Articles | Tips on Commemorative Coin Collecting

Commemorative coin collecting is a great way to learn about various important aspects of US history. These coins are issued by the US Mint in limited quantities and authorized by Congress to honor noteworthy American places, events and institutions. They are sold at above face value with the proceeds going to groups related to the theme of the coin.

The first commemorative coin was a half-dollar issued in 1892 to mark the Columbian Exposition, which was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus arrival in the New World. After this initial issue, commemorative coins were released on a regular basis until 1954, when Congress stopped authorizing them due to fatigue over their being used as fundraisers for local causes. The last two releases of what was called early commemorative coins were issues honoring inventor George Washington Carver and educator Booker T. Washington. In 1982, however, Congress sanctioned a half-dollar commemorative coin to mark the 250th birth anniversary of George Washington, and the US Mint has been issuing them since then. These coins are highly collectible, not only because of their limited numbers, but also their fascinating designs. For example, for the 1982 George Washington coin, the designer portrayed Washington on horseback instead of the traditional profiles used to depict presidents on US coins.

If you want to start coin collecting commemorative coins, there are several ways you can go about it.

Buy single issues that highlight themes you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in coins with patriotic themes, you can get coins such as the 2012 Star Spangled Banner issue or the 2011 Medal of Honor release, both of which feature a gold five-dollar coin and a silver dollar. Or if you are interested in the history of American civil rights, you can buy the Little Rock Desegregation Silver Dollar that marks the 50th anniversary of desegregation activities at Little Rock Central High School during the 1957-58 academic year.

Buy coin sets. The US Mint often offers collectible coins in a series as sets that feature both uncirculated and proof variants of each coin in assorted permutations. For example, the three-coin 1986 Statue of Liberty Centennial series was offered in two, three and six coin sets. Current sets are available through the US Mint while past issues are available from reputable coin dealers in their original Mint packaging.

To supplement your collection of circulating coins. If you have a collection of regularly-circulated coins on a certain theme, you might want to add a commemorative coin or two to the set to complete them. For example, if you have a collection of Eisenhower dollars that were issued from 1971 to 1978, you might want to add a 1990 Eisenhower silver dollar which was minted to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary.

One thing you should be careful of, though, are faux commemorative coins that are not issued by the US Mint and are thus not genuine commemoratives. For example, various Mints have issued commemorative dollars marking the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 as well as featuring President Barack Obama. If you are into true coin collecting, you should not buy these coins.