Jason writes: I inadvertently got a 1923 Monroe/Adams half-dollar. I can’t find any information on it whatsoever. Could you help me? JasonÂ
The Monroe Doctrine Centennial half dollar is part of the commemorative half dollar series that began with the Columbian half dollar dated 1892. Most of the commemorative half dollars were sponsored by various special interest groups through a petition to Congress. The Monroe coin was promoted by the Movie Industry and was issued in conjunction to a movie exposition in June of 1923.
The obverse shows the busts of James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, the reverse shows North and South America as two female figures. The designer was Chester Beach.
Only 274,077 coins were struck making Monroe half dollars rather scarce. Since many recipients were not coin collectors, many examples show damage from cleaning or as use as pocket pieces. Undamaged examples with wear bring $15-$25. Uncirculated pieces are worth much more depending on grade ($40-$2,000+).
