Whether or not you like commemorative coins, you can thank the 1892/1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Although some consider the 1848 quarter eagle ($2.5 gold) with the “CAL” stamp the first commemorative, they were not specially designed (but the intention of the coins was to celebrate the gold found in California). Link Indeed, the first specially designed commemoratives came out of the Fair, and include the Columbian Exposition Half Dollar (Columbian Half), and the Columbian Exposition Quarter (Isabella Quarter). This was, after all, the 400th anniversary of the Columbus Expedition. resized from CoinFacts resized from CoinCommunity Design The half dollar features a portrait of Columbus on it, which is a similar portrait to the one featured on one of the admission tickets (link) and one of the postage stamps (link). In fact, both the tickets and the stamps were printed by the American Bank Note Company, who also printed fractional currency . Anyhow, the portrait is probably based on Lorenzo Lotto's painting of Columbus from 1512 (link) - but it may also be based on Olin Warner's bust of Columbus (however, I could not find anymore specific information on that). Both the coins were designed by... you guessed it, Charles E. Barber. On the reverse of the half, we see the Santa Maria, two hemispheres of the earth, and the date – which is one of the few US coins with the date on the reverse. The quarter on the other hand features Queen Isabella of Spain, along with the date. The reverse depicts a kneeling woman as a symbol of woman’s industry. Mintage/Availability/Condition The half dollars were minted in 1892 and 1893, with a lot less being minted in 1892. The quarter on the other hand, was only minted in 1893, and in far less numbers than the half dollar. There were only 40,000 quarters minted, and not all of them sold. So in the end, we were left with around 24,000, with the rest being melted. The half dollar, however, had nearly 5 million minted (both dates). But again, not all of them sold, and we are left with only 2.5 million. BUT! Out of the 2.5 million halves, not all of them were sold. The exposition used some of them to pay off a loan. So many of them made their way to banks, which then circulated them. This is why so many of these half dollars you can find cheaply, because they're readily available in low-grade conditions. Some quarters also made it to circulation. Other fun stuff Both these coins sold for $1 each. Not surprisingly, many chose the half dollar as it was seen as a better value. The Isabella Quarter was the first [US] coin to depict a woman on both sides. Although the Columbus Half was minted in 1892, the fair was not open to the public until 1893. But ceremonies began in the fourth quarter of 1892. More information/Sources -Wikipedia -Isabella Quarter -Wiki Quarter -Wiki Half -More on Half -More on Quarter
Great post , C. Barber really got the likeness right , My Isabella is one of my favorite coins , I do need a nice MS Columbian half , but still like my circulated examples I got for about $11 . rzage
thanks I only own 2 of the halves, an 1892 and 1893. The quarters are really expensive! Even if they are circulated. But someday I'd like to own one of the quarters, as well as a high MS example of the half, and a really low grad half too. lol
Great post. I've got both years of the half. 3 years ago I bought 3 of the 1892's, I gave one to my friend and he put it in his ashtray of his truck. Til this day its still there, I only ask once why it was still there and didn't get an answer. Maybe its a goodluck piece...
Here's mine , If you shop around you can find a nice one in the lower MS grades , this one is PCGS MS-63 I think it's undergraded , and yes I'm showing off . LOL it is one of my better coins , rzage
Nice Isabella, Rusty! Mine (avatar) is an NGC 58; I think it was dipped and then album toned. here's one of the numerous medals from the Columbian Exposition: and my toned 1893 half:
Thanks , so far I like everyones coins and medals , the color on ksparrows half is beautiful . Wish everyone would post ther 1893 Columbian memoralia . rzage:hatch::hammer:
