Commems Collection Classic: What If? 1939 Branford, CT Tercentenary

In April 2022, I posted a What If? story about the 300th anniversaries of three Connecticut towns - Branford, Guilford and Milford. As the three nearly identical coin bills in question were introduced by the same Representative on the same day, I combined the three into a single post and did not discuss any of each town's history. So, I decided to swing back around and give each of the Connecticut towns a thread of its own with a brief historical backgrounder and additional information about its Congressional path. As each of the coin bills in question was nearly identical to the other two, and each experienced the same journey in Congress, there is noticeable commonality of text between my posts for each.


In January 1939, during the First Session of the 76th Congress, James Andrew Shanley (D-CT) introduced a bill that called for half dollars "in commemoration of the three-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the town of Guilford (Guilford Tercentenary)." The bill was immediately referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.

From https://www.connecticuthistory.org:

"The town of Branford, located in New Haven County, lies next to the Long Island Sound and includes the Thimble Islands. The first settlers of New Haven bought land from the area's Native peoples in 1638 and established Branford in 1644. In the mid-19th century, the railroad helped develop Branford's industry, and from the 1850s through the 1920s, the scenic coastline made it a popular tourist destination. Today, Branford is a suburban community with several town-maintained parks and beaches and 20 miles of coastline. It has numerous historic districts, and the Thimble Islands remain a favorite destination spot."

Shanley's bill called for just 5,000 half dollars to be struck, a unusually low mintage request. Was it a matter of low anticipated demand? An attempt to create a series scarcity to generate high demand among collectors? The request of an uninformed Congressman who hadn't done his homework? The answer is unknown (at least to me!).

The coins were to feature the date "1939" regardless of when struck, and were to be distributed only to the Guilford Tercentenary Commemorative Coin Association ("Association"). The Association was to receive all authorized coins in a single batch, and was authorized to sell them at a premium to raise funds for the planned Branford Tercentenary commemoration. (Note: The Branford bill references the Guilford Tercentenary Commemorative Coin Association vs. a Branford-specific one. I couldn't find details on whether Guilford was to handle the coins for Guilford AND Branford, or if the Branford bill simply had a mistake in its Coin Association reference.)

The bill stalled in the House Committee and was never considered by the full House. Had the bill been fully considered by either the House Committee or Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, it is very likely that it would have been amended to at least 10,000 coins - but more likely 25,000 - as per recently-adopted Committee guidelines regarding commemorative coins and its actual implementation of them. (See Quick Bits #44 - Senate Committee On Banking And Currency for more details.)

When the 76th Congress adjourned on January 3, 1941, the bill died for lack of action.


If you are interested in checking out my combination post for these three Connecticut towns, see:

- What If? 1939 Guilford, Milford & Branford, CT Tercentenary


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see: Commems Collection.