1963 Bronze Medal D1963-2d, Bronze Padre Serra 250th Anniversary

Coin Details

Description

Swoger catalog number D1963-2d. This bronze medal was struck at the United States Mint in Philadelphia to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Padre Junipero Serra, the Franciscan friar who founded the first nine of California's twenty-one Spanish missions beginning in 1769. Born Miguel Jose Serra on November 24, 1713, in Petra, Mallorca, Spain, he arrived in the New World in 1749 and spent decades evangelizing indigenous peoples across Mexico and Alta California. The mission system he established along El Camino Real stretched from San Diego to San Francisco and became the foundation for many of California's major cities. The "AE" designation indicates bronze composition. The Swoger catalog (D-series), compiled by Tom Swoger, documents modern U.S. Mint commemorative medals from 1956 onward, and the D1963-2 series includes multiple metal and size variants of this Serra anniversary design.

Rarity Notes

Bronze composition medal from the D1963-2 Padre Serra series. Produced in standard quantities for public sale. Exact mintage not separately reported.

Cross References

PCGS #75962; Swoger D1963-2d