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The famous Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition, celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. A major cultural event that profoundly influenced American art, architecture, and industrial optimism, it also left a legacy for numismatics: the Columbian Expo half dollar. Carrying both 1892 and 1893 dates — the first marking Chicago’s victory in the bidding to hold the event, and the latter marking the actual opening of the Fair — these coins were part of a plan to finance the construction of the ambitious fairgrounds that eventually attracted more than 27 million visitors. The first known commemorative or “souvenir” coin to be struck by the U.S. Mint, the 1892-1893 Columbian Expo Silver Half Dollar is now available in circulated grades from JM Bullion.
Coin Highlights:
When Chicago’s Fair Authority sought a five million dollar grant from the U.S. Treasury to complete the ambitious fairgrounds, the Treasury could only release half the total request, pleading hard economic times and the restrictions of a recession. The Fair Authority requested the amount in half-dollar commemorative coins which they proposed to sell at a price of a full dollar to make up the difference. As it happened, only a small number of the coins sold at that price, with the rest being released into circulation at face value or melted down.
The 1892-1893 Columbian Expo Silver Half Dollar is available to you in circulated coin grades under 60 on the standardized Sheldon scale, showing various amounts of wear and impairment of luster. It ships in a flip-top plastic container, with each shipment fully insured by the JM Bullion team.
The obverse field features a bust of Christopher Columbus, for whom the World’s Columbian Exposition was named. At the rim are the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “COLUMBIAN HALF DOLLAR.”
The reverse field shows the Santa Maria sailing westward above a pair of planispheres that divide the date “1492.” This is accompanied by the inscriptions “WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION,” “CHICAGO,” and the date of issue.
For more information about these coins, or to learn more about investing in bullion collectibles, contact JM Bullion today. Phone us at 800-276-6508, send us an e-mail with your questions, or talk to a team member at our convenient online live chat.
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The famous Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition, celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. A major cultural event that profoundly influenced American art, architecture, and industrial optimism, it also left a legacy for numismatics: the Columbian Expo half dollar. Carrying both 1892 and 1893 dates — the first marking Chicago’s victory in the bidding to hold the event, and the latter marking the actual opening of the Fair — these coins were part of a plan to finance the construction of the ambitious fairgrounds that eventually attracted more than 27 million visitors. The first known commemorative or “souvenir” coin to be struck by the U.S. Mint, the 1892-1893 Columbian Expo Silver Half Dollar is now available in circulated grades from JM Bullion.
Coin Highlights:
When Chicago’s Fair Authority sought a five million dollar grant from the U.S. Treasury to complete the ambitious fairgrounds, the Treasury could only release half the total request, pleading hard economic times and the restrictions of a recession. The Fair Authority requested the amount in half-dollar commemorative coins which they proposed to sell at a price of a full dollar to make up the difference. As it happened, only a small number of the coins sold at that price, with the rest being released into circulation at face value or melted down.
The 1892-1893 Columbian Expo Silver Half Dollar is available to you in circulated coin grades under 60 on the standardized Sheldon scale, showing various amounts of wear and impairment of luster. It ships in a flip-top plastic container, with each shipment fully insured by the JM Bullion team.
The obverse field features a bust of Christopher Columbus, for whom the World’s Columbian Exposition was named. At the rim are the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “COLUMBIAN HALF DOLLAR.”
The reverse field shows the Santa Maria sailing westward above a pair of planispheres that divide the date “1492.” This is accompanied by the inscriptions “WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION,” “CHICAGO,” and the date of issue.
For more information about these coins, or to learn more about investing in bullion collectibles, contact JM Bullion today. Phone us at 800-276-6508, send us an e-mail with your questions, or talk to a team member at our convenient online live chat.
