One of my favorite first generation commemorative halves is my 1936-D San Diego Commemorative Half which I picked up at a small coin show in Suburban Pittsburgh in February, 2019.  San Diego is near and dear to my heart because I lived near there for almost 40 years.  For those of you not in the know, San Diego County holds the highest concentration of Navy and Marine Corps assets in the world.  San Diego also has a truly world class Zoo and Safari Park along with the honor of hosting the largest comic and pop culture convention in the world, an event I attended for 15 straight years.  The reverse of the San Diego Half shows the beautiful California Tower and St. Francis Chapel, still standing today in Balboa Park, the site of the California Pacific Exposition.   It truly is a remarkable area of the country but one I really don't miss since I am back where I always wanted to be. 

One of the great joys of numismatics is seeking out a coin or coins, a set perhaps, and finally acquiring that prize, that last piece that fills that final hole.  Some sets are relatively easy.  Franklin Half Dollars, Jefferson Nickels, Roosevelt Dimes, come to mind.  These basic sets are all relatively inexpensive to complete and yet still bring one a sense of accomplishment when done.  Most sets have keys though, keys are those certain coins that are going to either stretch your budget to uncomfortable levels or are simply going to remain unattainable.  

I joined the ANA back in 1977, shortly after I turned 19.  I quit the ANA in 1993 for what now seems like the most trivial of reasons.  I think I have mentioned before that I quit ANA in the early 90's due to something I no longer could recall.  I knew it had something to do with some marketing idea that I objected too, but the details were limited to that general thought.  Well today, while reading the Red Book Guide to United States Commemorative Coins, By Mr. David Bowers, I found a passage that revealed the exact reason for my ANA exit.   According to the Press Release:"The American Numismatic Association & The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation.  This is a limited edition, serially numbered 1993 Bill of Rights Uncirculated Silver Half Dollar.  Each coin features special edge-lettering by an authorized independent mint.  A portion of the reeding on the coin's edge has been delicately shaved away and incused with the coin's unique number and the initials JMMFF and ANA."At the time this idea was hatched, even Mr. Bowers was quoted as saying  "saints as well as scoundrels" have been part of the history of US commemorative coins, and opined that the Freedom Pack issue "goes into the 'scoundrel' category."  I agreed with Mr. Bowers and decided I would no longer want to be associated with such a dubious organization.  So I left and did not return until 2017.  Time heals all wounds and now, I would actually want to obtain one.   Adding it to my Want List.  Thank you ANA.   and Thank You Red Book Guide for jarring my memory.   I still have my Silver and Bronze 15 year membership medals, I only have 14 more years to get new 15 year medals.  (:

Reverse Proof coins seem all the fashion these days.  Seems like the trend started a few years ago with the Walking Liberty bullion coins and has now spread to the silver proof set (50th anniversary of the SF mint).  I have to say, that I find reverse proofs unattractive.  Coins are meant to highlight their design elements and not their empty fields and the reverse proof just creates design elements that are too shiny to be appreciated.  Give me matte proof design elements and brilliant fields any time.  Even full matte proof coins are more attractive in my humble and often misguided opinion.