1936 Gettysburg Old Commem Half Dollar 50c Grades Choice Unc. The 1936 Battle of Gettysburg Half Dollar was ...

1936 Gettysburg Old Commem Half Dollar 50c Grades Choice Unc. The 1936 Battle of Gettysburg Half Dollar was issued to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the pivotal battle of the American Civil War. The issue has become one of the more popular amongst the early commemorative coins.The obverse depicts Union and Confederate soldiers in profile. On the reverse are Union and Confederate shields separated by a fasces, a bundle of sticks bound together around a double sided axe, with sprays of oak and laurel to each side. Designed by Frank Vittor, the design for the coin is sometimes described as metallic in appearance. This effect is created by the outer ring containing inscriptions and the exaggerated basining of the fields.Similar to the Delaware Half Dollar, the Gettysburg Half Dollar is associated with a somewhat confusing array of dates. The coins are issued to celebrate an anniversary which occurs in 1938, however they were issued in 1937, and dated 1936.The maximum authorized mintage for the Battle of Gettysburg Half Dollar was 50,000 pieces to be struck at a single mint. The entire number was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and distributed by the Pennsylvania State Commission at a price of $1.65 per coin. In 1938, an unsold quantity of coins was turned over to the American Legion Department of Pennsylvania, who sold the coins for $2.65 each. Eventually, an unsold quantity of 23,100 pieces was returned to the mint for melting.The coin at hand is tied for the Finest Known and well deserving of its grade. Far and away the finest I have ever seen. Fully struck with rich, multicolored iridescence over each side in a fully original pattern. The centers basically present as brilliant with mint-green shades deepening to pastel-blue, then antique-gold and red-russet at the borders. A technically unimpeachable and visually stunning Superb Gem.