Most of us know about the various counterstamped Stone Mountain Half Dollars, those numbered pieces from many states such as Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Oklahoma, which were covered in Adna G. Wilde's excellent August, 1987 article in The Numismatist. At that time, 140 specimens were documented, and in the intervening years approximately 150 more have been added to the list. However, not so well known are counterstamps from a very few states on the Stone Mountain Children's Founders Roll Medals.

These are bronze 32mm medals, designed by Whitehead and Hoag, to memorialize men and women who served the Confederacy. They were struck in two shapes, one octagonal, and the other, the more common round. Each has a ribbon hole at the top, bore the likeness of what was to appear on the carving on the mountain on the obverse, and a scene depicting the entrance to Stone Mountain's Memorial Hall on the reverse.

Quoting in portion from the application pamphlet that was completed when purchasing one of the medals:

Through the Children's Founders Roll of The Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, the name of every man and woman who served The Southern Confederacy can be memorialized. At the same time the names of the children themselves may be perpetuated among the builders of the world's greatest memorial.

The Children's Founders Roll is for white boys and girls (sic) of all ages through the eighteenth year who wish to contribute one dollar to the Memorial. In token of this contribution, each name will be enrolled in a great BOOK OF MEMORY and opposite each name will be recorded that of the Confederate man or woman chosen by each child for memorialization.

To each child thus enrolled will be given a small bronze medal showing membership in The Children's Founders Roll. This medal will show, on one side, the figures of Lee, Jackson and Davis and on the reverse side will be the words, 'Commemorating the heroism of the people of the Confederacy.' This medal will be a priceless possession in the later years and every Southern child should have one.

I sought additional information on this interesting cousin to the counterstamped half dollars, and contacted the recognized authority on the subject, Adna G. Wilde, Jr. in Colorado Springs. Adna replied as follows:

To the medal of your question - I a