The 1921 Missouri Centennial Half Dollar is one of two classic Commemoratives who bear the likeness of Daniel Boone on both the obverse and reverse. They were struck in two varieties one with 2x4 mark on the obverse, and one without (my example below). Total mintage, after most were melted by the Mint, was 25,400. PCGS MS-64 Sedalia on the reverse is the city where the centennial celebration was held. Example of the 2x4 variety (approximately 5K minted out of the total 25,400 with this variety) Here is the advertisement for their sale... Another interesting bit of trivia is that this half dollar doesn't have the words "Liberty," "In God We Trust," or "E Pluribus Unum" anywhere on it. How the design was ever approved without those elements, that's probably a small miracle. Here's the other classic commemorative bearing Daniel Boone on the obverse and reverse. PCGS MS-63 Rattler Interestingly enough, there is a third classic commemorative half dollar to feature an image of the same person on the obverse and reverse. That's the settler on the Elgin Half Dollar seen below. PCGS MS-64 Another thing of note, the original design called for the reverse to feature the state seal of Missouri. Thankfully that wasn't to be, as I think the final design struck was much better. The design language was inspired by Renaissance medals, which I think was a nice touch for those artistically indeed folks. Original intended design with state seal Although 29,600 were unsold and eventually melted, enough survived to keep it away from the price range of the likes of the Spanish Trail half or the Hudson half.
That's a nice one. Most of the Missouri commemorative haves I see are "sliders" in my opinion with a light rub. Many of these pieces were bought by noncollector farmers who just slipped them into their overalls with other coins.
There are a handful of classic commemorative issues that are known to suffer from ugly toning or other issues such as weak strikes. Missouri is one of the ones that is affected with rather unattractive toning and poor eye appeal. So whenever you find a nice one, snap it up if you are in the market for one.
