California Diamond Jubilee – 1925

Learn About the 1925 Diamond Jubilee of California

The Diamond Jubilee of the State of California was coming up in 1925 and the San Francisco Citizens’ Committee wished to have a commemorative half dollar to help defray the cost of the celebration. It was attached to another coinage bill and sailed through Congress.

California sculptor Jo Mora created the designs symbolic of the state of California. While the Commission of Fine Arts disliked his work, the San Francisco Citizens’ Committee embraced it as representative of California and they refused to have Mora change his original designs.

 Mora’s designs have gained popularity over the years and have been appreciated by the numismatic community. His design was a Gold Rush era prospector on one knee, facing left, panning for gold. Above him on the top periphery is ”LIBERTY” and below him in three lines are “CALIFORNIA DIAMOND – JUBILEE – 1925.” The Motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” appears to the left of him. This motto was suggested by the Commission of Fine Arts. When they saw Mora’s placement of it, they were unimpressed but given the size of the central vignettes on both sides, there really was nowhere else to place it.

The reverse depicts a California Grizzly Bear, walking to the left, with “E PLURIBUS UNUM” at the top periphery and in three lines below him “UNITED STATES – OF AMERICA – HALF DOLLAR.”

The coins were struck in August of 1925, all of them at the San Francisco Mint. Over the 150,000 coins that were struck, only 86,594 were officially distributed. The rest were returned for melting and the remaining 150,000 authorized were never struck.

The coins were distributed by the San Francisco Clearing House Association and the Los Angeles Clearing House association, both of which covered the entire state of California.

The first California Diamond Jubilee half dollar that was struck was presented to the Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. A specially polished die was used for the initial strikings and it produced a frosted or cameo effect. Coins displaying that effectively bring a premium in the marketplace.

California Children, born on the date of the 75th anniversary of California statehood, which was September 9, 1925, was given one of the half dollars, a total of 494 coins.

A few pieces were mounted in badges used by officials of the celebration. Those badges are exceedingly rare today.  Many of the remaining coins were sold at the primary celebration in San Francisco from September 6 to 12 in commemoration of that jubilee.

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