The coin is a real artifact and steeped in an event that was controversial for several decades. It’s a part of US history, like it or not.
Actually as a graduate student at the University of Georgia, I visited Stone Mountain while they were finishing it up using plasma cutting torches.
I’ve visited Stone Mountain. It’s kind of neat considering its checkered history, but a Mount Rushmore it ain’t.
Well I have inquired of PCGS, NGC, and the ANA and no one seems to want to respond. I may be doing the definitions myself. There are some coins graded below AU but they are few and far between. Like with other coins most don't view grading below MS or AU as profitable.
Does anyone have a link to the coinworld post? I wouldn't mind reading it but to lazy to look for it. My modern collection has been shrinking as of late but I do like the Stone Mountain. The history and some close family ties. Mine is no beauty winner and I may have paid $10-$15 for it a few years ago. I may upgrade sometime but it's a keeper to me.
American Commemorative.........do you own a Red Book (A Guidebook of US Coins by R.S.Yeoman)? As a lad I lusted over the classical commems........
No but I'll research it tonight Interesting how LIBERTY is off centered on the reverse too, it keeps catching my eyes lol. Thanks for the info!
Luckily it was a popular coin (probably because it was so well done), so a lot were sold. That way you can get a nice MS 65 or better for a descent price.
For $25 you got a good deal, I'd say. I paid $45 for mine, and it might be graded AU50 on a good day. As for the political and 'racial' aspects, it is just a coin which honors the Confederate Soldiers, and was officially produced by the United States Mint. When I bought mine I realized that there would be some people with a lot of imagination who might want to ban, deface or destroy this coin.
Don't know if this will help, but this shows the 'high points' of the commems, which would be the first areas to show rub (scroll down until you get to the commems); http://www.coingrading.com/others1.html I also will read the CoinWorld write-up of each commem, as the last paragraph is about grade availability, and what to look for. https://coinweek.com/coins/commemoratives-coin-guide/1925-stone-mountain-memorial-half-dollar/
Neat design. I've owned a few, once I had 3 nice AU/BU examples with nice toning. I showed them to a guy who has three kids and he wanted them for his kids. I thought it was kind of a neat idea, and he paid me a good price. But I rather regret letting them go.
I'm guessing this is the article: https://coinweek.com/us-coins/stone-mountain-birth-of-the-klan-half-dollar/ I skimmed through it, and I didn't see where the author wrote that anyone who owns the coin is a racist, etc. They are calling it "The KKK Half Dollar?"
Interestingly I got a response from the ANA that I need to read in more detail. Basically it looks like no detailed description exists, which leads one to ask how do they grade them? I will wait on the response from the others, but I am not hopeful unless it comes from some commemorative society.
I have one, my first, that I picked up in change as a kid. Then I have another that I got somewhere over the past 70 years that looks to have been in some target practice. It reminds me of a coin like you saw in the old westerns there the guy throws up the coin and shoots it in mid-air.
The top one looks to me to be an AU coin, but it is difficult on these where the devices are softened because as best as I can tell that is the design. I would go on the reverse where the word LIBERTY is largely intact. LIBERTY seems to be very high in the relief and wears away quickly. The bottom one might be MS but looks to me like it was stored in a flip with some PVC content. The green color often indicates this but can be removed with acetone I think. You might want to read up on acetone usage and then apply some in a way that it does not damage the coin.