Commems Collection Classic: Quick Bits #76 - Celebrating A Century, 1600 To 1699

Many of the US commemorative coins mark historical events dating to the 1700s or 1800s, but there is also a sub-set that celebrate events from the 1600s. Here's a quick survey of them:

1920-21 Landing of Pilgrims Tercentenary

The 1920-21 Pilgrim Half Dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims." The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in the Mayflower and landed in present-day Massachusetts in 1620.




1924 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary

The 1924 Huguenot-Walloon half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the settling of New Netherland, the Middle States, in 1624, by Walloons, French and Belgian Huguenots, under the Dutch West India Company." Present-day New York City played a central role in the original settlements, as well as the 1924 anniversary celebrations.




1934 Province of Maryland Tercentenary

The 1934 Maryland Tercentenary half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Province of Maryland." The original settlers of the Province/Colony landed and built a settlement in 1634 at a site they would name St. Mary's City in honor of British Queen Henrietta Maria.




1935 Connecticut Tercentenary

The 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three-hundredth anniversary of the [1635] founding of the Colony of Connecticut." The "Charter Oak" seen on the coin's reverse - "Yes, the reverse!" - was the name given to the tree in Hartford, Connecticut that was used to hide the colony's Royal Charter when an attempt was made by King James II (through his local administrator Sir Edmund Andros) to retrieve and revoke it.




1936 Albany, NY Charter 250th Anniversary

The 1936 Albany half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city of Albany, New York." Albany is the second-oldest chartered city in the US, receiving its Charter in 1686; New York City was the first city to receive its Charter, just three months before Albany.




1936 Delaware-New Sweden Tercentenary

The 1936 Delaware-New Sweden Tercentenary half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three-hundredth anniversary of the landing of the Swedes in Delaware." The Landing took place in 1638 at "The Rocks" in present-day Wilmington, DE and was celebrated in 1938; the coin's enabling Act, however, was authorized in 1936 and required that date to be included on the coin.




1936 Long Island Tercentenary

The 1936 Long Island Tercentenary half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the first settlement on Long Island, New York." The 300th anniversary refers to the first European - Dutch - settlement on the island in 1636.




1936 Providence, Rhode Island Tercentenary

The 1936 Rhode Island half dollar was struck "in commemoration...of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island," The coin's Act notwithstanding, the coin is generally considered to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the State of Rhode Island vs. just the City of Providence. Providence is one of the four original settlements/towns in Rhode Island - Portsmouth, Warwick and Newport are the others - and thus is intimately linked to the State's beginnings. Present-day Providence is also the site of Roger William's landing at Slate Rock in 1636.




1936 Norfolk, VA Bicentennial / Tricentennial

The 1936 Norfolk half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the original Norfolk (Virginia) land grant [1636] and the two-hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the city of Norfolk, Virginia, as a borough [1736]." It is one of several classic US commemorative coins to have a dual commemorative purpose. The coin's obverse notes the bicentennial anniversary, the reverse marks the tricentennial.




1936 York County, Maine Tercentenary

The 1936 York County, Maine half dollar was struck "in commemoration of the three-hundredth anniversary of the founding of York County, Maine." The coin celebrates a debatable anniversary year and clearly marks an event of local importance vs. national significance - still, it was authorized and struck during the series' heyday!




1938 New Rochelle, NY 250th Anniversary

The last coin we'll look at is the 1938 New Rochelle, NY half dollar. The coin was struck "in commemoration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding and settlement of the city of New Rochelle, New York." New Rochelle was founded by Huguenots (Protestants) from France in 1688. They came to the New World to escape religious persecution and purchased a tract of land of 6,000 acres along the Long Island Sound to settle.




Note: The text enclosed in quotation marks for each coin was taken from the coin's authorizing Act - i.e., the "official" purpose of the coin as specified by the US Congress.


If you're looking for a topical subset of classic-era US commemorative coins to assemble, I believe the coins commemorating events of the 1600s would make for an interesting, historical and attractive collection!

I've posted lots more history and background information on each of coins presented here; it can be accessed via: Commems Collection. Have a look!