By Scott Purvis for CoinLink

NGC announced in a From the Grading Room article  that it has graded a “previously unreported” Matte Proof 1925-S California Half Dollar.

In 1925, California celebrated its diamond jubilee as a State in the Union. It was California’s gold rush of 1849 that assured its statehood in 1850. On the occasion of this 75th anniversary of its admission Congress authorized a special half dollar to commemorate the event .

The obverse features a “Forty-Niner”, as these gold hunters were known, panning for gold. The coin’s reverse displays the image of a fearsome looking grizzly hear. In 1953, the bear was adopted as the state’s official animal. The coin was designed by California artist Jo Mora.

The California half dollar had an authorized mintage of 300,000. A number approaching 150,000 were produced, and more than 60,000 were later melted, leaving a net mintage of 86,594. The coin has an extremely high relief design and sharp detail, and it sometimes comes with a semi-prooflike surface on the obverse.

However proofs are a different matter.

 As NGC Sates: “Matte proof commemorative half dollars were specially prepared for presentation although in most cases very little documentation exists to illuminate their true purpose. The design, rim, and notably the legends on this coin are very crisply struck, much more so than on a business-strike example of the issue. Inherent of proof coinage of this type, it does not possess reflective luster; rather the entire design has a very uniform appearance. Matte proofs allowed designers to showcase the design elements of the coin, and were “fashionable” during the early Twentieth Century. “

Interestingly, Q David Bowers in his book Commemorative Coins of the United States; A Complete Encyclopedia, makes no mention of the existance of any Matte Proof 1925-S California Half Dollars. He does state that “Matte Proofs were struck of certain early (1892-1954 era) commemoratives…. the best documented being the 50 or so 1928 Hawaiian Half dollars” however he cautions that “numerous questionable ‘Matte Proof’ Half Dollars have been made outside of the Mint by pickling or sandblasting normal business strikes”

Walter Breen in his Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins does mention a lone Matte Proof 1925-S California Jubilee (7464) which reportedly came from the estate collection of J.R. Sinnock, the eighth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1925 to 1947,and designer of the Roosevelt dime and Franklin half dollar. Interestingly he notes that is a “prototype” and had no mint-mark, whereas the coin just graded by NGC clearly does have an S mint-mark.

According to the published population reports, this is the only Graded Proof 1925-S at either NGC or PCGS.

I had not realized how little research and documentation these is on Proof Commemoratives. Only 60 have been certified by PCGS, assuming that none in the Pop reports are resubmissions, and only 110 have been graded for all types and grades by NGC. These are surprisingly small numbers which may represent an undervalued and unappreciated specialty not widely investigated.

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