United States 1982-D half dollar KM-208
In 1954, Congress allowed the commemorative coin program to lapse amid allegations of corruption, favoritism and insider trading. The bicentennial coinage of 1975-76 was made to circulate so that no special interest could profit. In 1982, the mint tried again with this silver half dollar struck to honor the 250th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. No one could object to honoring the Father of the Country, the design was decent and the coin sold well. The next few commemoratives honored the Olympics, the Statue of Liberty and the bicentennial of Congress. Inevitably, the program was captured by special interests eager to use the coins as fundraisers for such organizations as the USO and the US Marshals Service. Design standards deteriorated and sales slumped.
Recorded mintage: 2,210,458 from Denver plus 4,894,044 proofs from San Francisco.
Specification: 12.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, 30.6 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-208.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
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