Classic Commemorative Coins Pre-1982

Collectible Low Mintage Classic Commemorative Coins

Commemorative coins have been popular since the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the beginning they recorded and honored important events and passed along the news of the day. No nation has surpassed the United States when it comes to commemorative coins.

With few, exceptions, all commemorative coins from the United States Mint have real historical significance. The progress and advance of people in the New World are presented in an interesting and instructive manner on the commemorative issues in the 'classic commemorative' segment of US coins. These special coins are usually issued to either commemorative events or to help pay for monuments or celebrations that commemorate historical persons, places or things. Pre-1982 commemorative coins were offered in most instances by a commission in charge of the event to be commemorated and sold at a premium over face value.

Mintage/Distribution: For both silver and gold issues of Classic Commemoratives, the mintages are generally considered to be low, thus making each coin more collectible and rare. The 'distribution' posted for each commemorative represents the total released mintage: the original total mintage, minus the quantity of unsold coins. In many cases, larger quantities were minted but not all were sold - the unsold coins were usually returned to the mint and melted, with some placed in circulation at face value.