2016-12-15 Thu

A company named Bonanza Coins in Silver Spring is organising a treasure hunt in the Washington D.C. to find a circulated 1916 William McKinley Memorial gold dollar. The coin has a jewellery mount on the edge and costs $300. The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the striking of the rare 1916 McKinley commemorative gold dollar coin. McKinley is featured on three U.S. commemorative gold coins. The treasure hunt will begin on 12th December and will go on up to 22 December. Clues can be accessed from Bonanza Coins and from their official social media platforms The winners will be declared on 1st January.

15 years after McKinley’s assassination, the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association requested for issuing special silver dollars. Money generated from the sales was donated to construct a memorial in his hometown - Niles, Ohio. McKinley supported gold coinage which is why Congress opted for the gold dollar coins on 23rd February 1916 and the mintage limit was set as 100,000 coins.

Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber was very old at that time and McKinley’s portrait on the obverse was not perfect. Other inscriptions included UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and MCKINLEY ? DOLLAR. The reverse design created by George T. Morgan was architecturally inaccurate and crudely rendered. Other inscriptions on the reverse include MCKINLEY BIRTHPLACE MEMORIAL. NILES OHIO, a flag pole, 1916 or 1917. These coins were mostly struck weakly as well.

20,000 McKinley gold dollars were struck in 1916 and 10,000 in 1917. Many of them were melted and experts state that the net mintage was 15,000 for the 1916 issue and only 5,000 for the 1917.