1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Value Guide

A coin with a purpose. The Stone Mountain Half Dollar might have offered just a little help for its grand purpose, but it’s a coin like no other. Even a century after its conception, people continue collecting it.

What is the Stone Mountain 1925 half dollar value? What is so special about this piece? Where can you buy one? About that and much more, you can discover in this article.

Do you want to know more about old coinage? Try a free old coin value checker. Denomination, value, dimensions, weight… the value checker has it all.

1925 Half Dollar Memorial Purpose

The coin was issued in 1925 to raise funds for the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial in Georgia, which was planned as a large carving honoring Confederate leaders.

Raising funds for the Memorial was the main (and likely the only) purpose of the coin. Therefore, we need to understand why the Memorial was so important.

What is Stone Mountain Memorial? Stone Mountain is a massive granite dome near Atlanta, Georgia. In the early 20th century, the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) proposed carving a memorial there to honor Confederate leaders. 

The idea was to create the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world, carved directly into the granite face, and feature the Confederate leaders of the Civil War: President Jefferson Davis, Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson on their favourite horses.

At that time, the project was simply too grand. Due to financial conflicts and technical issues, it was stopped numerous times. In a bid to raise money, the 1925 half dollar was launched. Even though it was a successful launch, these funds couldn’t help complete the project on intended time.

The carving was eventually completed in 1972, nearly 50 years after the coin was issued. There were and are many controversies with the Monument today, mainly due to Ku Klux Klan involvement (some carvers were members), but one fact stays true. As planned, Stone Mountain is now the biggest memorial of its kind.

1925 Half Dollar Overview

This coin is a part of the popular classic commemorative half dollar series (1892–1954). Today, we have many commemorative issues. Just look at 2024 quarters, so many commemorative pieces among them.

In the past, a whole century ago, people didn’t have that luxury, and every commemorative issue was a sensation. Today, people are drawn to this half dollar’s historical significance, distinctive design, and connection to both the Confederacy and early 20th-century U.S. coinage.

Fun fact: Half dollars as denominations are often used for commemorative purposes. One of the oldest celebrated dates is 1776, the American Independence, celebrated with the 1976 Half Dollar.

Coin Design

Looks are very important for commemorative pieces. They should attract not only the professional collectors, but also casuals, and also properly reflect the event they are commemorating. 1925 half dollar Stone Mountain accomplished both goals flawlessly.

Obverse: Features Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson on horseback. The inscriptions include “STONE MOUNTAIN” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” 

Reverse: Shows an eagle perched on a mountain crag with the legend “MEMORIAL TO THE VALOR OF THE SOLDIER OF THE SOUTH.” This side also includes technical inscriptions like “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “HALF DOLLAR,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”

Coin Grading

Now we are coming closer to the main issue of the article, value. The piece has only one variety, issued in the Philadelphia Mint, and the value is influenced by two factors alone: grading and errors.

The 1925 commemorative half dollar has a grading system similar to any other piece. It starts from 1 to 70. The more points, the higher quality the piece is deemed. Usually, the prices get above the face value in the About Uncirculated grade.

1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Errors

Today, many commemorative pieces rarely come with interesting errors. For example, the 2023 Jovita Idar Quarters had just a few die cracks.

Fortunately, the Stone Mountain half dollar 1925 had more euros. These coins were mass-produced (over 2.3 million struck, a big number at that time), and came from less refined presses. Therefore, we can observe a plethora of interesting errors.

A few errors of note:

• Die Cracks: Appears as raised lines on the coin where the die began to fracture. Often seen around the lettering or horse details.

• Die Clashes: Parts of the reverse design faintly appearing on the obverse (or vice versa) from dies striking without a planchet in between. Not rare but collectible.

• Off-Center Strikes: Very uncommon on commemoratives. The design looks shifted to the side.

• Planchet Flaws: Lamination errors that appear as metal peeling or flaking. Commonly, papers on the older pieces.

The prices of each error depend on the exact case. If the piece is excellently preserved and has an error, you can expect a $100+ price.

Value of 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

Now we’ve come to the biggest question: the value. The table below will tell the approximate prices according to the grade.

All in all, the value is highly impressive, but expected. After all, it’s an old 1925 silver half dollar. Today, silver pieces are a rarity.

1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Fake

Unfortunately, such a big price made this coin a target for the conmen. You might have noticed these cases already if you’ve looked at the 1925 Stone Mountain half dollar for sale.

Would you like to know how to identify fake coins? It is easy. All you need is an instrument for spotting, like a magnifying glass, and the info on where the coins differ.

We sincerely hope that you will never have to deal with fakes. Collecting might be challenging sometimes, for sure. Gladly, one app can help mitigate most problems.

Coin ID Scanner

What is a Coin ID Scanner? It’s an app, a tool, for those who need to identify coins. The app relies on its 150,000+ coin database and the AI to recognize almost any kind of coin, whether from modern Germany or Ancient Greece.

How do you start identification? You simply turn on the app, upload (or make) a photo of your collectible, and the app will scan it in a flash.

Identification is not the only function of this app. It comes with an AI assistant on coin-related questions, and hundreds of blogs with overviews on quarters, pennies, dollars, etc., which are exceptionally helpful for beginners.

We suggest trying out the Coin ID Scanner. The app is available on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play), and it is free.

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