PCGS No: 7451

Designer: Robert Aitken

Diameter: 

Metal content:
 Gold - 90%
Silver and Copper - 10%

Weight: 

Edge: Reeded

Mintmark: None (all were made at the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Images courtesy of Northeast Numismatics, Inc.

Notes:
The finest 1915-S Panama-Pacific $50 Gold Commemoratives - Round graded by PCGS are 8 MS-65's.

In 1915, San Francisco hosted the Panama-Pacific Exposition to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal.  To commemorate the event, the United States mint struck a variety of coins in silver and gold, including a Half Dollar, Gold Dollar, $2-1/2 Gold, $50 Gold Octagonal, and $50 Gold Round.  The coins were sold at the Exposition individually or in a variety of combinations and/or sets.  Apart from Patterns and semi-official Territorial gold coins, the United States had never issued a $50 gold piece.  Not sure of how many they could sell, Mint officials struck 1,509 Octagonal and 1,510 Round versions.  Because of the high cost of the coins and the sets, very few coins actually sold.  Of the 1,510 $50 Rounds, 10 were set aside for assay purposes, 483 were sold to the public, and the remaining 1,017 coins were destroyed.  The Panama-Pacific $50 Round ranks as one of the great numismatic rarities of the Twentieth Century. 

Significant examples:
The coin illustrated above was graded MS-66 by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and was tied for finest known as of 6/19/1999.

Recent appearances:
PCGS MS-63.  Ex - Bowers & Merena Galleries "The Rarities Sale", July 31, 2002, Lot 379, illustrated, sold for $33,350.00

PCGS MS-62.  Ex - Superior Galleries "Pre-Long Beach" Elite Coin Auction, May 25- 27, Lot 3918, sold for $31,050.00

Brilliant Uncirculated.  Ex - Stack's "65th Anniversary Sale", October 17-19, 2000, Lot 1961

Sources and/or recommended reading:
"The PCGS Population Report, January 2003" by The Professional Coin Grading Service