Once the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in A.D.70 he was so proud that he had special coins formed to honor the occasion. It was not the first instance in history that coins have been used to remind others of important events, past or current, but it was one of the most noteworthy in the history of the Jews. Over the two thousand years that have passed since that time, scores of commemorative coins have been released all over the world in order to honor people, places, and historic events that may otherwise have been forgotten.
The United States was a latecomer in the issuing of commemorative coins, but the country was just a little more than one hundred years old when the first of such coins was made in 1892. The occasion that was honored on those coins was the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus exactly 400 years previously. It was an inspiring start to a series of commemorations that has been continued ever since. Commemorative coins are remarkable in that they are rarely come across in typical circulation. Nearly all of the hundreds of types which have been made in this country throughout the past 100 years had been created in small quantities and just available as souvenirs and to collectors. In quite a few other countries commemorative coins are utilized in daily circulation right alongside the normal national coinage. Now that the 50 States quarters coins are being released, we are beginning to notice the kind of curiosity and collecting activity that can be developed by circulating commemorative coins.
That activity is driving new awareness to the many older issues of commemoratives which were formerly unknown to the majority of Americans. It is currently becoming an extremely intriguing challenge to discover old, new and circulating commemoratives in order to find out more pertaining to the heritage and artistry of our country.
KATE MIDDLETON
Anyone attracted to purchasing commemorative coins ought to begin by reviewing a listing of all the different kinds that have been released since 1892. There is a helpful listing in the Guide Book of United States Coins (The Red Book), and there are also a number of very good books on the subject. Commemorative Coins of the U.S. by Q. David Bowers is one of the most comprehensive and entertaining. Those books as well as others can normally be found in local public libraries. After reviewing the scope of the commemorative field you can more effectively choose which topics appeal the most to you, and start creating your collection.
It is no longer popular to try saving one of each date, mint mark and kind of the hundreds of available pieces. That type of collecting became outdated with the development of so many modern types that have been distributed since 1982. Modern collectors generally focus on either the older "Classic" pieces, or the "Modern" issues but not always both. The most popular method to collect now is to create a set of fascinating styles or designs all in the same level of condition. Each person's spending plan can dictate whether his or her coins should be "About Uncirculated" or in the "gem" class. The variation in price can differ by a factor of 5 to ten times based on condition.
For a number of reasons interest in collecting commemorative coins appears to work in cycles of popularity. In the course of the previous "hot" market, costs escalated to a level that prevented many from collecting. Now that has changed significantly. Costs are at new more affordable and very desirable levels. In the opinion of many, there has never been a better time to turn to this exciting area of interest. The government issues two to three different kinds of commemorative coins each year for sale to collectors. You can find out more concerning them, and even order the current issues from their U.S. mint web site. Beauty, historical events, famous people, eagles, animals and even some people that should never have been portrayed on these coins, are all topics that appeal to collectors of the wonderful world of commemorative coins. They are coins like no others in United States numismatics, and carry something of interest for everyone.
Commemorative Coins
American Historic Society http://www.americanhistoricsociety.com
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KATE MIDDLETON
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