In 1995, the US Mint released a three-coin program to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of efforts to protect and preserve important battlefields of the US Civil War. The bill proposing the coins was introduced in Congress in May 1992 and was signed into law by President George Bush on October 5, 1992.
The program consisted of a copper-nickel clad half dollar, a silver dollar and a gold half eagle. The coins were struck in proof and uncirculated versions and were sold by the US Mint in individual packages as well as in various two- and three-piece sets.
Surcharges collected from the sale of the coins were designated to be paid to the Civil War Battlefield Foundation (CWBF) "for the preservation of historically significant Civil War battlefields."
In June of 1992, the Civil War Battlefield Foundation changed its name to the Civil War Trust (CWT). The name change was not updated in the bills pending before Congress and thus the legislation that Bush signed maintained the references to the CWBF vs. the new CWT name. This did not create an issue for the distribution of the surcharge funds, however, as the Treasury ultimately received the appropriate updates and all of the ~$5.91 million in surcharge funds collected by the Mint were paid out to the CWT.
In addition to the Mint's various packaging options for the coins, the CWT collaborated with Fleetwood to produce a philatelic numismatic cover (PNC). The CWT's official "The War Between the States" coin first day cover (FDC) includes an uncirculated example of the half dollar plus nine different US postage stamps (a combination of new and past issues) cancelled with a special first day of issue (FDI) mark on June 29, 1995 in Gettysburg, PA; the FDI specifically applied to the four full-color stamps that were part of the USPS'
Classic Collection Civil War 20-stamp sheet. Featured on the cover are the stamps of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
I have yet to locate any original ads for the cover so its original selling price is unknown to me. Considering the coin alone originally sold for $9.50 (pre-issue price), and Fleetwood was not known for bargain prices on its first day covers, I would estimate an original retail price in the range of $24.95 to $29.95.
Those familiar with my posts know that I enjoy expanding my core commemorative coin collection with medals, ephemera and other items officially associated with each release. When I became aware of this PNC several years ago, I knew it was a perfect match for my collecting interests. I'm not a dedicated stamp collector, but I do have a number of PNCs and other stamp products that are close tie-ins with my commemorative coins. I've previously posted about my PNCs for the 1994 World Cup Soccer half dollar (
World Cup PNCs) and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics silver dollar (
Atlanta Olympics PNC). I've got others; will post as time allows.
Happy to share this one with you.
1995 - Civil War Battlefields PNC - Album Cover
1995 - Civil War Battlefields PNC - Information Card
1995 - Civil War Battlefields PNC - Front
1995 - Civil War Battlefields PNC - Back
1995 - Civil War Battlefields Stamp Sheet - Front
1995 - Civil War Battlefields Stamp Sheet - Back
Posted 11/11/2019 2:40 pm
