This coin ring is made from the first United States commemorative coin, it was issued both to raise funds for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas.
Sales of the commemorative half dollars were less than stellar due in part to the economic "Panic of 1893" which began when the fair opened. Considered one of the worst depressions in the nation's history, fifty cents could make the difference between a family eating or starving at a time when the average visitor to the fair spent $1.18.
Visitors were not excited about exchanging a dollar for a fifty-cent piece, and those who had bought Columbian half dollars before the crash often spent their souvenirs out of necessity.
This coin ring starts off with .3617 oz of .900 pure silver and presents a unique coin ring with a much slimmer profile of just 8 mm.
Coin Ring Features:
- Obverse: Designed by Charles Barber and features a portrait of Christopher Columbus.
- Reverse: Displays a design by George T. Morgan featuring the Santa Maria above two hemispheres.
- The first United States commemorative coin.
- Available in antique or high polish finish.