold Quarter Eagle 1915
Panama-Pacific Exposition Gold Fifty-Dollar 1915
Pilgrim Tercentenary Silver Half
Dollar 1920-1921
Providence RI
Tercentenary Silver Half Dollar 1936
Roanoke Island NC 350th
Anniversary Silver Half Dollar 1937
San Francisco -
Oakland Bay Bridge Opening Silver Half Dollar 1936
Sesquicentennial of
American Independence Silver Half Dollar 1926
Sesquicentennial of American Independence Gold Quarter Eagle 1926
Stone Mountain Memorial Silver
Half Dollar 1925
Texas Independence
Centennial Silver Half Dollar 1934-1938
Vermont Sesquicentennial Silver
Half Dollar 1927
Wisconsin Territorial
Centennial Silver Half Dollar 1936
World's Columbian Exposition, Isabella Silver Quarter 1893
World's Columbian
Exposition Silver Half Dollar 1982-1893
York County Maine
Tercentenary Silver Half Dollar 1936
|