Coin Week on June 28, 2018, published an article on changes in the market value of collector’s coins from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. “The Rise and Fall of the Columbian Half Dollar: A Commemorative Story” by Q. David Bowers reports that 1892 and 1893 Columbian commemorative half dollars have fallen from a high of $3,850- $5,000 in 1990 to only $310 in 2018. The answer has more to do with general trends in coin collecting than anything specific about the 1893 World’s Fair.
The article does note that “unlike 1990, today you can ‘visit’ the World’s Columbian Exposition on the internet and see many images of the buildings, exhibits, and other attractions—adding to the appeal of the coins.” We agree!
