My 1953 Mint Set
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Updated:
11/2/2025
Views: 466
The most modern of my date sets so far. Perhaps the most challenging to complete. As everyone who collects half dollar coins knows the San Fransciso 1953 is the Summit of Everst in that series. Full bell lines on that date, are very rare, making this coin (very expensive) hence also eligible to be considered a retirement plan. I didn't get the full bell line, but I'm pleased with the one I did manage acquire.
Speaking of summits, 1953 was the year that Sir Edmund Hillary made it to the top of Everst. That was the top of the news. For the bottom we had to go to Moscow, Joe Stalin died (none too soon according to some).
However, for American car enthusiasts the year is remembered because it marked the birth of the Chevy Corvette. Prince sang about his little red corvette and the image to the left is the first of the little red corvettes, they came with automatic transmissions and an inline six cylinder engines. The four speed transmission was two years in the future; and Chevy would not even make a V8 until 1955 and it was 265 cubic inches with less torgue than that 1953 six banger. But just like the two coins on each end of this set, the romance is still there, it's how pretty they are, and not so much what's under the hood.
The big real news was the Korean War hostilities ended with an armistice, and since then the Demilitarized Zone has been a symbol to the world of the divisions ideology creates. That particular conflict saw lots of World War II veterans recalled and sent to Asia to fight yet another miserable time. I think every veteran empathizes with those lucky few.
The history of 1953 was therefore sort of an up and down affair, but there was no spectacular news in numismatics for that year. It took me all of the first half of 2025 to complete this set, I'm slow but I get there. Actually, slow is a relative term, this set was begun in 2024.
Personally my earliest childhood memories were of my riding on my neighbor's brand new Green John Deere tractor; years later I discovered that new tractor was a 1953 model.
This set was ranked at the top of this category by NGC and is 100% complete.
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