If you’ve come across a 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar, you’re holding a piece of American history worth knowing about. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint, this silver commemorative was designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and features Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson on the obverse. Its main purpose was to raise funds for the Stone Mountain Memorial in Georgia.

So, what is the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar value today? Depending on condition, prices range from around $27 in Good grade to over $188 in Mint State — and significantly higher for top-tier examples.

Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just getting started, understanding what drives this coin’s value is a great place to begin.

 

1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Value By Variety

The table below outlines the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar value across different grades, from heavily circulated to mint condition.If you know the grade of your coin, you can find the exact price below in the Value Guides section.

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Top 10 Most Valuable 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Worth Money

The chart covers auction results from 2005 to the present, showing the highest recorded sale prices for different grades and varieties of the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar. In January 2005, an MS65-graded example sold for $37,375, making it the top result across the entire dataset. Pieces grading MS67 are scarce, and those in MS68 or higher condition are extremely rare, which explains why the MS68 example reached $28,750 despite being two grades lower than the MS65 outlier — the MS65 result reflects a specific market moment rather than a consistent grade-based premium.

The presence of ALA-counterstamped coins in the chart adds another dimension. Each unit was entitled to at least one coin bearing the state initials and a serial number, distributed through the governor of each state as part of the original sales campaign. These counterstamps were applied to differentiate coins by region and drive higher bids, and that strategy continues to affect auction outcomes today. The ALA 63-graded example sold for $3,840, while the ALA 64 reached $2,640, both commanding multiples of what an equivalent non-stamped coin would fetch.

A normal MS63 example might sell for around $70, while a counterstamped specimen of the same grade brought $1,710 at a 2014 auction — a gap that illustrates how provenance and variety function as independent value drivers, separate from grade alone.

The finest-known specimens grade PCGS MS68+, with only three such examples confirmed, and no public sales on record for that tier. The MS68 entry in the chart at $28,750 therefore represents one of the last opportunities collectors had to acquire a coin near the top of the population, and its appearance at auction was itself a rare event. The last time an MS68 specimen appeared at public auction was in 2007.

Taken together, the chart reflects a market shaped by three factors: grade scarcity at the top end, the rarity and regional identity of counterstamped varieties, and the volatility inherent in a coin where comparable examples surface infrequently. The wide spread between the highest and lowest entries — from $660 to $37,375 — is not simply a function of condition, but of how seldom these coins trade and how strongly individual sale events can set or reset price expectations for the entire series.

 

History of the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was an American fifty-cent piece struck at the Philadelphia Mint, issued to raise money on behalf of the Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association for the Stone Mountain Memorial near Atlanta, Georgia. It was not simply a numismatic issue — the coin was the financial engine behind one of the most ambitious and controversial monument projects in American history.

The idea for the coin grew directly out of the scale and cost of the carving project itself. Gutzon Borglum had been commissioned to create a monument to the leaders of the South on the large deposit of visible solid granite, with initial plans for a carving 200 feet high and 1,300 feet wide. As expenses mounted, the Association advocated the issuance of a commemorative half dollar as a fundraiser.

Congress approved it, though to appease Northerners, the coin was also made in honor of the recently deceased President Harding, under whose administration work had commenced. All reference to Harding was subsequently removed from the design by order of President Calvin Coolidge.Borglum designed the coin, which was repeatedly rejected by the Commission of Fine Arts. After multiple revisions, a final design was approved.

The first 1,000 coins were struck on a medal press at the Philadelphia Mint on January 21, 1925 — the 101st anniversary of General Jackson’s birth — with Borglum and Association officials present. The first piece was mounted on a plate of gold mined in Georgia for presentation to President Coolidge, and the second on a silver plaque for Treasury Secretary Mellon. The remaining pieces of the first thousand were placed in numbered envelopes. Between January and March 1925, the mint produced 2,310,000 coins from an authorized mintage of 5,000,000.

The coin’s distribution, however, was troubled from the start. Technical problems and political differences between Borglum and Association leadership became public, and in February 1925 the Association fired Borglum. This alienated many of his supporters, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and hurt sales significantly.

The Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union Civil War veterans, had already tried to prevent the coin’s issuance entirely, lobbying against it in late 1924 and early 1925 on the grounds that it honored treason. Sales in the North never gained traction, and even in the South, results fell short of expectations despite sales quotas assigned to each state and the involvement of major companies including the Coca-Cola Company and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

A 1928 audit of the fundraising showed excessive expenses and misuse of money, and construction halted that same year. At 1,314,709 distributed coins, the Stone Mountain Half Dollar holds the second highest mintage of any commemorative in the classic era from 1892 to 1954, surpassed only by the 1893 Columbian half dollar. The unsold remainder — approximately one million coins — was returned to the mint and melted.

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was the first coin issued by the U.S. Mint to commemorate the Civil War. That distinction, combined with its contentious history, its connection to Borglum — who went on to sculpt Mount Rushmore — and the sheer scale of the project it was designed to fund, gives the coin a place in American numismatic history that goes well beyond its face value or silver content.

Also Read: Top 35 Most Valuable Franklin Half Dollar Worth Money (1948 – 1963)

 

Is Your 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Rare?

While over a million 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollars remain in existence today, condition, counterstamps, and error varieties can make certain specimens genuinely scarce — and knowing exactly where yours stands requires more than a visual check. Use the Coin Value Checker App to instantly grade your coin, identify rare varieties, and see how your 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar ranks against certified examples in the market.

 

Key Features of the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint as the sole production facility for this issue. Because it was minted only in Philadelphia, the coin carries no mint mark. It was produced in a single year — 1925 — with no continuation of the series, making it a standalone commemorative issue within the classic half dollar program spanning 1892 to 1954.

The Obverse of the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

The obverse depicts Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the latter with head bare, mounted on horseback.

The inscription “IN GOD WE TRUST” appears at the upper rim, surrounded by thirteen stars. Whether those stars represent the thirteen original colonies or the thirteen Confederate states at the start of the Civil War remains historically ambiguous.

The location inscription “STONE MOUNTAIN” and the date “1925” appear in the lower left field. Borglum’s initials “GB” are found at the extreme right of the piece, near the horses’ tails.

The Reverse of the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

The reverse depicts an eagle with wings stretched, representative of liberty, perched upon a mountaintop.

There are 35 stars in the field, supposedly representing the number of states at the start of the Civil War. The inscription “MEMORIAL TO THE VALOR OF THE SOLDIER OF THE SOUTH” runs along the left field, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “LIBERTY,” and “HALF DOLLAR” completing the reverse legends.

On many examples, the 35 stars appear faint due to the shallow strike characteristic of this issue, and their visibility is often used as a gauge of strike quality when evaluating a coin’s overall desirability.

Other Features of the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

The coin’s metal composition is 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 12.5 grams with a diameter of 30.61 millimeters, a thickness of 2.15 millimeters, and a reeded edge. Strike quality, toning, eye appeal, and luster vary considerably across surviving examples, and luster when present is typically of the frosty variety.

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1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Mintage & Survival Data

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was produced exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint with no mint mark, making it a single-variety issue. At 1,314,709 distributed coins, it holds the second highest mintage of any commemorative in the classic era from 1892 to 1954, surpassed only by the 1893 Columbian half dollar. Of the 5,000,000 coins authorized, only 2,310,000 were struck, and approximately one million unsold examples were returned and melted — leaving the 1,314,709 figure as the true distributed total.

The chart shows an estimated survival population of around 470,000 coins, reflecting a survival rate of approximately 35.7% — meaning roughly two out of every three distributed examples have been lost, melted for silver, or otherwise removed from the numismatic record over the past century. Most survivors are found in mint state, including a fair number of gems, though toning, luster, and eye appeal vary considerably across existing examples.

While the absolute number of survivors is relatively high compared to other classic commemoratives, condition scarcity at the upper grade levels — particularly MS67 and above — remains a significant factor for serious collectors.

Also Read: What Half Dollars Are Worth Money?

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Value

Knowing your 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar’s true value starts with understanding its grade, surface quality, and whether it carries a counterstamp or error variety — details that can make a significant difference. Use the Coin Value Checker App to instantly identify and evaluate every feature of your coin.

 

1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Value Guides

•  1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar: No Mint Mark (Philadelphia)

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was produced exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint and carries no mint mark, making it a single-variety issue within the classic commemorative series. It is the only official strike of this coin — there are no branch mint counterparts. Most surviving examples are found in mint state grades ranging from MS63 to MS66, and the coin is generally considered one of the more available classic commemoratives.

A subset of these Philadelphia-struck coins were later counterstamped with state abbreviations and serial numbers as part of the Great Harvest Campaign — these counterstamped pieces form a distinct and actively collected category within the series.

