1962 Medal Battle Of Antietam Silver 63mm Sharpsburg

Coin Details

Description

This 1962 silver medal at 63mm diameter commemorates the Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, Maryland, on the centennial of the bloodiest single day in American military history. On September 17, 1862, Union forces under General George McClellan engaged Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia along Antietam Creek, resulting in approximately 23,000 combined casualties. The battle, though tactically inconclusive, was a strategic Union victory that gave President Lincoln the political opening to issue the Emancipation Proclamation five days later, fundamentally transforming the war's purpose. The 63mm silver format indicates a substantial commemorative piece worthy of the event's historical magnitude. Civil War centennial medals were widely produced during 1961-1965 as the nation marked the hundredth anniversary of the conflict, and Antietam's centennial drew particular attention given the battle's pivotal role in the war's trajectory.

Rarity Notes

Silver 63mm Civil War centennial medal. Limited production for the 1962 Antietam centennial. Collected alongside other Civil War centennial medals.

Cross References

PCGS #921734; Battle of Antietam; Sharpsburg, MD; September 17, 1862