Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries

Based on Article by Lee Gast

As the first commemorative Half Dollar struck, the Columbian half holds a special place in the long and historic commemorative series. From the first proof striking that sold for $10,000 in 1892,(The first specimen struck was bought for $10,000 by the firm that made Remington typewriters, as a publicity stunt) and to the final 1893 business strike, Columbian Halves were popularly collected at the time and in the hundred years since.

In August 1892 Congress specially authorized the coinage of 5 million half dollars for sale during the 1892 World’s Columbian Exposition to honor the 400th anniversary of Columbus “discovery” of the New World. This was the first of the great World’s Fairs to be honored with a commemorative coins. The first issue was dated 1892. The Exposition was scheduled to open in Chicago in October 1892, but did not open until May 1893, at which time additional coins bearing this new date were struck.

The obverse features the bust right of Christopher Columbus. The coin was originally supposed to be made by U.S.J. Dunbar. His design was based on a portrait painted by Lorenzo Lotto of Columbus in 1512. The U.S. Mint’s Chief Engraver at the time, Charles E. Barber, derailed any attempt by Dunbar from producing the coin, and instead took on the project, basing his depiction of Columbus allegedly on a bust made by artist Olin L. Warner.

Barber clashed with Exposition officials over the reverse as well, favoring his own design of the Western Hemisphere covering the entire reverse. Exposition officials wanted a depiction of Columbus’ flag ship the Santa Maria poised over two globes. Seeking to absolve himself of the argument, Barber delegated the task to his Assistant Engraver, George T. Morgan to design the reverse.

By the time a further quantity had been coined in 1893, public demand for the commemorative had lessened. An unknown quantity of half-dollars were used as collateral against loans made to the Exposition by banks. When the Exposition failed to repay the debits, the banks dumped the coins into circulation.

A mere 104 proofs are believed to have been struck of the 1892 Columbian half dollar, represented by the first 101 coins produced in addition to the 400th, 1492nd, and 1892nd pieces. Despite the significance of Columbian Exposition halves, proof strikings have been largely overlooked and were often mishandled by recipients, most likely dignitaries of the exposition and perhaps a few higher-ups in Washington D.C. (more…)

Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries

By Lee Gast

The renowned 18th-century French nobleman, the Marquis de Lafayette, has occupied a special place in the hearts of Americans for over 200 years. Born in 1757 to wealth and privilege, at the age of twenty he willingly sacrificed all in support of the American revolutionary cause. Defying his family and the French authorities, in 1777 he crossed the Atlantic with about a dozen men to offer his services to the Continental Reverse diagnostics as follows:Congress. With the assistance of Benjamin Franklin, then ambassador to France, Lafayette secured a commission as a Major General in the Continental Army. Serving bravely and unfailingly at Brandywine, Valley Forge and Yorktown, Lafayette soon formed a singular relationship with his Commander in Chief, General George Washing-ton. The two men achieved a lasting bond usually reserved for a father and son.

Lafayette’s Revolutionary War exploits and his effort in inducing the French government to sign a treaty of alliance with the colonies in 1778 earned him enduring fame and respect on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1784, the State of Maryland bestowed citizenship upon Lafayette and his descendants (one descendant invoked this privilege in 1934), and in 1824, while on a grand tour of the United States accompanied by his son George Washington Lafayette, Congress bestowed on him the ultimate American gift for a retired hero—land in Florida and $200,000 in cash. America’s friendship with France would remain steadfast from that time forward, and in 1886, France expressed the depth of this special relationship with its gift to the United States of the Statue of Liberty.

When the United States was invited to participate in the Paris Exposition of 1900, Lafayette was still very much a part of the American psyche. The U.S. thought a fitting contribution would be a monument to the Revolutionary War hero for the city of Paris. It was decided that a statue of Lafayette on horseback would be sculpted by Paul Wayland Bartlett and displayed at the Exposition. A novel and educational approach was used to raise funds for the statue: School children from all over the nation contributed small change to the Lafayette Monument Fund. Raising nearly $50,000 during the campaign, they also learned much about the Revolutionary War and the part played by General Lafayette.

More money was to come from the sale, at $2 each, of the 50,000 Lafayette commemorative dollar coins authorized by Congress on March 3, 1899. The Lafayette Memorial Commission originally requested that 100,000 half dollars be minted, but it later decided that dollars would make better souvenirs. Congress intended that the coins would honor not only the Paris Exposition and Lafayette, but also the centennial of George Washington’s death. As it turned out, all of the Lafayette dollars were struck in a single day, December 14, 1899, exactly 100 years to the day after Washington’s final hours. (more…)