 

1925 No Mint Mark Stone Mountain Half Dollar Valve

The 1925 No Mint Mark Stone Mountain Half Dollar offers something relatively rare in classic commemorative collecting: a genuine piece of American history that remains accessible at multiple price points. It is often one of the first classic commemoratives collectors buy, precisely because of its lower price and broad availability. That said, value varies considerably depending on condition, and understanding where your coin falls on that spectrum is the key to knowing what it’s actually worth.

For circulated examples, many Stone Mountain Half Dollars are found in circulated grades, and these represent the most affordable entry point into the series. Coins showing heavier wear trade at modest premiums over their silver content, making them attractive to new collectors or those building type sets on a budget. As condition improves into the About Uncirculated range, prices climb steadily — reflecting the transition from a circulated piece to one that retained most of its original detail.

Once you move into Mint State territory, grade becomes the dominant factor. An MS63 example is worth around $135, while an MS65 trades at approximately $260. Push further to MS67, and the coin enters genuinely scarce territory — pieces grading MS67 are scarce and those in MS68 or higher are extremely rare, with prices climbing into the thousands. The all-time auction record for this coin stands at $37,375, set by a MS65 example at Stack’s in January 2005 — a result that underscores just how much condition and timing can drive prices at the very top of the market.

One practical consideration: cleaning significantly reduces value. Cleaning removes original surfaces and can cut value by 50% or more, with professional grading services often labeling such coins as “details” grades. A properly preserved, original-surface example will consistently outperform a cleaned one of the same grade.

The auction record chart below shows how top-tier examples of this coin have performed at major sales over the years.

And if you’re curious about where collector demand stands today, the market activity section that follows gives a current picture of how actively this coin is trading.

1925 Stone Mountain “ALA” Half Dollar Value

The “ALA” counterstamp — standing for Alabama — represents one of the most recognized and sought-after varieties within the entire Stone Mountain Half Dollar collecting series. These coins were counterstamped as part of a distribution system in which each state was given a sales quota, with select coins stamped with state initials and a serial number to create unique, traceable pieces tied to a specific locality. The ALA stamp was applied by the Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association to coins allocated to Alabama, and each carries both the state abbreviation and a corresponding unit number.

What sets the ALA variety apart from a standard No Mint Mark example is straightforward: scarcity and provenance. According to PCGS, only one ALA-stamped example has been graded at MS63, carrying an estimated value of $5,000. The thin certified population means these coins rarely surface at auction, and when they do, they attract collectors specifically focused on counterstamp varieties — a niche but dedicated segment of the market.

An ALA-stamped example in MS63 sold for $3,840 — the highest recorded sale for this variety — a result that reflects both the coin’s genuine scarcity and the premium that a well-documented counterstamp commands over a standard example of the same grade.

Because so few certified examples exist and no comprehensive mintage record for individual state stamps was kept, there is no full accounting of how many ALA-stamped coins were originally produced or how many survive today. That uncertainty is part of what makes this variety compelling — and what keeps prices unpredictable when one does come to market.

Also Read: Rare Half Dollar Coins to Look For

 

Rare 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar Error List

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar is not particularly known for having many errors, but the errors that do exist are well-documented and actively sought by collectors. Because over 2.3 million coins were struck using less refined presses, a range of minting irregularities did occur — and finding one on an otherwise common coin can change its value significantly.

1. Double Die Obverse (DDO FS-101)

The DDO is the most significant and well-documented error for this coin. It occurs when the working hub strikes the die twice in slightly different positions, creating a doubling effect that is copied onto every coin struck from that die.

The doubling is most visible on the words “Stone Mountain” and the date 1925, and can also appear around Little Sorrel’s head — the horse ridden by Stonewall Jackson — where a faint second outline of the horse’s profile may be visible.

Only 121 examples have ever been certified as DDO FS-101, and of those, only 44 have been graded at MS65 — making high-grade examples genuinely scarce. Values run from $150 at MS63, $275 at MS65, and up to $1,250 at MS67.

2. Die Cracks

Die cracks appear as raised lines on the coin’s surface, caused by fractures in the die that developed over the course of production. On this issue, they are most often seen around the lettering or the horse details on the obverse.

Die cracks are a natural byproduct of high-volume minting and vary considerably in size and prominence. Minor examples add modest interest, while a dramatic, well-placed crack running through the main design can make a coin noticeably more collectible. They are not rare but are recognized as legitimate mint-produced varieties.

