Pearl Harbor Coins: Silver, Gold & Commemorative Editions Explained.

What Are Pearl Harbor Commemorative Coins?

Those are commemorative coins that honour Pearl Harbour. Most issues covered the events of December 7, 1941. The day of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which propelled the United States into World War II.

Pearl Harbor collectable coins are produced by all kinds of Mints: governmental Mints, private mints (they usually issue medals), and officially licensed institutions. Each issuing design pays tribute to Pearl Harbour in one way or another.

In technical terms, these bits are not much different from other commemorative issues. Most come in .9999 gold or silver.

However, one category peaks interest, the Pearl Harbor challenge coin. A challenge coin is a cross between a medal and a coin, and it is awarded to those serving in the army. Some army units often issue bits bearing Pearl Harbour.

History and Significance of Pearl Harbor Coin Releases

After the events of World War II, Pearl Harbour has forever ingrained itself in American history and therefore stayed significant. Logically, a bit commemorating such an event also stayed strong.

Milestone anniversaries: the 50th, 60th, and 75th commemorations bring attention back to Pearl Harbour. Today, these commemorative bits form one of the most recognizable series, bringing historians, numismatists, and the military together.

“This beautiful coin represents not only an important inflection point in our nation's history, but it is a remembrance of the greatest generation who went on to win this war.”
— John Totushek
U.S. Money Reserve News

Pearl Harbor Silver Coins

Silver coins are among the most popular Pearl Harbor commemoratives. Silver is affordable, yet beautiful. Many silver issues are either partially or completely coloured, a common trend for military pieces.

You can find numerous 75th anniversary Pearl Harbor silver coins, but most feature design elements like:

The USS Arizona Memorial.
American and Japanese aircraft in flight.
Naval battleships stationed at Pearl Harbor.
Engravings of the date “December 7, 1941” and Roosevelt’s famous quote “A date which will live in infamy.”

The most popular issues came from the Perth Mint and the U.S. Mint. Most are worth $80+.

Pearl Harbor Gold and Premium Coins

Pearl Harbor gold coins occupy the higher end of the collector market. Gold bits are premium because the gold itself is rare, valuable, and the Mints can only produce low mintages from gold. To make gold bits more available, they are often sold in smaller weights.

Gold bits often feature the same design as their silver counterparts: the memorials, aircraft, and ship battles.

Most premium bits are worth $500+.

75th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Coins

Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary gold and silver coins.

The last big date for Pearl Harbor was its 75th anniversary in 2016. The U.S. Mint, Perth Mint, New Zealand Mint, and several private mints issued special-edition bits to commemorate that landmark year.

The 75th anniversary editions were gold, silver, and even clad. They have different designs. They have only a few things in common: theming and the “75th Anniversary” inscription.

The most popular 75th anniversary issue is likely the Australian 2016 Pearl Harbour coin. The design shows two aircraft and three battle ships on the reverse, and Queen Elisabeth II on the obverse.

The gold variety was the most popular, but there was also made a more affordable silver version:

75th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Coin Overview
Issuing Country	Tuvalu
Mint	Perth (Australia)
Year of Minting	2016
Type	Commemorative gold	Commemorative silver
Shape	Round
Diameter	32.6 mm	40.6 mm
Metal Composition	.9999 fine gold (24-karat)	.9999 fine silver
Weight	31.103 g (1 troy ounce)
Mintage	1,000 pieces	1,000 pieces
General Value	$500+	$70+

Conclusion

It’s neither the first nor the last time we hear about Harbor commemoratives. The 100th anniversary is on the horizon, and perhaps a new issue, bigger than ever, will come.

The Coin ID Scanner app has a ton of commemorative bits in its database. The app can identify coins and give you an overview of each. A great instrument for any collector

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