Market Analysis: 1938-S Oregon Trail half dollars

Two 1938-S Oregon Trail Memorial half dollars were offered on March 28, both graded MS-68 by PCGS. One sold for $3,840, while the other, with richer toning, brought $4,320.

Images courtesy of Stack's Bowers Galleries.

A March 28 Stack’s Bowers session offered a treat for lovers of classic commemoratives: two 1938-S Oregon Trail Memorial half dollars, each graded MS-68 by PCGS. The long-running series began in 1926, was revived in 1933, and would continue until 1939.The 1938-S emission’s mintage was 6,006 pieces, and the coins would also be struck at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints that year.

PCGS has graded 23 of the San Francisco strikes at MS-68 and two in MS-68+ that are tied as the finest certified. One of the sale's MS-68 examples sold for $3,840, featuring dappled olive-gold toning, while another, with bolder jewel tones on the side PCGS calls the reverse (with the wagon), sold for $4,320. The designs, by Laura Gardin Fraser and her husband, James Earle Fraser, are considered among the most beautiful in the early commemorative series.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on X (Twitter)
Keep in touch on MyCollect - the social media platform for collectibles 

Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.


MORE RELATED ARTICLES

Community Comments

NEWS