1863 Battle of Gettysburg Silver Coin

The Famous Battles five coin series from The Perth Mint of Australia has proven to be extremely popular among collectors, with the first two already sold out. Closing out this collection, the Mint has released the one-ounce 1863 Battle of Gettysburg Silver Proof coin.

In what has come to be known as the turning point of the American Civil War, Union forces under the command of General George Meade defeated the Confederate army led by General Robert E Lee.

The year was 1863 and the future was not looking particularly good for the Union. With less men and less resources, the Southern’s Confederate army had repeatedly dealt severe blows to the Union forces. Taking advantage of their successes, General Robert E Lee decided to attempt a second invasion of the North. His hopes were that if he could show how easily he could accomplish an incursion into Union territory, the Northern politicians would re-think their positions on the war. To this end, he led his men into Pennsylvania.

Not content to let Lee get away with this invasion, President Abraham Lincoln urged his generals to meet the enemy, which they did. Under the command of General George Meade, who had just recently relieved the previous general, resources were directed towards Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the conflict.

On July 1, the forward forces of both armies met, with the Confederacy achieving some early successes. By July 2nd, a full-scale battle was under way with the bulk of both armies engaged. The North appeared to have an advantage by outnumbering the South with nearly 20,000 more soldiers. This did not prevent the Confederacy from fighting on, however.

Finally, on July 3rd, General Lee ordered an infantry assault across open fields to the center of the Union line. This proved to be disastrous, however, as Union forces had the tactical advantage and thousands of Confederate soldiers were killed or injured from a barrage of Union artillery and gunfire. Knowing of his defeat, General Lee led his army back to Virginia.

Over seven thousand people were killed on those three days with an additional twenty seven thousand estimated wounded. With a decisive victory in hand, Union forces continued to pressure the South, leading to their eventual surrender.

Battle of Gettysburg Silver Coin Specifications

The coin remembering this deadly battle is struck from 99.9% pure silver to proof quality. Limited to only 5,000 coins, each ships in a presentation case with an illustrated shipper and a certificate of authenticity.

Issued under the authority of the government of Tuvalu as legal tender, the 1 dollar face value coin features an image of Queen Elizabeth II of England on its obverse.

The reverse contains a colorized image of the final day of battle between the two forces with a soldier aiming his gun and a cannon also shown.

The 40.60mm diameter coin sells for $81.36 AUS and may be purchased from around the world directly from the Perth Mint Web site.

Battle of Gettysburg Silver Coin Images

About the Perth Mint

The Perth Mint, wholly-owned by the State Government of Western Australia, is the official issuer of the Australian Federal Government’s Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Program. The Mint opened in 1899 in response to the discovery of rich gold deposits in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. It was Australia’s third branch of Britain’s Royal Mint – the others being the Sydney Mint and the Melbourne Mint (both closed).

The Perth Mint remained under Britain’s jurisdiction until 1 July 1970, when ownership transferred to the State Government of Western Australia.

In 2003, The Perth Mint officially opened an 8,400 square metre state-of-the-art manufacturing facility next door to its original limestone building. Dominating the Mint’s heritage precinct, these two important buildings are powerful symbols of more than 100 years of minting excellence in Western Australia.