Just realized I have that many Bridgeport commemorative boxes (not coins 😜).

colorcommem · February 6, 2026 6:08PM

jfriedm56 · February 6, 2026 6:16PM

@colorcommem, ok I’ll bite. Why? Did you send them all in to be certified? Is there a market for the empty boxes and paperwork? Zack.

thebeav · February 6, 2026 6:18PM

Great stuff !
I've always been a fan of vintage packaging.

pcgscacgold · February 6, 2026 6:19PM

I imagine those are not easy to come by. When I bought my Lexington the collector sent the display box it came in. Nice to keep them together.

BillJones · February 6, 2026 6:32PM

@pcgscacgold said:
I imagine those are not easy to come by. When I bought my Lexington the collector sent the display box it came in. Nice to keep them together.

The Lexington wooden box is one of more common vintage commemorative coin packaging. It’s become so popular that there are counterfeits of it.

pcgscacgold · February 6, 2026 6:36PM

@BillJones said:

@pcgscacgold said:
I imagine those are not easy to come by. When I bought my Lexington the collector sent the display box it came in. Nice to keep them together.

The Lexington wooden box is one of more common vintage commemorative coin packaging. It’s become so popular that there are counterfeits of it.

Hopefully mine is real.

johnnyb · February 6, 2026 6:43PM

The original packaging is really cool. They are treasures.
My first job out of college was in Westport, CT, which borders Bridgeport. I remember visiting Sam Sloat Rare Coins in Westport circa 2000-2001 and seeing a couple of these in the same packaging you have and thinking they must be from the people / family who originally bought them.
I don’t have many numismatic regrets, but I regret not buying one.

BillJones · February 7, 2026 5:15AM

@johnnyb said:
The original packaging is really cool. They are treasures.
My first job out of college was in Westport, CT, which borders Bridgeport. I remember visiting Sam Sloat Rare Coins in Westport circa 2000-2001 and seeing a couple of these in the same packaging you have and thinking they must be from the people / family who originally bought them.
I don’t have many numismatic regrets, but I regret not buying one.

Yes, so long as they were not too expensive. Former ANA president and commemorative coin dealer specialist, Anthony Switeck (sp) brought a number of these pieces to FUN shows. Some of them were very neat, but the prices for the box, envelope, folder or other type of holder were strong.

thebeav · February 7, 2026 7:23AM

@johnnyb said:
The original packaging is really cool. They are treasures.
My first job out of college was in Westport, CT, which borders Bridgeport. I remember visiting Sam Sloat Rare Coins in Westport circa 2000-2001 and seeing a couple of these in the same packaging you have and thinking they must be from the people / family who originally bought them.
I don’t have many numismatic regrets, but I regret not buying one.

Sam Sloat was one of the great 'stand-up' dealers of all time. A true professional.

olympicsos · February 7, 2026 8:02AM

The reverse of the Bridgeport commem is very pleasing. Honestly it is the one reverse that could have been repurposed, art deco eagle and all statutorily required inscriptions on one side.

johnny9434 · February 7, 2026 1:35PM

I got a Bridgeport commem as well and don't regret getting it

coinkat · February 7, 2026 2:07PM

I did not know that there was a 3 coin box for Bridgeport. I have seen the 1937 Arkansas Stacks box- it is well made. I don't know if the box was used for 1938 and 39- I suspect so

BillJones · February 7, 2026 2:20PM

Here are a few I have. I grew up in Delaware

Lexington box

Columbian leather cover

York Commemorative half dollar

dcarr · February 7, 2026 2:26PM

I note that someone affixed two of the 1937 Connecticut postage stamps to the underside of one of the boxes. The stamps appear to be uncancelled, so they were not the actual postage for the shipment. Those stamps are not particularly valuable, but they make a nice accessory for the coin. So it is possible that someone applied the stamps at a later time.

Several years ago I bought a collection of vintage commemorative half dollars with packaging. This shows the outer box that the single Bridgeport half dollar was mailed in:

pcgscacgold · February 7, 2026 4:14PM

@BillJones Any way to tell if this is the real thing?
.

PClark99 · February 7, 2026 5:17PM

from what I just read on google, if the box is made out of pine it is likely real, the copies seem to be made out of balsa. Take that with a grain of salt.

Also the genuine box measures 1.75x1.75 inches

the fakes are 1.875 x 1.688 inches

thebeav · February 7, 2026 6:30PM

@dcarr said:

Six and a half cents to ship that half in the original box !

I guess shipping was expensive even back then.

colorcommem · February 8, 2026 5:13PM

The coins are BU silver Franklin halves and BU silver Kennedy halves.

speedylover · February 9, 2026 8:33AM

Great and interesting stuff. I’m a fan of vintage packaging for early commemoratives. It’s easier to buy the coins than the vintage packaging.

Meltdown · February 9, 2026 8:55AM

Hey @colorcommem

I see some double mint sets buried in that box.

colorcommem · February 9, 2026 9:11AM

Yes, you have great eyes. I did that on purpose to see if any members would spot it 👍👍👍 Life is too boring without doing something interesting.

CommemDude · February 9, 2026 9:25AM

These tended to tone rather unattractively in their boxes of issue. I once had one in a box with a gold obverse (from gold leaf drifting off the inner cover) and grey reverse (from sitting on the paper cut out), attesting to the fact that someone had left it undisturbed in the box for 70 years... I wish I had that one back.

seanq · February 9, 2026 9:33AM

Somewhere in my basement I have a book recounting the history of Bridgeport which was released at the same time as the coins. The cover stock of the book is the same color as the boxes and it carries the same logo. My wife's family has lived near Bridgeport since the 1960s, we got the book from her grandmother's estate. If I can lay hands on it, I will add pictures to this post.

Sean Reynolds

78saen · February 9, 2026 6:17PM

.

Meltdown · February 11, 2026 10:07AM

@colorcommem said:
Yes, you have great eyes. I did that on purpose to see if any members would spot it 👍👍👍 Life is too boring without doing something interesting.

I've got a dozen or so stashed... They are very difficult to find in original condition and/or with coins that have not gone terminal black.

Just realized I have that many Bridgeport commemorative boxes (not coins 😜).

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