Numismatic

1916 Gold $1.00 McKinley MS-65 PCGS

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In 1916, the United States minted a special gold dollar to help fund the construction of a monument dedicated to the memory of President William McKinley. Struck with a purity of 0.900 fine gold, this coin contains 0.0483 troy ounces of precious metal. The piece represents a fascinating chapter in American commemorative coinage, originally distributed to the public in paper envelopes sent from an association based in Youngstown, Ohio. The front of the coin displays a profile portrait of the late president. This specific design, created by a notable mint engraver, was actually first intended for use on the 1903 Louisiana Purchase gold commemorative coin. On the back, the coin depicts the finished memorial building itself, located in Niles, Ohio. While 15,000 of these gold dollars were initially produced, a large portion of the mintage never found a home and was ultimately returned to the mint to be melted down. This survivor has been certified in a superb state of preservation, graded as Mint State 65 (MS-65), showcasing the original details of the design just as they appeared more than a century ago.