1937-D Oregon Trail Memorial Commemorative Half PCGS MS 66 32S6
$365.00
1 in stock
Up for sale is a 1937-D Oregon Trail Memorial Commemorative Half PCGS MS 66.
“Despite having one of the most beautiful design in the series, the Oregon Trail Half Dollar is usually cited as the best example of the abuses which began to take place within commemorative coin programs. Between the years 1926 and 1939, the coins were minted with eight different dates at three different mint facilities for varying prices, in an attempt to make as much money as possible.
The obverse of the Oregon Trail Half Dollar was designed by Laura Gardin Fraser. It features a covered wagon drawn by two oxen moving west, towards the setting sun. The inscription “In God We Trust” appears above with “Oregon Trail Memorial” and the date below. (Officially, the US Mint states this as the obverse of the coin, although the designers of the coin and many collectors consider this the reverse of the coin.)
The other side of the coin was designed by James Earle Fraser. The full figure of a Native American in headdress is shown. He stands before a map of the United States with the Oregon Trail marked, with his left hand outstretched to the east and a bow in his right hand spanning the continent. The inscriptions read “United States of America” and “Half Dollar”.
The maximum authorized mintage for the program was set at a lofty 6 million pieces, which was the largest authorization for commemorative coin thus far. For the first year of issue coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint and San Francisco Mint and offered by the Oregon Trail Memorial Association for $1 each.
Since the law authorizing the coins did not include a specific time frame or mint, the Association requested more coins struck in subsequent years and from different mints. Additional coins would be minted in 1928, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939, variously at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints. Individual coin pricing varied from $1.50 to $2.00 to $1.60. The final two years were sold as complete sets from all three mints for $6.25 and later $7.50 each.
Despite the vast number of different issues for the Oregon Trail Half Dollars, ultimately only 264,419 coins were sold. All coins remain relatively accessible for collectors of today, despite some lower mintages. Some issues are available in exceptionally high grades at relatively affordable prices.
Oregon Trail Half Dollar Coin Specifications
Designer: Laura Gardin Fraser (obverse), James Earle Fraser (reverse)
Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper
Weight: 12.50 grams
Diameter: 30.6 mm
Authorization: Public Law 69-235
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 6,000,000
Oregon Trail Half Dollar Mintages
1926: 47,955
1926-S: 83,055
1928: 6,028
1933-D: 5,008
1934-D: 7,006
1936: 10,006
1936-S: 5,006
1937-D: 12,008
1938: 6,006
1938-D: 6,005
1938-S: 6,006
1939: 3,004
1939-D: 3,004
1939-S: 3,005” -earlycommemorativecoins
All coins come from customers. There may be wear and/or markings on the plastic. The sticker is coving the price. Please view photos and feel free to ask questions.
| Denom | 50C |
|---|---|
| Type | Commemorative |
| Year | 1937 |
| MM | Denver |
| Strike | Business |
| Certification | PCGS |
| Circulated/Uncirculated | Uncirculated |
| DateCreated | |
| Grade | |
| Denomination | 50C |
Of course, grading is subjective. It is simply an opinion. You know, everyone has one. We grade strictly in accordance with the ANA Grading Standard. Our Chief Grader, Bill, finished in the top of the ANA Summer Seminar Advanced Grading Class. This class is taught by senior graders at PCGS, NGC, and ANACS. He is also an authorized dealer for these grading services.
Terms & Conditions
- Item Availability – Please note that we have a retail coin shop, an e-commerce site, an eBay store, and attend an average of two coin shows a month. Sometimes our inventory gets sold locally, and we don’t have a chance to remove it. If that happens, we will immediately refund your money. We are literally a small three employee business.
- Postage – Please bear in mind that our postal charges include actual postage costs, and packaging which is AT LEAST $5 per package. Signature Required and/or Insurance is added on as needed. We do not ship internationally, as we had too many “lost packages”.
- Dispatch Times – We normally ship your order via USPS Ground Advantage within one day of payment. Unless we are at a show, then the next business day. Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with the tracking number. Your item will probably take up to five days for delivery. We ship thousands of coins a year, about 2% take up to 3-4 weeks. USPS will NOT update the item location in transit, do not expect them to. If the item is lost in the mail (this happens in less than 1% of shipments), we will contact USPS to get the issue resolved. We abide by the USPS definition for a lost item: ” not delivered within 30 days of shipment”.
- Returns ONLY within 30 days– We really do not mind returns at all. However, administrative costs may require us to impose a 10% restocking fee. VERY IMPORTANT: We ONLY accept returns IF and ONLY IF the item has not been removed from the original holder we shipped it in. All items will be inspected thoroughly before a refund is issued. If you do not love the item, I encourage you to return it.