1989-S 50c Congress Bicentennial Commemorative, Lead, J-A1989-1 MS

A fascinating item, believed unique, and listed as such on the uspatterns.com website. No other substantial information is provided at that site, unfortunately, and the circumstances of this piece's creation and discovery are apparently unknown to the wider numismatic community. The impression from the obverse die is near-perfectly centered on the broad lead planchet, all of the design details fully rendered and crisp. The reverse is blank. Deeper olive-charcoal color on the obverse gives way to lighter steel-gray on the reverse, the surfaces with only small marks, most of which are original to the planchet. The first die trial of a modern U.S. Mint commemorative coin that we can recall handling, and an ideal piece to go alongside the Pilgrim Tercentenary reverse die trial offered above.

Reverse Description

Plain reverse.

Source: Stacks Bowers