Battle of Antietam Half Dollar

The Battle of Antietam Half Dollar is a United States silver commemorative fifty-cent piece struck in 1937 to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, fought in Maryland in September 1862 during the American Civil War. It belongs to the "classic" commemorative series that ran from 1892 to 1954, in which Congress authorized special half dollars to honor an event and allowed them to be sold at a premium to raise funds.

The obverse carries conjoined (jugate) profile busts of the two opposing commanders at Antietam, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General George B. McClellan, both facing right. The reverse depicts Burnside Bridge, the stone arch bridge that was a focal point of the fighting. The coin was designed by sculptor William Marks Simpson.

Struck in the standard 90% silver alloy of a regular half dollar, it was never intended for circulation. It is collected today as one of the many one-year issues in the classic commemorative half dollar series, notable for its low mintage and its Civil War subject.

Congress authorized a commemorative half dollar for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, and the coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1937. As with other classic commemoratives, the pieces were distributed by a sponsoring organization and sold to the public at a premium over face value, with the proceeds tied to the anniversary observance.

The designs are the work of William Marks Simpson, a Baltimore sculptor who executed several commemorative coins in this era. Pairing Lee and McClellan on the obverse presented the two men whose armies clashed at Antietam, while the Burnside Bridge reverse commemorated one of the battle's most recognizable landmarks.

The issue had a small authorized and net distribution — on the order of roughly eighteen thousand coins reaching collectors after returns — making it one of the lower-mintage classic commemoratives. Because relatively few were made and many were saved by collectors at the time, surviving examples are often found in higher grades.

Identify the type by its design and inscriptions. The obverse shows two overlapping right-facing bearded male portrait busts — Generals Lee and McClellan — accompanied by lettering naming the coin and the country. The jugate military portraits are the key obverse diagnostic and are unlike any circulating half dollar of the 1930s.

The reverse depicts Burnside Bridge, a low stone arch bridge over a creek, with lettering referencing the Battle of Antietam and the 1862–1937 anniversary dates. The coin is a standard-size half dollar: about 30.6 mm in diameter, roughly 12.5 grams, struck in 90% silver with a reeded edge. It was made only in 1937 and only at Philadelphia, so a genuine example carries no mint mark.

Because it is a commemorative rather than a circulating coin, it does not resemble the Walking Liberty half dollar produced for circulation in the same year; the twin general portraits and the bridge reverse are the surest identifiers.

As a low-mintage classic silver commemorative, the Battle of Antietam Half Dollar is worth well above its face value and its silver content. Its comparatively small distribution makes it one of the more desirable single-issue commemoratives of the series.

Lightly circulated and lower-grade uncirculated examples commonly trade from around the mid hundreds of dollars, with well-preserved, high-grade pieces bringing more; superb gem examples and coins with strong eye appeal command the highest prices. Condition, original surfaces, toning, and third-party grade all strongly affect value.

Because prices move with the collector market and with an individual coin's grade, any specific example should be checked against recent auction results and current price guides rather than a single fixed figure.