My New Coin - Isabella Commemorative

Didn't get anything at the Whitman show but got this from Great Collections.
Actually it's an upgrade.
PCGS MS-63

 

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I saw a beautiful one of these today up in Baltimore. Not something I collect and waaaay out of my budget...but I stopped and admired for a bit.

 

Fantastic acquisition! I have a Columbian Half, but, interestingly, the Isabella quarter is much more valuable even though the face value is 2x lower.

 

You funny guy...

 

Nice coin perfect condition and color....very eye appealing specimen two thumbs up!

 

Thanks.
It has some slight marginal toning that I didn't capture.
Makes it look a bit better.

 

It has an honest look....that pops. To my liking.....it very natural looking from strike to surface color.

 

Here is some additional information that might help you enjoy your coin a bit more.

At the beginning of the Columbian Exposition, Congress voted to give $10,0000 each to the Board of Gentleman Managers and the Board of Lady Managers. The men took their stipend in cash, but the ladies took theirs in the form of 40,000 Isabella Quarters. They planned to sell the coins for $1.00 each which would quadruple their money.

Things to did not work out as planned. The $1.00 price was the same as the asking price for the Columbian half dollar. Why pay a dollar for a quarter when you could get a half dollar souvenir for the same price? Add to that the fact that many people thought that the half dollar for a dollar was an overpriced item! In addition, the ladies did not market the coin well. It was for sale in an out of the way place, and some people didn’t even know that it was available.

At the end of fair the ladies had sold a little more than 14,000 quarters, some of them at discount below the stated issue price. A little less than 26,000 pieces were scheduled to be returned to the U.S. Mint and melted. In steps Mrs. Potter Palmer, who was head of the Board of Lady Managers. She purchased 10,000 of the quarters at face value, thus saving them from the melting pot. Had she not bought those pieces, the Isabella Quarter would be scarcer and more expensive than it is today.

Above is a medalet that was issued during the fair in Mrs. Palmer’s honor. It is a scarce piece, but it adds another dimension to an “old commemorative coin” collection.