1952 Washington Carver NGC MS63. This fully lustrous commemorative 1952 Washington Carver Half Dollar shows a slight scratch on Carvers head and cheek which is probably what keep's this coin from higher mint grade. The strike is strong of the obverse and just slightly weaker on the U.S.A. of the reverse.

The coins purpose was to raise funds for the Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial and the George Washington Carver National Monument Foundation. It was also to oppose the spread of communism among Negroes in the interest of National Defense. This absurd notion was included to get Congress, influenced by Senator Joseph McCarthy, to pass the authorizing legislation. In reality most African Americans of the time were opposed to Communism. There were almost no African American radical groups at the time, and the coins were generally ignored.