Barber's Other Half

secondstar

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Mar 11, 2017
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I went out detecting this morning with a couple of buddies. We decided to work a brush filled, trashy area near a spot that we've been to a thousand times. I worked the area for a few minutes, when suddenly I got a trash tone with an ever so slight good tone mixed in. I circled around the target, and finally honed in on what was definitely a silver half dollar mixed in with trash. I dig, and out pops this beauty;

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It's an 1893 Columbian silver commemorative half dollar from the Chicago World's Fair! The obverse side of the coin was designed by Charles Barber, the reverse side of the coin was designed by George Morgan! How this ended up in the woods in Massachusetts is beyond me. I am absolutely hooked on pro zero mode on my At Pro, that's for sure! I've posted a blurb that I found about this coin below, thanks for looking!

"The 1892 and 1893 Columbian half dollars were the first commemorative coins issued by the United States. They were coined to commemorate the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This event, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was to be held in 1892.

With the cost of the fair ballooning, an enterprising manager of the expo suggested that souvenir half dollars be produced and sold for $1 each to help cover the cost of the exposition. The bill to produce the coin was passed on August 5th of 1892 and called for the mintage of no more than 5 million half dollar coins.

The striking of these coins began with special proof issues on November 19th of 1892 to national fanfare. So great was the fervor that the company that produced the Remington typewriter paid an astounding $10,000 for the first coin struck, an amount equal to nearly a quarter of a million dollars today!

However, these coins are not usually worth nearly that much today aside from the few survivors in very high grade. With a mintage of 950,000 in 1892 and a further 1,548,300 produced in 1893, the Columbian Exposition Half Dollar is the most common type of the entire classic commemorative series."
 

Upvote 32

thrifty76now

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Mar 18, 2009
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A great find.Many years ago I found the 1892 version of that one.They produced so many of those that some were released into circulation.
 

Loco-Digger

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Jun 16, 2014
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Congrats on that sweet half, you don't see them posted often. I think scrappy posted one back a few years ago.
 

cheffer

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Sep 17, 2004
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Awesome silver Mike, I told you those woods still had some good finds left. Great to get out with you guys and shake off the long winter. Going to be hard to top that this spring, but I'll do my best :)
 

Carolina Tom

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That’s a sweet half dollar. I have always liked that design. You don’t see them often on here. Big congrats on the find.
 

Diggin Dude

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Most excellent half dollar find !!
Congrats and HH
 

treblehunter

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Silver half dollar, That is sweet. I think Loco might be thinking of the copper Dollar I posted couple few years back. Same fair, total different design. I could post it, but don't want to steal any of your thunder. I like trashing where no coil goes myself, but I'm kindof partial to soybean fields, lol. I'm a fair weather, low physical kindof guy. Nothing like that feeling of pulling big silver out of the dirt. Congrats!
 

DiamondDan

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Apr 21, 2016
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Very, very cool. Congratulations!
 

JeffInMass

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Jan 14, 2006
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Congrats on the great find, fellow Mass-hunter!

-- Jeff --
 

Rookster

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Nov 24, 2013
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Now we're metal detecting. :thumbsup:Congrats on the find.
 

Relicific

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First time I see one posted
It’s very unique and easy on the eyes.
Congrats
 

Silvermonkey

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Now that's a really cool find Secondstar! I didn't even know that such a coin existed. Thank you for posting the info about its history.
 

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