1947 US Silver Commemorative 50C BOOKER T. WASHINGTON - NGC MS 67

1947 US Silver Commemorative 50C BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

Certified NGC MS 67

Photos are of the actual coin you will receive.

About Booker T. Washington Silver Half Dollars
Some of the problems that had occurred for earlier commemorative issues reemerged with the Booker T. Washington Half Dollar. Authorized in 1946, the coins would be struck in five separate years across three different mint facilities in an attempt to maximize sales. Eventually, more than one million coins were distributed.

The obverse design features a portrait of Washington with inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, HALF DOLLAR, E PLURIBUS UNUM and the date. On the reverse was an image of the Hall of Fame at New York University and a log cabin. The extensive inscriptions include BOOKER T. WASHINGTON BIRTHPLACE MEMORIAL, LIBERTY, FROM SLAVECABIN TO HALL OF FAME, IN GOD WE TRUST and FRANKLIN COUNTY VA.

The Booker T. Washington Half Dollars were minted in large numbers for the first year of issue and offered by the Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Commission priced at $1 for the Philadelphia or San Francisco issues and $1.50 for the lower mintage Denver issue. Although a large number were sold, a quantity of coins were melted and some appear to have been released into circulation.

In subsequent years, the coins were offered by coin firms engaged as authorized agents of the commission for $6 per three coin set. Mintages were considerably lower for these later issues with the exception of the 1950 San Francisco and 1951 Philadelphia issues. These coins were minted in larger quantities as part of a promotion involving schools and hospitals.

About Early Commemorative Coins
Early Commemorative Coins were issued between the years 1892 and 1954 and have included primarily silver half dollars and gold dollars. Over the years additional denominations have been used including the silver quarter, silver dollar, several gold quarter eagles and one $50 gold piece. In total there were 50 different Silver Commemorative coin designs and 9 different Gold Commemorative coin designs. Each issue was typically authorized by an act of Congress which provided a specific maximum or minimum mintage requirement. Because legislation often did not specify otherwise, some Commemorative coin issues were produced in multiple years or struck at multiple mints.