Classic Commemorative Coins

Classic commemorative coins offer the collector a whole other realm of fun and enjoyment based on knowledge and pride of ownership. Studying and learning about these coins seems to bring you closer to them and the time in American history they represent.

The primary purpose of a commemorative coin is to honor a person, place, event or anniversary. Mostly, these coins are created in order to raise money for celebrations and special purposes. Some of them were created for nothing more than greed and profit.

These commemoratives were made between 1892 and 1954; they also range in denomination from Quarter to a massive Fifty Dollar Gold.

If you choose to collect commemoratives, many options are available to you. The most common way to collect is by accumulating one of each silver type struck between 1892 and 1954. When this set is completed you would have a total of 50 coins. If you are a little more daring you could try collecting the same set by date and mintmark. When that extended set is complete you would have a whopping 144 coins. You could also collect classic commemorative gold coins. A full set of these only amounts to 13 coins including all dates and mintmarks. If this is your focus, prepare to spend quite a bit as they are excessively expensive.

One similarity that commemorative coins have with regular mint issues is that they both have legal tender status. This means that you would be able to use them in everyday commerce to buy goods and services. However, they are not intended to be used in circulation for obvious reasons.

Some differences between commemoratives and regular mint issues include. Commemoratives are issued in a limited quantity while regular mint issues are made on an as-needed basis. Also, commemoratives produced during this time period were not distributed by the US mint or the government. Commemorative coins were delivered to the commission named in the authorizing Act. It was left up to that commission to distribute the coins as they see fit.

