POST YOUR LEAST FAVORITE CLASSIC COMMEMORATIVE

DisneyFan · February 13, 2025 12:28PM

At one time I had a complete set of the 50 coin commemorative set. Got tired of looking at them and sold most of them. Now I miss them and decided to do the set again; but, in respect for my safe deposit box, limit my self to only the nicest 40 and in upgraded grades if possible. I now have 37 of them. Show me which one you really don't like.

OKbustchaser · February 13, 2025 12:38PM

Many (most?) people love the Oregon...I simply don't like it.

braddick · February 13, 2025 12:42PM

braddick · February 13, 2025 12:45PM

I am so sorry.
I misread the thread title and showed my favorite.
Here is my least favorite:

Texas77 · February 13, 2025 12:47PM

@OKbustchaser said:
Many (most?) people love the Oregon...I simply don't like it.

Really, as an Oregonian I resemble your selection. How about Washington Carver. No way this is a better looking coin than Oregon

Maywood · February 13, 2025 1:11PM

Stone Mountain.

olympicsos · February 13, 2025 1:21PM

@braddick said:
I am so sorry.
I misread the thread title and showed my favorite.
Here is my least favorite:

Some of the worst classic designs would make good clad coins.

TomB · February 13, 2025 2:06PM

@braddick you just killed me with listing the CT, but I guess your follow-up post resuscitated me.

braddick · February 13, 2025 2:27PM

@TomB said:
@braddick you just killed me with listing the CT, but I guess your follow-up post resuscitated me.

Yeah, as soon as I posted I caught my error.
Such a lovely and beautiful coin.

mirabela · February 13, 2025 4:30PM

That one with the taxidermized possum, the pickaxe and the pile of dirt!

P0CKETCHANGE · February 13, 2025 4:46PM

Reminds me of a boring state quarter design.

Sapyx · February 13, 2025 5:14PM

Spanish Trail. Hands down the worst, for me.

kiyote · February 13, 2025 5:35PM

The 1926 Sesqui half.. the nerve of a living president putting themselves on a coin. On top of that the relief was really terrible and God help you if you bought one certified MS-65 in the early 1990s. I don’t think any commemorative took a nose dive more than that one did in high grades

kiyote · February 13, 2025 5:36PM

Goldbully · February 13, 2025 6:33PM

Connecticoin · February 13, 2025 9:27PM

These are frequently ugly and abused, as I suspect it tops many other least favorite lists as well.

Torey · February 13, 2025 9:45PM

Bridgeport obverse hands down for me, I do like the reverse though.

Barberian · February 14, 2025 12:42AM

@P0CKETCHANGE said:
Reminds me of a boring state quarter design.

Nice OST! Is your "boring state quarter design" for sale?

winesteven · February 14, 2025 3:20AM

A super common coin in high grades, this coin does nothing for me but make me wonder - why is the eagle kissing his as*? And then use that as the design for the obverse? Shouldn’t it be on the backside?

I paid $270 for this back in May 2019.

Steve

normmalin · February 14, 2025 6:14AM

oldabeintx · February 14, 2025 7:56AM

Lots of choices, one reason I’ve never gone for the whole type set.

Catbert · February 14, 2025 8:34AM

A corollary thought I have is that I dislike obligation collecting. Gotta fill a hole idea. Not saying I've never done it, but have learned that it is such a waste of my resources.

Great examples shown of uninspiring designs!

oldabeintx · February 14, 2025 8:43AM

@Catbert said:
A corollary thought I have is that I dislike obligation collecting. Gotta fill a hole idea. Not saying I've never done it, but have learned that it is such a waste of my resources.

Great examples shown of uninspiring designs!

Good point. Wish I hadn’t started my 21st Century type set.

CommemDude · February 14, 2025 9:51AM

In this order, Wash Carver, BT Washington, then this flat pancake that looks like it could be an uninspired modern commemorative

olympicsos · February 14, 2025 11:08AM

@normmalin said:

The reverse of the Bridgeport Half would make for a good modern design. You have the eagle and all required inscriptions on the reverse while the obverse has plenty of room to play with.

olympicsos · February 14, 2025 11:09AM

@Barberian said:

@P0CKETCHANGE said:
Reminds me of a boring state quarter design.

Nice OST! Is your "boring state quarter design" for sale?

Yet it is one of the most valuable in the classic commemorative series

Connecticoin · February 14, 2025 11:29AM

@braddick said:
I am so sorry.
I misread the thread title and showed my
@CommemDude said:
In this order, Wash Carver, BT Washington, then this flat pancake that looks like it could be an uninspired modern commemorative

Yeah, looks like a badly drawn cartoon. I like the reverse, the state seal, though.

DisneyFan · February 14, 2025 11:47AM

@Connecticoin said:

I like the reverse, the state seal, though.
They are also hard to find blast white. The vast majority of them are light grey in color with a satiny, frosty surface.

DisneyFan · February 14, 2025 11:55AM

@winesteven said:
And then use that as the design for the obverse? Shouldn’t it be on the backside?

Somehow they couldn't fit the date in with the capital building.

BillJones · February 14, 2025 12:01PM

I figure that moderns should be included, right?

Here goes. The Capitol Visitors Center has the worst design ever. When I first saw this coin, I thought that it was damaged. The red spot is from my camera which flashes a red light when it shoots a picture. It might improve this thing.

Believe it or not two artists got together to design the reverse. If they were paid for that, I would demand a refund. It gives "boring" a new meaning.

If you want to limit the panning for the design to the "old commemoratives, the Wisconsin never did much for me.

