Numismatic

1986-D Statue of Liberty 1/2 Dollar Clad Comm BU

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Struck at the Denver Mint, this 1986 half dollar marks a significant milestone in United States coinage as the very first commemorative fifty-cent piece minted with a clad composition. Created to honor the one-hundredth anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, the coin is composed of an outer layer of copper and nickel bonded to an inner core of pure copper. The obverse, designed by Edgar Z. Steever, presents a striking scene of the iconic statue welcoming a vessel filled with immigrants as it enters New York Harbor. The classic inscriptions of LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the year 1986 frame this powerful image of hope and arrival. On the reverse, designed by Sherl Winter, the narrative of migration continues. A family of newcomers is depicted standing on a wharf, looking out toward their destination at Ellis Island. This side carries the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the denomination of HALF DOLLAR, completing a poignant visual tribute to the historic gift from France to America.