Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar Monroe Doctrine Centennial, this coin does no credit to Beach's stature as a first-class artist. What the coin exudes in patriotism, it lacks in art." A total of 162,099 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial half dollars were struck at the Philadelphia Mint in April and May, 1925, with 99 pieces set aside for inspection and testing by the 1926 Assay Commission. The coins were made from blanks, or planchets, that had been intended for mintage into 1924 Stone Mountain Memorial half dollars, but had not been used. The first coin struck was presented to President Coolidge. The half dollars were sold at the
Metal clay used by artists more often than the gold and silver metal clays in the American market place. The actual creation time of a bronze or copper piece is also far greater than that of its silver counterpart. Base metal clays, such as bronze, copper, and steel metal clays are best fired in the absence of oxygen to eliminate the oxidation of the metal by atmospheric oxygen. A means to accomplish this –- to place the pieces in activated carbon inside a container – was developed by Bill Struve. Metal clays are also available as dry powders to which water is