|
1925 Vancouver Half Dollar |
1925 Vancouver Half Dollar
Mintage 14,994
In 1925 the City of Vancouver, Washington, celebrated its centennial-or, more precisely the centennial of the founding of Fort Vancouver, the stockade settlement that developed into the city. To mark the occasion, the Fort Vancouver Centennial Corporation prevailed upon Congress to authorize a special half dollar. This was part of a pattern that saw such coins authorized, more often than not for small or mid-size cities, rather than major population centers. The obverse of the coin bears a portrait of Dr. John McLaighlin, the Canadian-born physician who prevailed upon the Hudson's Bay Company to establish the fort. The reverse shows a frontiersman, clad in a buckskin suit, standing outside the fort with a musket. The designs are the work of Laura Gardin Fraser, who took the assignment after the original art work was rejected and the first artist-never identified-chose to withdraw from the project. Congress authorized 300,000 Vancouver half dollars-clearly far too many for a coin of only regional significance. The Mint produced only about 50,000, and even then had to melt most of them after they went unsold. The net mintage is a mere 14,994. The low figure makes this one of the semi-key coins in the U.S. commemorative series. Typically, it's found in circulated grades-and even mint-state pieces normally come with only moderate sharpness and detail. Value $220 - $1575 |
