Check out the picture below!

Since day one that I signed up for the Collector's Society here at NGC, I've had the 1926 Sesquicentennial Gold Commemorative at the top of my want list. I'm not really a commemorative collector, but I saw it one day while paging through the Red Book fell in love.

The Coin

The coin is gold, containing just over 1/10th of an ounce. It was designed by John R. Sinnock and was distributed at the 1926 Sesquicentennial fair in Philadelphia to help raise funds for the fair. The total mintage was relatively low, just over 46,000 with the remaining unsold coins being melted by the mint.

This example was graded MS 63, but looks better. In fact its only major marks are two above the L in Liberty on the obverse, and as they mirror the flames from the torch above them, making the L look as if it were on fire, I actually really like them.

The Bell

As far as I can tell the copper bell attached to the 1" button was also sold at the same fair in Philadelphia in 1926, but my research hasn't been able to turn up a manufacturer. On the front of the bell is the engraving "Liberty Bell 1776 / 1926" and on the back of the bell is "150th Anniversary Signing the Declaration of Independence". The button also features the words "Sesqui-Centennial Philadelphia 1776-1926 150 Years of Independence".

The Stamps

I also picked up a plate block, MNH (mint, never hinged) of Sesquicentennial commemorative stamps. These are very affordable today as over 307,731,900 of them were issued, a high amount for commemorative stamps at that time. They were designed by Aubrey Huston, and are an incredibly beautiful way to mark the anniversary.

I now plan to shadowbox this set to display to guests and other collectors. Thanks for taking a look. Happy collecting!