LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 February Long Beach Signature Coin #460  / 

1043

1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS64

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:55,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS64
<B>1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS64 NGC.</B></I> Fairs and vendors go hand in hand, and it should come as no surprise that the Panama-Pacific International Exposition had its share of souvenir sellers, authorized and otherwise. As Roger Burdette wrote in his <I>Renaissance of American Coinage 1909-1915</B></I>, "The exposition committee encouraged the production of hundreds of trinkets, tokens and knickknacks in an attempt to make everything associated with the exposition a 'collectible.'"<BR> These tchotchkes, which appear from time to time as family heirlooms or antique-store inventory, are an eclectic lot. Novagems, artificial crystals like those that adorned the Tower of Jewels, were popular with fairgoers, as were other wares, including paper programs, commemorative ribbons and buttons, souvenir spoons, etched metal trays, pocket watches and ornate watch fobs, handkerchiefs, and paperweights. Certain mementoes, however, remain better known and more visible today than others. The commemorative coins issued for the Exposition, unlike the ephemeral trifles and baubles that were better sellers in their day, have stood the test of time and remain precious treasures, even to those who never stepped through the Exposition's gates.<BR> In particular, the fifty dollar gold pieces have become the most prized classic commemorative issues, and the round format of that denomination is represented here by a fantastic Choice exemplar. The butter-yellow fields are subtly lustrous with a hint of haze, and the overall effect is pleasingly luminous. Though a handful of wispy flaws are apparent on the central devices, the surfaces are devoid of significant distractions. An impressive coin from a net mintage of just 483 pieces.<BR><I>Ex: Stack's, February 4-6, 1965, part of lot 717.</B></I><BR><I>From The John Stimson, Sr. Collection, Part Two.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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