Early Commemorative coins
The first commemorative coin
was a silver half dollar issued in 1892 to celebrate the 400th
anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ expedition to
This marked the beginning
of Early Commemorative coinage, which actually consists of coins minted from
1892 to 1954, when the Booker T. Washington coin was issued. Instead of raising
taxes, the profits generated from the retail of commemorative coins were used
to finance government projects. Commemoratives speak of
