A “Foreigner” Depicted On A U.S. Coin?


Yes, it happened in 1892 with the striking of our first commemorative coin, the Columbian Expo Half Dollar, and that foreigner was, of course, Christopher Columbus. He eventually made 4 different voyages to the Caribbean and Central and South America, never actually stepping foot on U.S. territory.

Was Columbus Italian? Well, technically. But he was truly a citizen of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state on the northwestern coast of the Italy near France.

Charles Barber designed the Columbian Expo Half Dollar obverse; George Morgan designed the reverse. 950, 000 went unsold and later entered into circulation. NGC lists the coin at only $35 in uncirculated MS-60 condition.

Want a different companion coin commemorating Columbus’ voyage? Starting in 1958, and through 1967, Italy issued a 500 Lire coin from the Rome mint depicting the first voyage. It features Columbus’ three ships on the obverse, was approximately half-dollar in size, and struck in .835 fine silver. It too is listed by NGC at around $35 in MS-60.


Friday, October 13th, 2023 Uncategorized