Commems Collection Classic: What If? 1937 Heroes Of The Alamo Half-Dollar

Please Note: This is not a post about the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame coins.

In February 1937, companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate for a commemorative 50-cent piece dedicated to the "Heroes of the Alamo."

The "Heroes" referred to are the soldiers and civilians who defended the Alamo against the overwhelming army of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in February and March 1836. "Alamo Heroes Day" continues to be celebrated annually at the Alamo on March 6 - the anniversary of the day on which Santa Anna ordered his troops to storm the Alamo and end his 13-day siege of the mission. Almost all of the Texians and Tejanos defending the Alamo were killed in the battle - its defeat became a rallying cry for the Texas independence movement.

The Alamo Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas sought an issue of 20,000 coins; the net proceeds were to be used to help defray the costs associated with their planned commemorative events. The coins were to be dated "1937" regardless of when they were struck and were to be coined only during a 12-month period following the enactment of the bill. The proposed bills limited the striking of the coins to a single US mint facility.

Collectors of the US commemorative series will recall that the US Mint was in the midst of striking half-dollar coins commemorating the centennial of Texas' independence (declared on March 2, 1836 but not actually won until victory at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836) at the time of this new request. I suppose the folks from Texas didn't believe a multi-year, multi-mint coin program begun in 1934 (and continued until 1938) was adequate to celebrate the history of the "great state of Texas!"

Unfortunately, members of the 75th US Congress did not see the merits of a "Heroes of the Alamo" coin and the bill died in the respective coinage committees of the House and Senate. After receiving word that their coin bill was unsuccessful, it appears the Alamo Mission Chapter moved forward with other, non-numismatic funding initiatives for their commemoration activities. I'm unaware of a 1937-dated, privately-struck medal or token celebrating the "Heroes of the Alamo."

The cry of "Remember the Alamo" (referring to final battle on March 6, 1836) is one that is taught in schools and is a well-known piece of American history. If the coin had been produced, I believe it would be among the more popular issues of the classic series.