Below I am listing the entire set of these coins. To navigate the page click on the image to go to that specific page.
1893 Isabella Quarter
1893 Isabella Quarter Obv 1893 Isabella Quarter Rev
1892-93 Columbian Exposition
Half Dollar
1893 Columbian Exposition Half Dollar Obv 1893 Columbian Exposition Half Dollar Rev
1900 Lafayette Dollar
1900 Lafayette Dollar Obv 1900 Lafayette Dollar Rev
1903 Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson & McKinley Gold Dollars
1903 Louisiana Purchase Jefferson Gold Dollar Obv 1903 Louisiana Purchase Jefferson Gold Dollar Rev 1903 Louisiana Purchase McKinley Gold Dollar Obv 1903 Louisiana Purchase McKinley Gold Dollar Rev
1904-05 Lewis and Clark
Gold Dollar
1904 Lewis and Clark Gold Dollar Obv 1904 Lewis and Clark Gold Dollar Rev
1915 Panama Pacific Exposition
Half Dollar
1915 Panama Pacific Exposition Half Dollar Obv 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition Half Dollar Rev
1915 Panama Pacific Exposition
Gold Dollar & Quarter Eagle
1915 Panama Pacific Gold Dollar Obv 1915 Panama Pacific Gold Dollar Rev 1915 Panama Pacific Quarter Eagle Obv 1915 Panama Pacific Quarter Eagle Rev
1915 Panama Pacific Exposition
Fifty Dollar Gold, Round & Octagonal
1915 Panama Pacific Fifty Dollar Gold Round Obv 1915 Panama Pacific Fifty Dollar Gold Round Rev 1915 Panama Pacific Fifty Dollar Gold Octagonal Obv 1915 Panama Pacific Fifty Dollar Gold Octagonal Rev
1916 Mckinley Memorial
Gold Dollar
1916 Mckinley Memorial Gold Dollar Obv 1916 Mckinley Memorial Gold Dollar Rev
1918 Illinois Centennial
Half Dollar
1918 Illinois Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1918 Illinois Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1920 Maine Centennial
Half Dollar
1920 Maine Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1920 Maine Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1920-21 Pilgrim Tercentenary
Half Dollar
1921 Pilgrim Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1921 Pilgrim Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1921 Alabama Centennial
Half Dollar
1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1921 Missouri Centennial
Half Dollar
1921 Missouri Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1921 Missouri Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1922 Grant Centennial
Half Dollar & Gold Dollar
1922 Grant Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1922 Grant Centennial Half Dollar Rev 1922 Grant Centennial Gold Dollar Obv 1922 Grant Centennial Gold Dollar Rev
1923 Monroe Doctrine Centennial
Half Dollar
1923 Monroe Doctrine Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1923 Monroe Doctrine Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1924 Huguenot Walloon Tercentenary Half Dollar
1924 Huguenot Walloon Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1924 Huguenot Walloon Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1925 California Diamond Jubilee
Half Dollar
1925 California Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar Obv 1925 California Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar Rev
1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial
Half Dollar
1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1925 Lexington Concord Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
1925 Lexington Concord Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1925 Lexington Concord Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1925 Stone Mountain Memorial
Half Dollar
1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar Obv 1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar Rev
1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial
Half Dollar & Quarter Eagle
1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev 1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle Obv 1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle Rev
1926, 1928, 1933-34 & 1936-39 Oregon Trail Half Dollar
1939 Oregon Trail Half Dollar Obv 1939 Oregon Trail Half Dollar Rev
1927 Vermont Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
1927 Vermont Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1927 Vermont Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1928 Hawaii Sesquicentennial
Half Dollar
1928 Hawaii Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1928 Hawaii Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1934 Maryland Tercentenary
Half Dollar
1934 Maryland Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1934 Maryland Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1934-38 Boone Bicentennial
Half Dollar
1935 Boone Bicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1935 Boone Bicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1934-38 Texas Centennial
Half Dollar
1938 Texas Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1938 Texas Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1935 Connecticut Tercentenary
Half Dollar
1935 Connecticut Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1935 Hudson New York
Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
1935 Hudson New York Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1935 Hudson New York Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1935 Old Spanish Trail
Half Dollar
1935 Old Spanish Trail Half Dollar Obv 1935 Old Spanish Trail Half Dollar Rev
1935-36 San Diego Exposition
Half Dollar
1935 San Diego Exposition Half Dollar Obv 1935 San Diego Exposition Half Dollar Rev
1935-39 Arkansas Centennial
Half Dollar
1936 Arkansas Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Arkansas Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Albany New York
Half Dollar
1936 Albany New York Half Dollar Obv 1936 Albany New York Half Dollar Rev
1936 Arkansas Robinson Centennial Half Dollar
1936 Arkansas Robinson Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Arkansas Robinson Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Bay Bridge
Half Dollar
1936 Bay Bridge Half Dollar Obv 1936 Bay Bridge Half Dollar Rev
1936 Bridgeport Centennial
Half Dollar
1936 Bridgeport Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Bridgeport Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Cincinnati Music Center
Half Dollar
1936 Cincinnati Music Center Half Dollar Obv 1936 Cincinnati Music Center Half Dollar Rev
1936 Cleveland Great Lakes
Exposition Half Dollar
1936 Cleveland Great Lakes Exposition Half Dollar Obv 1936 Cleveland Great Lakes Exposition Half Dollar Rev
1936 Columbia South Carolina
Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
1936 Columbia South Carolina Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Columbia South Carolina Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Delaware Tercentenary
Half Dollar
1936 Delaware Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1936 Delaware Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1936 Elgin Illinois Centennial
Half Dollar
1936 Elgin Illinois Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Elgin Illinois Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Battle of Gettysburg
Half Dollar
1936 Battle of Gettysburg Half Dollar Obv 1936 Battle of Gettysburg Half Dollar Rev
1936 Long Island Tercentenary
Half Dollar
1936 Long Island Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1936 Long Island Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1936 Lynchburg Virginia Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
1936 Lynchburg Virginia Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Lynchburg Virginia Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Norfolk Virginia Bicentennial
Half Dollar
1936 Norfolk Virginia Bicentennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Norfolk Virginia Bicentennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 Providence Rhode Island
Tercentenary Half Dollar
1936 Providence Rhode Island Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1936 Providence Rhode Island Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1936 Wisconsin Centennial
Half Dollar
1936 Wisconsin Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1936 Wisconsin Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1936 York County Maine Tercentenary Half Dollar
1936 York County Maine Tercentenary Half Dollar Obv 1936 York County Maine Tercentenary Half Dollar Rev
1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar
1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar Obv 1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar Rev
1937 Roanoke 350th
Anniversary Half Dollar
1937 Roanoke 350th Anniversary Half Dollar Obv 1937 Roanoke 350th Anniversary Half Dollar Rev
1938 New Rochelle 250th Anniversary Half Dollar
1938 New Rochelle 250th Anniversary Half Dollar Obv 1938 New Rochelle 250th Anniversary Half Dollar Rev
1946 Iowa Centennial
Half Dollar
1946 Iowa Centennial Half Dollar Obv 1946 Iowa Centennial Half Dollar Rev
1946-51 Booker T Washington
Half Dollar
1951 Booker T Washington Half Dollar Obv 1951 Booker T Washington Half Dollar Rev
1951-54 Washington Carver
Half Dollar
1953 Washington Carver Half Dollar Obv 1953 Washington Carver Half Dollar Rev



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