Does anyone here collect the commemorative half dollars (From pre 1940)

Hi All

I see these pop up in threads a lot and (almost) always am pretty enamored with the designs on them. Granted, some are boring - But most are very beautiful I think.

I have 2 - The columbian expo and the California diamond Jubilee (Both common but were in my grandmas "Throw change in this tub" box I got) and I would love to pick up more.

Does anyone here collect these specifically? Any pitfalls I should look out for?

Thanks!

 

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I have a large (to me) collection of half Commemoratives. I love the designs (usually one side or the other for an eagle or ship) of them from the 1892 Expo (reverse ship), 1918 Illinois (reverse eagle), 1920 Pilgrim (reverse ship), 1921 Alabama (rev eagle), 1922 Grant (rev house/trees), 1924 Huguenot (rev ship), 1926 Seq, 1926 Oregon Trail (both), 1934 Texas (both) etc etc.

I like collecting eagle and ships so any coin with those I generally have.

 

Very cool! I love the Texas and Oregon trail coins - probably the top 2 on my hit list

I love the Ca 1925 because my family actually came to Ca. in the gold rush, and I think that's a nice commemorative!

 

There are a lot of nice designs.
And some are low in mintage numbers.

 

@green18

 

u read my mind
magic!

 

I've been working on my Early Commemorative Set probably for about 10 years.
And I'm after ALL of them (okay, the 1915 $50 pieces will have to be skipped).
Mostly they are lower MS (62 to 65) but there are about 16 AU coins mixed in.
So my count to date is 116 out of 155.

 

Some day I will buy a nice MS65/66 Antietam Half Dollar, which I like most.
But unfortunately this type is (still) very expensive.

 

I'm quite happy with my MS-63 Antietam.

 

Expensive, but I like them.

 

I enjoy collecting them too. One thing you have watch out for are fakes, especially with the 'keys' like 'Hudson' and 'Hawaiian'. Buy those examples in plastic from any of the big three grading services.

Collecting circulated examples is a fun way to go. Columbian Exposition halves are plentiful and reasonably priced.

 

I think they represent a really good time in US coinage. I’ve put together a date set of the Texas commemoratives, which I think have a fascinating, intricate design. They won’t break your wallet either.

 

@green18 I didn’t expect you to show up on this one. Didn’t I read somewhere that you and the bride were celebrating an anniversary?

 

I collected these years ago. Had a lot of fun. Each design will keep you busy with study. You won't believe all the crazy stuff that went on with these. Lots of history to every issue. A type set of these is not that tough.
My mistake was not knowing enough to stay away from the cleaned ones. I got in a rush and bought too many problems.

 

Ya that scares me since so many are AU or better as is it’s hard to tell in pics. Wil probably buy graded online and raw in person

 

I am working on a 1936 date set, with as many as I can find in PCGS Doily slabs. I've got 7 so far. Tough hoeing. If I can't find them, I look for nice original coins from MS63-65 raw or slabbed. This was the year there were 21 different issues (34 with mint marks). And we think that the Mint is socking it to us now.

 

I collect them but not "specifically". I know green18 here does collect them. Some folks on another forum specialize in lowball early commems.

 

I get them here and there as there are some great designs. I love the Oregon Trail and Connecticut. California is cool too.
There doesn’t seem to be a huge demand for these and prices have significantly fallen over the years.

 

Yes. I put a 50-coin set together, which I'm probably under water on, given they've been getting cheaper. Here's a link.

I put the set together precisely because they show some of the best designs to come out of the mint (as well as some clunkers). If you start buying these, pay attention to current pricing, as the pricing curve usually has a big, flat section that doesn't move much as the grade changes. Since every issue is different, you'll have to look at a lot of coins to get a feel for what the nice ones are supposed to look like in terms of strike, luster, and color. You'll also learn how to spot ones that look wrong. Since most of them aren't rare, you'll have an opportunity to cherrypick for quality, so don't settle for a "filler" coin.

 

Feeling just a bit slighted, but.... (this is not up to date, and many have been changed out)