The obverse depicts Mission Espíritu Santo at Goliad rendered in architectural detail, including the bell tower, façade cross, courtyard arches, and surrounding landscape elements. The inscription “GOLIAD” appears prominently across the upper field. Below the structure is the commemorative date “1836 – 1986,” marking the 150th anniversary of Texas Independence and the Goliad Campaign. Relief elements are frosted against mirrored fields, consistent with proof-like striking methods.
The reverse carries a circular legend reading “.999 FINE SILVER” and “ONE TROY OUNCE.” Centered within a recessed matte inner field is the date “1985” or "1986" positioned above a silhouette of the State of Texas. The outer ring presents raised lettering over reflective fields, while the central field displays a uniform fine texture that contrasts with the polished devices.
1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round Overview
The 1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round, part of the Texas 150th Anniversary Collection, is a 1 oz .999 fine silver commemorative marking the 150th anniversary of Texas independence. The obverse depicts Mission Espíritu Santo at Goliad in architectural detail, including the bell tower, façade cross, and courtyard arches, beneath the inscription “GOLIAD” and above the commemorative dates “1836 – 1986.” The reverse carries a Texas-silhouette device within a “.999 FINE SILVER · ONE TROY OUNCE” legend, struck in two separate dated variants — “1985” and “1986.”
1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round Attribution
Mint is attributed to World Wide Mint (Bloomington, MN) on the basis of reverse-die linkage shared across the full Texas 150th Anniversary Collection; see the mint page for the underlying reasoning. Distributor is John Grayson (San Benito / Harlingen, TX), confirmed through period Coin World and Texas Monthly advertisements and corroborated by a firsthand account naming Grayson as a wholesale source supplying multiple area dealers; see the collection page for full sourcing.
1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round Historical Significance
The building on the obverse, like the Alamo chapel and San Jacinto Monument elsewhere in this collection, is not shown as it stood in 1836. Mission Espíritu Santo was founded by Spanish missionaries in the early 18th century, but by the late 1800s had fallen into ruin after decades of abandonment. The structure seen today, and depicted here, is a 1930s reconstruction built by the Civilian Conservation Corps — a 20th-century restoration of the mission, not the building Fannin’s men would have seen.
The mission itself is also not the actual site of the massacre it’s paired with on this coin. The Goliad Massacre took place at the nearby Presidio La Bahía, a separate fortified compound where Colonel James Fannin’s roughly 340 Texian soldiers were held after surrendering following the Battle of Coleto on March 19–20, 1836. On March 27, 1836 — Palm Sunday — Fannin’s men were marched out and executed on the order of Santa Anna, despite having surrendered under terms they believed guaranteed safe passage. More Texians died at Goliad than at the Alamo, and the betrayal of the surrender terms made the massacre, if anything, a greater shock to Texian morale than the Alamo’s fall. “Remember Goliad!” joined “Remember the Alamo!” as a rallying cry carried into the decisive battle at San Jacinto less than a month later.
1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round Notes
- Two struck date variants exist: “1985” and “1986” on the reverse, reflecting the original and reissue years noted in the period sales brochure for the full 8-coin set
- Not to be confused with the separate 1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round in this collection, whose “1st FLAG OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE” legend and bloody-arm device are associated with the Goliad Declaration of Independence and Dimmitt’s Flag — a separate historical thread from the mission building depicted here
- See the Texas 150th Anniversary Collection page for the complete set, pricing, and distributor background
1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round References
- World Wide Mint (Bloomington, MN), The Texas Stacker
- John Grayson (San Benito / Harlingen, TX), The Texas Stacker
- Texas 150th Anniversary Collection (1985–1986), The Texas Stacker
- Texas Stacker Archives
