The Oregon Trail Memorial half dollar was a fifty-cent piece struck intermittently by the United States Bureau of the Mint between 1926 and 1939. The coin was designed by Laura Gardin Fraser and James Earle Fraser, and commemorates those who traveled the Oregon Trail and settled the Pacific Coast of the United States in the mid-19th century. Struck over a lengthy period in small numbers per year, the many varieties produced came to be considered a ripoff by coin collectors, and led to the end, for the time, of the commemorative coin series.
- Contains 2 oz. Troy of .999 Fine Silver
- Obverse: Native American in full headdress. Holding bow. US Map in background. “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” inset on the map. “TWO TROY OUNCE” along bottom curve, and “.999 FINE SILVER” to the right.
- Reverse: Conestoga wagon pulled by oxen left towards sunset. “IN GOD WE TRUST” across the top curve, and “OREGON TRAIL MEMORIAL” below the a wagon, and the date “1939” below that.
Specifications:
- Weight: 2.00 troy ounce
- Thickness: ~6mm
- Purity: .999 fine
- Edge: Reeded
- Diameter: 39mm
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
