USA Stone Mountain Half $ - 1925

This plentiful commemorative was designed by Gutzon Borglum, who later became very well known for the creation of Mount Rushmore. First struck on Jan 21, 1925, "Stonewall" Jackson's Birthday, this coin was intended to memorialize "The Valor of the Soldier of the South." Therefore it features the equestrian portraits of Civil War Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The reverse features a great rendition of an eagle perched on a cliff with wings open.
Now, in 2020, with all of the political and fascist revolt and destruction going on, Stone Mountain (Atlanta, GA) is in the news. A misguided few would like to see the destruction this huge bas relief. Distribution is now pegged at 1.3+ million. My personal observation is that many of these were somewhat poorly struck with worn dies. I selected this one because the strike is very good, although the surfaces could be better.
The 1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar was one of four different commemorative coins issued for the year. The coins were authorized to commemorate the soldiers of the south and recently passed President Warren G. Harding. Ultimately, the former president did not appear on the coin, which instead took focus on two heroes of the south.
Gutzon Borglum was the designer of both the obverse and reverse of the coin. He had been commissioned by the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial Association to create a monument to the leaders of the south on the large deposit of visible solid granite. His initial plans were for a carving 200 feet high and 1,300 feet wide. Completion of the monument would not take place until 1970 by a different sculptor and on a smaller scale.
The 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollars had a maximum authorized mintage of 5 million coins in order to raise funds for the project. This represented the highest authorized mintage since the 1892 Columbian Half Dollar. Despite a large number of enthusiastic supporters, sales were ultimately 1,314,709.
A different design was ultimately used for the actual sculpture on Stone Mountain.