Commems Collection Classic: Quick Bits #63 - Single-Year Issues With Non-Matching Dates

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commems CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives United States 12253 Posts	Posted 04/25/2022 10:26 am Within the classic-era US commemorative coin series, there are several one-year type coins that feature a date/year of striking that does not match the anniversary year of the person/place/event being commemorated. Of course, there are the several multi-year issues that fall into this category, but they are not my focus here. Following are the coins that bear a year/date unrelated to the person/place/event being commemorated: 1921 Alabama Statehood Centennial Half Dollar Alabama was admitted into the Union in 1819 and marked the centennial of this milestone event in 1919. The following year, 1920, a bill was introduced in Congress, on behalf of the Alabama Centennial Commission, that called for a commemorative half dollar in honor of the State's 100th anniversary. The bill became Law in 1920, but the commemorative coin was not struck until October and December 1921 - the coins feature "1921" on their obverse. Two years late, but who's counting?! 1936 Landing of Swedes in Delaware Tercentenary Passengers from the Swedish ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip first set foot in present-day Wilmington, Delaware in March 1638. Delaware staged an impressive celebration for the 300th anniversary of the event, including having Swedish Royalty attend the event; the anniversary was officially celebrated on June 27, 1938. The coins marking the event, however, were approved in 1936 and the bill enabling the coins specified that the coins were to bear the 1936 date regardless of when coined; the coins were struck and released in 1937. Battle of Gettysburg 75th Anniversary The Battle of Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863. The 75th Anniversary of the critical US Civil War (CW) battle was marked in 1938 with a large Blue & Gray Reunion of CW veterans at the battlefield in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State Commission had successfully lobbied Congress for a commemorative half dollar to support the anniversary; the bill authorizing the coin was signed into law in June 1936. The bill stated that all coins struck would "bear the date 1936, irrespective of the year in which they are minted or issued." So, the 1936-dated coin (struck in 1937) celebrated a 1938 anniversary! There are other types of date mismatches, but I'll save those for a future post. Did I forget any of the coin date / anniversary date mismatches? Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved. Report this Post to the Staff

jbuck Moderator United States 187672 Posts	Posted 04/25/2022 12:16 pm Fantastic topic and great examples! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 04/25/2022 6:16 pm Gettysburg obverse always impresses. Report this Post to the Staff
nickelsearcher Moderator United States 15389 Posts	Posted 04/25/2022 6:31 pm @commems - I really appreciate your amazing ability to post interesting information about the classic series by presenting the well known subjects in a new manner, a different viewpoint per say. This thread is a shining example of that ability - and truly enjoyable for exactly the reason that it brings new knowledge connections to the coins we already know. Quote: Did I forget any of the coin date / anniversary date mismatches? I humbly suggest that you intentionally left one out, just to give us coin history mortals an opportunity to opine. 1936 Elgin Illinois Centennial Half Dollar The city of Elgin IL celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1935, an event of local significance. The coin is dated 1936. Another date/event mismatch. Proceeds from the commemorative half dollar were intended, in part, to fund the erection of the Pioneer Memorial statuary group designed by Trygve Rovelstad. Rovelstad believed he could design the coin based on his design for the statue and was hoping to secure funding for the project. There were shenanigans in the distributions of the coins with L.W. Hoffecker of El Paso TX eventually pushing the issue through congress and becoming the primary distributor of the 20,000 coins eventually minted. Rovelstad died in 1990 and the Pioneer Memorial statuary group consisting of four adults and a child was finally erected in 2001. It can be seen on the reverse of the coin with an enlarged image of a pioneer appearing on the obverse. 1936 Elgin IL Centennial Half Dollar - PCGS MS66/CAC And, since I have the floor, a favorite of my circulated classic commemorative collection - sourced by my friend commems years ago and now a treasured part of my set. 1936 Elgin IL Centennial Half Dollar - PCGS G04 Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 04/25/2022 6:48 pm What a picture-perfect coin for the grade. Hard to believe it could have circulated that much in less than 30 years before the silver redemption period. Edited by Coinfrog 04/25/2022 6:50 pm Report this Post to the Staff
nickelsearcher Moderator United States 15389 Posts	Posted 04/25/2022 7:08 pm @frog - indeed, and this honestly circulated example provides lessons in the coins design that are not readily apparent on our MS examples. For example - if you can accept the assumption that the highest points of design wear first, and the wear is generally uniform across the coin when used in daily commerce, then: LIBERTY shown above the statute members is the highest point of design on the reverse, hence the first place where one should look for circulation wear when evaluating MS/AU examples. There are other learnings to be had from honestly circulated coins - but all that said I'm just a thrilled collector that this lovely example finally made its way to me with a big assist from commems. Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art Report this Post to the Staff
commems CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives United States 12253 Posts	Posted 04/26/2022 07:38 am Quote: I humbly suggest that you intentionally left one out, just to give us coin history mortals an opportunity to opine. You got me! From time to time, I do try to proactively engage my fellow US commemorative coin enthusiasts by getting the ball rolling on a topic but stopping it before it reaches the bottom of the hill! The 1936 Elgin, IL Centennial half dollar is a great example of a coin date / event date mismatch. The proposal for the Elgin coin was introduced in May 1935 - in sync with the true anniversary at that point - but the bill spent roughly a year making its way through Congress, and wasn't signed into law until June 1936 - a year+ later! The Senate made multiple changes to the House bill via wholesale substitution of the original bill's language. Among the changes was the addition of the requirement that the coins bear the date "1936" regardless of when they were struck. And thus was born a mismatch! PS Nice to see a weathered friend again after these many years! I still remember the dealer and show where I came across that circulated Elgin! (I have a follow-up post in the works that has a slightly different "mismatch" spin. Stay tuned!) Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187672 Posts	Posted 04/26/2022 09:41 am Quote: I have a follow-up post in the works that has a slightly different "mismatch" spin. Stay tuned! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
nickelsearcher Moderator United States 15389 Posts	Posted 04/27/2022 05:43 am Quote: You got me! It was kind of you to leave an opening in the listing of such coins - and I enjoyed the minor research process of reading through my references on the series to arrive at an answer. I also enjoyed the opportunity to show off my fabulous circulated Elgin - of course it would reside in another collection if not for your assist all those years ago. Thought you might enjoy viewing it again. I'm looking forward to reading your upcoming mismatch story. Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art Report this Post to the Staff
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