3. Die Clashes

Die clashes occur when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other directly without a planchet between them, leaving a faint ghost impression of one side’s design on the other. On this coin, elements of the reverse can appear faintly on the obverse, and vice versa. The result is a subtle but detectable overlap of design elements that shouldn’t be there. Die clashes are not rare on this issue but are considered collectible, particularly when the transferred design elements are clearly visible without magnification.

4. Planchet Flaws

Planchet flaws on the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar typically appear as lamination errors — metal that has begun to peel or flake from the coin’s surface. These originate in the preparation of the silver blanks before striking and are not caused by the dies themselves. On a coin nearly a century old, lamination errors can sometimes be confused with damage or environmental wear, so authentication is important. Well-defined examples that clearly predate the strike are the most desirable, as they represent a genuine minting irregularity rather than post-mint deterioration.

 

Where to Sell Your 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar?

After determining what your coins are worth, you’re probably wondering about convenient online selling options. I’ve researched and compiled a guide to the best platforms, outlining their services, pros, and cons.

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)

 

FAQ about the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar

1. What is the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar?

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was an American fifty-cent piece struck at the Philadelphia Mint, issued to raise money on behalf of the Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association for the Stone Mountain Memorial near Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the classic U.S. commemorative half dollar series spanning 1892 to 1954 and stands as one of the most historically significant — and debated — coins in that series.

2. Who designed the coin?

The coin was designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who depicted Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson on the obverse and an eagle perched on a mountaintop on the reverse. Borglum later became famous for sculpting Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, giving this coin a direct artistic connection to one of America’s most recognized monuments.

3. Where was it minted, and does it have a mint mark?

The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar was minted exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint and carries no mint mark. It was produced in a single year with no branch mint counterparts, making it a straightforward single-variety issue for collectors building type sets.

4. How many were made?

Of the 5,000,000 authorized, 2,310,000 were struck, and approximately 1,000,000 unsold examples were returned and melted, leaving a distributed total of 1,314,709. At that figure, it holds the second highest mintage of any commemorative in the classic era, surpassed only by the 1893 Columbian half dollar.

5. What is the coin made of?

The coin’s metal composition is 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 12.5 grams with a diameter of 30.61 millimeters, a thickness of 2.15 millimeters, and a reeded edge. The silver content gives it an intrinsic bullion value independent of its numismatic premium, which provides a baseline floor for even heavily circulated examples.

6. What do the 13 stars on the obverse represent?

There are thirteen stars in the upper field of the obverse, representing the thirteen states which either joined the Confederacy or had Confederate factions. This distinguishes them from the thirteen stars typically used to represent the original colonies, though the dual interpretation has been a point of discussion among numismatists and historians alike.

7. What are counterstamped Stone Mountain Half Dollars?

Stone Mountain Half Dollars were counterstamped with numbers and letters as part of a plan known as the Great Harvest Campaign to raise awareness and drive sales. The counterstamping involved state abbreviations, as well as initials and numbers, and the counterstamped coins were sold at a premium. The GL and SL designations stood for Gold Lavalier and Silver Lavalier — coins given to young ladies who sold the most half dollars in their county. These counterstamped pieces form a distinct and actively collected category within the series.

8. Did the coin successfully fund the Stone Mountain Memorial?

No. A 1928 audit of the fundraising showed excessive expenses and misuse of money, and construction halted that same year. Work did not resume until 1964, and a dedication ceremony was held in 1970, with final touches completed in 1972 — nearly half a century after the coin was issued. The fundraising campaign contributed only a fraction of what was originally intended toward the carving.

9. Is the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar a good coin for beginning collectors?

Yes. It is often one of the first classic commemoratives collectors buy because of both its lower price and broad availability. Circulated examples can be found at accessible price points, and the coin’s rich history — including its connection to Borglum, the Confederate memorial movement, and the broader controversy surrounding the project — makes it an engaging piece to research and own.

10. Should I clean my 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar?

No. Cleaning removes original surfaces and can cut a coin’s value by 50% or more. Professional grading services often label cleaned coins as “details” grades, significantly reducing their market value. Collectors and dealers consistently prefer natural, untouched surfaces — even coins showing honest wear or toning are worth more than a cleaned example of comparable grade. If you’re unsure about your coin’s condition, use the Coin Value Checker App to get an instant assessment before making any decisions.