Numismatic

1923-S Monroe Doctrine Half BU Details (Cleaned)

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In 1923, the San Francisco mint struck a distinctive silver half dollar to mark a century of a defining foreign policy. This coin contains 0.3617 ounces of silver, with a total purity of 90 percent. It stands as a fascinating example of early twentieth-century commemorative coinage, boasting a total mintage of 274,077 pieces. The obverse of the coin displays the side-by-side portraits of James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, the two statesmen central to the policy's creation. Legible inscriptions on this side include the issuing authority, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, along with the national motto IN GOD WE TRUST, the denomination HALF DOLLAR, and the 1923 date with the S mint mark. On the reverse, a highly stylized map of the Western Hemisphere is cleverly formed by two female figures. Their bodies curve to trace the shapes of North and South America, and they reach out to join hands across the Isthmus of Panama. The reverse also bears the words MONROE DOCTRINE, tying the artistic allegory directly to the historical milestone.