Columbian Exposition Half Dollar

I was just wondering if anyone could explain to me why this coin does not have a real high value.


1. It was the first commemorative half dollar coin struck
2. It is also the first US legal tender coin to have a picture of a foreigner on it
3. Only 950,000 made.. of course there would be a great deal less now

 

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Actually this commemorative was produced over two years with a combined population of about 2 1/2 million.

Richard

 

This coin had a huge mintage for a commemorative -- in fact, the mintage was on a par with the circulating issues of the time. The 1893 had the highest mintage among classic commemoratives, and the 1892 was fourth.

It also circulated pretty readily, probably as a result of the fact that the mint had made very few half dollars during the period 1879-1890.

 

Price/value is dependent upon grade. In '65 and over you're gonna pay a premium.

 

Copied from 2011 Red Book ..

The coins sold for $1 each at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago during 1893. A great many remained unsold and a substantial quantity was later released for circulation at face value or melted. Approximately 100 brilliant proofs were struck for each date.

1892, 950,000
1893, 1,550,405

 

Most classic commemoratives, even those with seemingly low mintages, don't command the really big prices (unless in ultra high grade) because they were issued as collectible pieces. So even when you find issues with mintages of less than 100,000 (or even less than 10,000), a large majority of those coins never entered circulation and are still in mint state today. In contrast, a regular issue half dollar of the same era was actually used and many many less are found in mint state condition today. So, despite their much higher mintages, the regular non-commemorative half dollars in higher grades are much more scarce and command much higher premiums than the lower mintages commemoratives.

 

Might as well have a few pics in the thread, right?

 

Now those two would definitely command a premium. Very nice.

 

Oh Yeah.......

 

Now it may interest you that although both have nice eye appeal and look to be about the same grade (in my opinion), I bought both of them in the last month... one for under $50, one for nearly $500.

 

Well, I think the '92 looks better than this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1892-COLUMB...89?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item336d0d8fad

 

The neat thing about these coins is you can expand them into a mini-collection away from your coins....
They made the 2 coins, plus they issued an entire set of stamps for the Expo, and they had something like 30 different ticket designs for the Expo that can all be collected.
You can make a very nice "Columbian collection" with all that stuff.

There is at least one member here doing this...
I just sent him my Columbian ticket for his Expo collection.

 

If anyone wants a couple used Columbian stamps to go with their coins, I have more spares than I know what to do with.
Just send me a stamp for postage.

 

;

Some real beauties Ken . One looks prooflike .

 

Thanks Rusty. Top one is a real beauty tone wise. I just can't seem to express it to the fullest with my pic. The only thing wrong with it is that cat scratch running across Chris' face. When I bought the coin back in March the dealer pointed that out to me as I was totally transfixed by the colour in the piece. The bottom one is indeed proof like but more so in hand. Both coins are unholdered.......

 

I was never a fan of this coin. Kind of ugly IMO. I do like the '92 half a lot better. I keep this coin in my collection since it was the first US commemorative, otherwise I would have sold it a long time ago.

 

I own five. Bought 'em all for melt at an auction.

 

Does anyone here have a nice 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition half-dollar? That'll be my next commemorative purchase.

 

cpm9ball (Chris) does......

 

Glad it is so affordable - one of my favorites!