1918 Half Dollar Pattern - J-2006

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,299 MS65 07-02-2023 eBay

Description

Judd-2006, Pollock-2196, is the second pattern from the 1918 Illinois Centennial commemorative half dollar program. This pattern, alongside J-2005 and J-2007, documents the design evaluation process for the half dollar that commemorated the centennial of Illinois' admission to the Union. The adopted coin, designed by George T. Morgan and Charles Barber, featured Abraham Lincoln's portrait on the obverse — making it the first half dollar to depict Lincoln — and the Illinois state seal on the reverse. J-2006 may represent an alternative die combination, a different finish, or a compositional variant from the primary J-2005 pattern. The Illinois Centennial half dollar was one of the more successful classic commemoratives both commercially and artistically, with its Lincoln portrait anticipating the widespread use of presidential imagery on American coinage that would accelerate in the mid-20th century.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8. Extremely rare. Second pattern from the Lincoln-Illinois program, with very few specimens documented.

Cross References

Judd J-2006, Pollock P-2196; Illinois Centennial commemorative half dollar; George T. Morgan / Charles Barber (designers)