Another addition! The Norfolk one was one I, honestly, wasn't all too excited to add. Both the obverse and reverse designs seem cluttered and rather unappealing. It seems they wanted to commemorate and celebrate too much and couldn't quite compromise on a succinct message. While I'm certain some really enjoy this design, personally, beyond the ship, no element of the design appealed to me. (Side note - I very much like the coins with ships from this set; Huguenot, Pilgrim, and Columbus, amongst others.) So not being too interested in the design, my objective shifted toward unique and interesting toning. While this piece doesn't have the commonly desired rainbow toning, I've been seeking a coin with exactly this toning pattern. Overall, I'm exceptionally satisfied with the one I found! While this toning might not be all that unique - we see it on many classic silver commemorative issues - it does have a story going back to how the coins were first distributed. To find the culprit, look no further than the original cardboard holders these coins were housed in: (Not my picture; just for reference) This Coinweek article dives into tab toning and has some phenomenal photos: https://coinweek.com/tab-toning-classic-us-commemorative-coins/ For a bit more insight into the issue, we turn to the always trusty 'A Guide Book of United States Commemorative Coins' by Q. David Bowers:
MS-67. Compared to other high grade Classic Commemoratives it was inexpensive. I was recently offered a Grant with Star that was an MS-67. The asking price was over $4 K. I passed on it. This coin just pops.
This commemorative coin tends to come in high grade. The glut of lettering tends to protect the surfaces.
I finally found an affordable Grant with star. It's an AU-58 and at the price I am paying it will still cost more than most of the commemoratives in my Classic Commemorative suite. I now have all of the varieties and I am missing just two coins to finish the set to my satisfaction. By satisfaction I mean that I am not concerning myself with getting all of the commemorative coins that have multiple dates and mintmarks, that is too far of a stretch for me. I also have completed the set of Classic Commemorative gold coins with the exception of the two 1915-S $50 coins. Those two are on the if I won the lottery list.
@Tall Paul, I agree with you about not bothering with all of the dates and mint marks in the "classic commemorative" series. Many of those coins were "manufactured rarities" and were "made to sell" back in the day. Those pieces, like the 1939 Oregon half dollars, don't get much respect from me despite the low mintages.
Actually, I've been toying with an idea of maybe putting a set of Boone Bicentennials together.......nothing fancy.
