1923-S Monroe Doctrine Centennial. MS-66 (PCGS).,An attractively and vividly toned example that also sports uncommonly smooth surfaces for this conditionally challenging type. Authorized by an act of Congress dated January 24, 1923 (which also allowed for a maximum mintage of 300,000 coins), half dollars of this type were intended to commemorate the centennial of the announcing of the Monroe Doctrine. The San Francisco Mint struck 274,000 examples, plus an additional 77 coins for assay purposes; most coins distributed by the Los Angeles Clearing House at $1 each. Approximately 27,000 examples were sold, either through the Clearing House or at the American Historical Revue and Motion Industry Exposition, which backed the issue as a source of revenue for the event. The remaining pieces failed to sell and were released into circulation, explaining the abundance of EF and AU examples. Such coins were seen in circulation into the 1940s. In Mint State the Monroe Doctrine is among the scarcer classic commemorative half dollars, and in Gem and higher grades it is a leading condition rarity in the series.,PCGS# 9333. NGC ID: 28KT.,,