1995 Civil War Battlefield Commemorative Half Dollar - Proof

On this day in History 150 years ago, the deadliest conflict in the history of our nation came to an end. Numerous battles were waged over a land that was left desolate and littered with the bodies of young men fighting for ideals far beyond their years. With the surrender of Brigadier General Stand Watie, the last active Southern General, the Civil War was over. By the time the dust had settled, it was clear that this War had caused irreparable damage to both the North and the South, along with the decimation of entire cities, and families. Yet from the ashes, rose a nation full of fervor and hope, a nation ready to remember and honor those lives, and a nation ready to move forward to a better tomorrow.

In order to preserve the lessons learned and the lives lost, the United States began to transform the battlefields of the Civil War into National Parks. There is nary a Battlefield more famous than that of Gettysburg National Park. The northernmost battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1st through 3rd, 1863, was a turning point in the Civil War. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost on the soil of Gettysburg, forever remembered by Lincoln's infamous Address, and the Eternal Light Peace Memorial that forever burns as we forever remember.

Issued in 1995 for the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Gettysburg National Military Park, the United States Mint produced the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Half Dollar, also known to collectors as the Gettysburg Half Dollar. The purpose of this coin was to fund preservation efforts for our Nation's Civil War Battlefields, and to commemorate all the brave Americans who fought and died for their country.

The Half Dollar's obverse pays tribute to the Civil War drummer boys; the reverse depicts a battlefield scene with the inscription "Enriching Our Future By Preserving Our Past." These Proof Half Dollar issues were struck at the San Francisco Mint, are in proof condition, and still in the original US Mint display.