And the Old Spanish Trail is both expensive and “esthetically challenged." This one is graded MS-66 which means it should look about as good as this coin can look.

BillJones · February 14, 2025 12:16PM

@OKbustchaser said:
Many (most?) people love the Oregon...I simply don't like it.

The Oregon Commemorative Half Dollar, designed by James and Laura Frazer, is among the most admired designs. I can understand critizing it because of the way it was issued year after year for no good reason other than GREED. There was no way this coin should have been issued from 1925 to 1939. Still the design is widely admired.

DisneyFan · February 14, 2025 2:21PM

@BillJones said:

And the Old Spanish Trail is both expensive and “esthetically challenged." This one is graded MS-66 which means it should look about as good as this coin can look.

And from a financial standpoint, it makes sense to at least go for a MS65 if one can't stretch to buy a MS66,

DisneyFan · February 14, 2025 2:24PM

@BillJones said:
I figure that moderns should be included, right?

Here goes. The Capitol Visitors Center has the worst design ever. When I first saw this coin, I thought that it was damaged.

You win!

originalisbest · February 14, 2025 8:46PM

@Connecticoin said:

@braddick said:
I am so sorry.
I misread the thread title and showed my
@CommemDude said:
In this order, Wash Carver, BT Washington, then this flat pancake that looks like it could be an uninspired modern commemorative

Yeah, looks like a badly drawn cartoon. I like the reverse, the state seal, though.

More of an excellent art deco influence. There's far "worse" than this.

JBN · February 14, 2025 8:54PM

@winesteven said:
A super common coin in high grades, this coin does nothing for me but make me wonder - why is the eagle kissing his as*? And then use that as the design for the obverse? Shouldn’t it be on the backside?

I paid $270 for this back in May 2019.

Steve

30 stars. Sets up a bit of nice numismatic trivia.

Barberian · February 15, 2025 3:20AM

@olympicsos said:

@Barberian said:

@P0CKETCHANGE said:
Reminds me of a boring state quarter design.

Nice OST! Is your "boring state quarter design" for sale?

Yet it is one of the most valuable in the classic commemorative series

It is a bit drab, but it's scarce, particularly in circulated grades.

Barberian · February 15, 2025 4:52AM

@OKbustchaser said:
Many (most?) people love the Oregon...I simply don't like it.

I understand. I feel that way about the Buffalo nickel. Odd, because I LOVE the reverse of the Oregon. One of my favorite reverses in all coinage.

Typekat · February 15, 2025 6:37AM

Washington-Carver and Rhode Island are, to me, the most inept designs.

But every time I see an Iowa, I shudder.

Here’s the story:

In the late 20th Century, one of the local ‘pickers’ who attended estate sales and local auctions, came into our shop with about a dozen bright white uncirculated Iowa half dollars.
He told us he got them from an auction in Scottdale, items from the estate of the man who had been governor of Iowa when the Iowa halves were issued.

Our astute picker had bought the Iowas in the auction.
He then went home and dipped the coins so they would be shiny.
And had already thrown away the sales receipt and the brochure/lot list which would have established the provenance of the coins.

I guess the moral of the story is, some people wouldn’t know a Treasure if it forcibly applied mandibles to their posterior.

DisneyFan · February 15, 2025 6:50AM

@braddick said:

Here is my least favorite:

But I like that reverse - FROM SLAVE CABIN TO HALL OF FAME. Especially the toning.

Reminds me that America is the land of opportunity. My early ancestors lived in log cabins.

oldabeintx · February 15, 2025 7:29AM

Lots of focus on aesthetics. I’m surprised more isn’t made of the dubious background of many commemoratives - when picking least favorite. Another reason that I have no interest in the full set.

7Jaguars · February 15, 2025 9:09AM

@Barberian said:

@OKbustchaser said:
Many (most?) people love the Oregon...I simply don't like it.

I understand. I feel that way about the Buffalo nickel. Odd, because I LOVE the reverse of the Oregon. One of my favorite reverses in all coinage.

I love the "body builder" Native American holding out his arm against the invading Europeans - not just the gesture but the passive yet overwhelming strength displayed. Quite a step for the time! However, and even though well done, the wagon heading into that very West offsetting and memorializing the migration.

Connecticoin · February 15, 2025 12:48PM

@DisneyFan said:

@braddick said:

Here is my least favorite:

But I like that reverse - FROM SLAVE CABIN TO HALL OF FAME. Especially the toning.

Reminds me that America is the land of opportunity. My early ancestors lived in log cabins.

I actually like the BTW as well. I also have one of the original brochures which list his incredible historic contributions.

The Carver I think is a terrible design and why couldn’t they give Carver his own coin with a front facing portrait like BTW?

coinhack · February 15, 2025 2:22PM

@Typekat said:
Washington-Carver and Rhode Island are, to me, the most inept designs.

But every time I see an Iowa, I shudder.

Here’s the story:

In the late 20th Century, one of the local ‘pickers’ who attended estate sales and local auctions, came into our shop with about a dozen bright white uncirculated Iowa half dollars.
He told us he got them from an auction in Scottdale, items from the estate of the man who had been governor of Iowa when the Iowa halves were issued.

Our astute picker had bought the Iowas in the auction.
He then went home and dipped the coins so they would be shiny.
And had already thrown away the sales receipt and the brochure/lot list which would have established the provenance of the coins.

I guess the moral of the story is, some people wouldn’t know a Treasure if it forcibly applied mandibles to their posterior.

Easily the best story of the day!

POST YOUR LEAST FAVORITE CLASSIC COMMEMORATIVE

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