Half Dollar Struck to Commemorate the Opening of the New Orleans Mint
Dallas, TX. An 1838-O half dollar, one of less than a dozen known, is being offered at auction in Rosemont, Illinois on April 16-18. Classic numismatic rarities, these were struck to commemorate the opening of the U.S. Mint in New Orleans; opportunities to acquire an example are extremely limited, as perhaps just 20 proofs were coined at the time.
The coin is included in the catalog for the Official Auction of the Central States Numismatic Society convention, being held in Rosemont, Illinois on April 17-19; the catalog is now posted by Heritage Auction Galleries on their HA.com/Currency website.
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I’ve never been a fan of coin jewelry. If I’m going to carry coins around, they’re going to be in my pocket …
In times past, I’ve gone so far as to keep a "lucky" American Silver Eagle handy. It was a phase I went through as a younger collector. I enjoyed pulling the coin out, showing it or simply flipping it around and playing with it. Then there was the "testing aspect" of handling the coin to see how much wear it would undergo over time …
In that sense of my experience, I could understand those who like to wear a coin within a ring, necklace or whatever. But the thought of punching a whole into a coin so it’ll fit through a chain or otherwise purposely damaging a fine coin for jewelry didn’t make much sense to me. I’m not some purist when it comes to common coins. I’ve always been tempted and still have the urge to place a penny on the railroad track and see the results after a train has passed by. Yet, that’s my inner child speaking and the voice hasn’t gone away.
I then came across the below video where a Kennedy half-dollar is converted into a ring. My main viewpoint hasn’t changed after watching the video and I had to cringe somewhat in first seeing a hammer strike the Kennedy. Yet, there’s a certain innovative thinking I respected in coming up with the idea and then actually seeing it through to completion.
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