Help Please
Terrako
Posts: 6 ✭
I found this coin recently, a Columbus 1492-1992 coin, not a half dollar. The closest I found to it was an 1892 half-dollar, but it doesn't match it correctly. It's .74 oz, or 21 grams in weight, and its size is comparable to an Eisenhower dollar coin from the 70s.
The front displays United States of America 1942 Columbus 1992, and the back displays Five Hundred Years Commemorative 500 Grains!
If I can get help identifying it, would help as my father and I have looked for weeks about it. We tried taking it to a Coin shop, and they weren't of much help!
I looked as deep as I could on Google and the like, and nothing really came close minus a weird silver coin, but even then it wasn't an exact match due to the grain part, as on the silver coin, it said 500 grams, and not grains.
Comments
does it have coin or medal alignment? on the edge is it completely reeded?
link to a very similar one being sold on eBay - maybe seller can help
https://ebay.com/itm/305877830237?_ul=US&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5339046648&toolid=10001&customid=eb%3Ag%3Avms%3Aeb%3Ap%3A305877830237%3B9ac6cab62b4618b2140cadfeaf684d9b&msclkid=9ac6cab62b4618b2140cadfeaf684d9b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%20US&utm_term=2324505021064440&utm_content=PMax%20Assets
From what I can tell, it is reeded on the sides, Should have got a picture of the side thinking on it now.
It doesn't look like a medal alignment, but its hard for me to tell, since I am not sure.
It's not a coin issued by any government authority but a privately produced medal. That's why it's difficult to find information about it.
500 grains is a little over an ounce while 500 grams is over a pound. these terms are generally used for precious metal, like silver, but this piece has no indication of composition.
Probably a very neat silver round? How long have you had it? That might help with its age.
It might be an ounce of Silver or gold, since we did both clean it with Vinager (it was REALLY filthy when I found it, like a layer of dirt, and didn't react itself) it was nonmagnetic and when we did the water drop test, it just sank. The idea of it being a medal didn't occur to us, especially if it was a private thing. So it being either sliver or gold as medal could be possible.
I found it in November of 2024, forgot the exact day, maybe november 2nd? but when it was made is something I am unsure of outside 1992.
A coin will have a definite denomination, nearly always stated directly somewhere on it. A medal will never have a denomination and is generally made or issued to commemorate an event. A token is a substitute for a coin and will have a definite face value and is usually intended for commerce.
As @sellitstore mentioned, it is probably a private issue to honor the quincentenary in 1992.
Here is an example of an item that LOOKS like yours.
Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/386274796435
The mass, however, is off. The example is over an ounce of .999 Ag (500 grains), while yours is only 0.74 ounce.
Looks like a souvenir medal from the Worlds Columbian Exposition although the "FIVE HUNDRED YEARS" indicates it was made in 1992.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
It's a modern round, from 1992 or thereabouts, made by a private mint that is using the registered trademark of the US Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission. Private mints could pay a fee to use the trademark (the stylized 500 symbol) and market their goods. Yours is silver that has oxidized (toned) over time. Using vinegar and/or cleaning it is in general a really bad idea, but likely harmless in this case. It is worth its weight in silver, which for this piece I would assume 500 grains of 0.999 fine silver. These typically have very little demand or value other than their metal content.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Christopher Columbus and the Santa Maria appear to be identical to my eye to the images on the 1892/93 silver commemorative half dollar.
Edited to add I didn't see @TomB's comment before posting. Thanks for clarifying.
Thank you all for your help, my final question would be, and I don't think many will know, WHY was it made, and for what purpose? I understand that would be nigh impossible to answer, due to a lack of knowledge outside the coins face knowledge, but why was it made, and who was it minted, as it clearly was minted for a reason, for?
Again, it's not a coin; it's a silver round. They are made to be sold to people who want to buy silver. People like to sell silver rounds with designs instead of just leaving them blank. The design is up to the preference of the maker. It's an artistic choice.
The private medal was struck so that the owner(s) of the company that produced it could make a profit. These pieces generally came with a fancy certificate of authenticity (CoA) to attempt to justify their cost and give the product a more official "feel". Many (most?) of these private medals were separated from their CoA paperwork because the CoA was really just a worthless piece of paper. It was made on the occasion of the 500th anniversary (quincentenary) of Columbus landing in North America. Many companies paid a licensing fee to use the stylized "500" logo and they all did it with the bottom line in mind. That is, if they could produce something folks would buy to commemorate the event then they would profit off the anniversary. Simple.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
It has the date "1992" on it, so that is a clue
There are people who do collect silver rounds such as this. This is not one that is seen often. At least, I have not seen a lot of them. So I would think that it would sell for a moderate premium above the silver content value.
Ah okay makes sense. Than you guys very much!