1963 Silver Medal D1963-1b, W. Virginia Centennial

Coin Details

Description

Swoger catalog number D1963-1b. This silver medal was struck at the United States Mint in Philadelphia to commemorate the centennial of West Virginia's admission to the Union on June 20, 1863. The 35th state was carved from the western counties of Virginia after those regions opposed Virginia's secession and sided with the Union during the Civil War. The Restored Government of Virginia, based in Wheeling, provided the constitutional mechanism for the separation, and President Lincoln approved statehood despite legal objections. West Virginia's mountainous terrain and its people's Unionist sympathies made it culturally and politically distinct from the Tidewater and Piedmont regions of eastern Virginia. The Swoger catalog (D-series), compiled by Tom Swoger, documents modern U.S. Mint commemorative medals from 1956 onward. This is the silver version of the W. Virginia Centennial medal.

Rarity Notes

Silver composition medal. Produced by the U.S. Mint for public sale. Exact mintage not separately reported.

Cross References

PCGS #75954; Swoger D1963-1b