1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS65 PCGS....

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1915-S Panama-Pacific Fifty Dollar, MS65
Scarcer Round Format
483 Pieces Distributed
Just Four Coins Finer at PCGS

1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS65 PCGS. Ex: Simpson. The city of San Francisco was not even 70 years removed from the first discovery of gold at John Sutter's mill at New Helvetia when it hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915. However, in that short time the city experienced explosive population growth and became the center of American life out West. According to the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The population of San Francisco increased in successive decades after 1850 by 67.6, 16.3, 56.5, 27.8, 14.6, and 21.6%." The number of people living in San Francisco grew from 34,000 people in 1850 to nearly 417,000 in 1910.

On April 18th, 1906, the most cosmopolitan city west of the Missouri River experienced a series of damaging earthquakes shocks, setting off a fire that ultimately destroyed 28,000 buildings valued at $105 million (more than $2.7 billion in 2020 dollars). About 500 people lost their lives and total property damaged was estimated in the $350 million to $500 million range. Much of the city's unique architectural history was lost, but in the years that followed the city was rebuilt.

It was that speedy recovery that was on display at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. In fact, San Francisco was chosen as the site for the exposition in 1911 in part because of the fortitude and ability its citizen demonstrated in overcoming the 1906 catastrophe. In the words of architectural historian Laura Ackely: "The overwhelming message of the PPIE, mounted a veritable instant after the tragedy of the 1906 earthquake and fire, is one of an optimistic, audacious San Francisco, not unlike the city of today. . . . San Francisco's Jewel City was the realization of the common dream of many individuals, a goal achieved."

These massive fifty dollar gold commemorative coins, icons of that fair, epitomize the grandeur and optimism of the PPIE. Their magnificence and status among the most sought-after gold coins ever produced in this country mirror the massive undertaking involved in rebuilding one of America's largest cities and the effort required to put on an event as significant as the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

This Round Gem ranks among the finest examples offered with any sort of regularity. Locating a finer coin will pose a major challenging. Luminous, beautifully preserved straw-gold surfaces exhibit shimmering mint luster over gorgeously textured fields and pinpoint devices. A captivating example worthy of a fine collection. Population: 41 in 65 (9 in 65+), 4 finer (11/24).
Ex: The Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part I (Heritage, 9/2020), lot 10161.(Registry values: N10218)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# BYLU, PCGS# 7451, Greysheet# 10215)

Weight: 83.59 grams

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper

View Certification Details from PCGS