Should the 1848 CAL quarter eagle be included in a commemorative listing?

Longacre

I was looking at the QDB commemorative book. I noticed that there was a section on the 1848 CAL quarter eagle. I know that some consider this to be a commemorative issue with respect to gold that was mined in CA, but I am not sure if it is general consensus that this is a commorative issue, similar to the more traditional commemoratives. Does anyone know whether this issue is considered a commemorative per se, or a coin that was issued in limited numbers in order to commemorate a particular thing (although as I write this, I am not seeing the difference).

Julian

Only the most sophisticated commemorative collector would consider adding this coin to a commemorative coin collection.

Such a collector would already collect all of the other peripheral material such as original holders, patterns, etc.

I encourage all collectors to expand their collections and this would be a great expansion. I have only had one client that considered it for his commemorative collection, and then the price got away.

Another problem with this is that for the most part only a very few collectors could ever get one that matched the other coins in condition.

291fifth

It is a commemorative. Bowers is right to include it.

kranky

I guess my feeling is that it's a commem, but not part of the "classic commem" set as everyone understands it.

keets

i don't really think it's a commemorative, just acknowledgement of the fact that Gold from California was being used for coinage. it would seem that to be a true commemorative some major design elements would have to be dedicated to the commemoration.

PerryHall

The cost of the coin is so prohibitive that most commem collectors couldn't include it even if they wanted to so this whole discussion is of academic interest only. Should commen collectors include the 1909 cent (commemorating Lincoln's 100th birthday) and the 1932 quarter (commemorating Washington's 200th birthday)?

keets

good point, Perry. it would follow that every coin which has the portrait of an actual person on it is entitled to a greater claim to commemorating something than the cal. quarter.