Johnny Behan – 2 Troy Oz .999 Fine Silver Round

The story of Tombstone reaches beyond the men who drew their guns. Our Johnny Behan silver round, part of the Wild West Legends Series, turns to the sheriff whose career crossed the town’s turbulent years of frontier law and politics. Struck in two troy ounces of .999 fine silver, it adds a different perspective to a collection of famous Western personalities.

The Man Behind the Legend

Behan’s Arizona career began well before the events that made Tombstone famous. The Arizona Historical Society records his arrival in Tucson in 1863 and service as a clerk in the first territorial legislature the following year. His working life included freight transportation, elected office and law enforcement—an unusually broad view of a territory still building its institutions.

By 1879 he was serving as a deputy sheriff in Tombstone. When Cochise County was created in 1881, Behan became its first sheriff. His place in the O.K. Corral story is preserved in more than later retellings: his testimony survives among the records of the coroner’s inquest, describing his presence on Fremont Street during the gunfight.

That documentary trail makes Behan an intriguing subject. Behind the familiar frontier legends lie competing recollections, official duties and the everyday business of governing a growing community. This round invites collectors to explore that larger history alongside the more familiar stories of the Earps.

Design Details

Obverse: A bust of Johnny Behan in formal Western attire, with neatly styled hair and a prominent mustache. The portrait gives the design its individual character.

Reverse: The Wild West Legends motif, featuring a longhorn skull, crossed rifles and thematic flourishes, connects Behan to the other personalities in the series.

Specifications

• Weight: 2 troy ounces
• Purity: .999 fine silver
• Diameter: 39mm
• Thickness: Approximately 6mm
• Edge: Reeded

Whether your interest is frontier law, Tombstone history or portraiture in silver, Johnny Behan brings another chapter to your collection. Explore more designs in our silver round collection.