I won a Chief Justice, John Marshall uncirculated commemorative coin in the YN Auction last year, I decided to write a blog about it and its history.

John Marshall

John Marshall was born on September 24, 1755, in what is now Fauquier County, Virginia. He was the oldest of 15 children born to Thomas Marshall and Mary Keith. When he was young, he only attended one year of school where James Monroe was his classmate. In 1775, when he was 20, he became part of the third Virginia regiment, he fought at the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. He also spent the winter at Valley Forge. After the Revolutionary War in 1780, he began to practice law. He became a politician and helped convince Virginia to ratify the Constitution. In 1798, he was elected to the House of Representatives. He served for less than two years before John Adams appointed him as secretary of state. In 1801, John Adams made him the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. After he became Chief Justice, he wrote a book about George Washington. John Marshall led the Supreme Court for 34 years during the serving of 6 presidents. He died two days after Independence Day on July 6, 1835, at the age of 79. The liberty bell cracked during his funeral. He was buried with his wife at Shockoe Cemetery in Richmond Virginia.

The Commemorative Coin

In 2005, the United States Mint minted a commemorative coin to commemorate the 250th anniversary of John Marshalls birth, it was the first United States coin to depict a Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The coin was a tribute to John Marshall, and it was also a tribute to the Supreme Court of the United States.

 The commemorative coin was minted in proof and uncirculated condition, the maximum mintage limit for the proof finish was 400,000 coins, the total mintage of the proof coins was 148,696. The total mintage limit of uncirculated coins was 263,849. 115,153 coins were actually minted. The proof and uncirculated coins were minted from January 1st to December 31, 2005.

 The coins had three special sets that they came in:

The coin and chronicles set which includes a BEP intaglio print and the uncirculated Chief Justice, John Marshall commemorative coin.

The American legacy set which includes the 2005-P Marine Corps 230th Anniversary proof Commemorative Silver Dollar and the Chief Justice, John Marshall commemorative proof silver dollar.

The last of the three sets was a 2005 11-piece prestige set, it includes the proof Chief Justice, John Marshall silver dollar.

You could also order an individual proof or uncirculated Chief Justice, John Marshall commemorative coin

The surcharges from the sale went to the Supreme Court historical society.

Sources

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/john-marshall

https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Marshall

https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/chief-justice-john-marshall