LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 (ANA) Signature Coin Auction #444  / 

2100

1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Octagonal

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:70,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Octagonal
1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Octagonal MS64 PCGS. It was said in 1915 that the Panama-Pacific International Exposition was far more than mere entertainment. The organizers and most contributors alike felt that, as well as commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal, which sped sea travel and allowed greater commerce between countries bounded by two oceans, and as well as honoring Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Ocean 400 years earlier, the fair had brought the peoples of the modern world together and exposed them all to achievements in art, architecture, invention, and enterprise which captured the very best of the human spirit.<BR> For numismatists, the “Pan-Pac Expo” might be seen today as having been the genesis for the issuance of commemorative coinage which, unlike some other commems, had <I>significant</B></I> reasons for being produced. Not only did they relate to historical events of real importance, however. They were also beautiful in their own right--true works of the art of coin-engraving at its very highest level of expression in 1915.<BR> There was plenty of inspiration at the fair in other artwork. Some of the best statues erected were the work of famous coin-artists. James Earle Fraser’s design for the Buffalo nickel had been accepted by the U.S. Mint, and production began in 1913. Collectors today might smile just thinking of all the gleaming new Buffalo nickels that circulated at the fair! Fraser produced a statue for the expo called “The End of the Trail” that proved to be one of the most popular. It showed a native American Indian mounted on his exhausted horse--a poignant expression of his failed battle against the creeping civilization of the white man which had taken its worst turns in the Indian Wars of the 1870s. The statue was placed in the Court of the Palms at the fair, and was moved after the fair closed to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. It was an early, elegant tribute to America’s native civilization that had been viewed with much hostility in the 19th century.<BR> One of the themes of the fair was that it spanned many centuries, that it showcased the history of the past and particularly of the 19th century, and introduced the public to some of the marvels of the 20th. Another pair of statues offered this same theme, and they were once again the work of a coin-artist. A.A. Weinman sculpted two statues for the Court of the Universe which he called “The Setting Sun” and “The Rising Sun.” They possessed the same elegance and emblematic qualities that were soon to be seen on his “Mercury” dime and on his Walking Liberty half dollar--both introduced in 1916, the year following the Pan-Pac Expo. His coins were yet to be seen while the fair was in progress, but his statues vividly communicated his belief in the power of American liberty.<BR> Unlike the commemorative postage stamps, the Pan-Pac coins were only sold at the fair. The Post Office issued sets of four stamps for the event with designs depicting on the one cent stamp a profile of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, on the two cent piece the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal, on the five-center the Golden Gate, and on the ten cent piece the discovery of San Francisco Bay--all sold beginning in 1913 to promote the coming exposition. They related very distinctly to the statuary’s style. While the fifty dollar gold coins issued were unrelated to any specific statuary at the exposition, they were works of art unto themselves. <BR> This piece has especially pronounced mint luster. It has a more frosted appearance than usually seen on Pan-Pac fifties. Each side has a rich overlay of reddish-gold and a mixture of lilac coloration. These attributes overpower any other considerations such as a few small marks on the obverse and reverse, and give this piece a singular beauty and appeal.<BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot