The 1936 Cleveland Centennial/Great Lakes Exposition commemorative half dollar is fairly well-known among collectors of classic
US coinage, it marked the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Cleveland, Ohio as a city. It also marked Cleveland's hosting of the Great Lakes Exposition that was held to celebrate the centennial; the Exposition ran during the summers of 1936 and 1937.
1936 Cleveland Ohio Centennial Half Dollar
Fifteen years prior, in 1921, Cleveland celebrated the 125th anniversary of its founding with a commemorative medal. Cleveland traces its roots back to July 1796 when General Moses Cleaveland and a survey team arrived at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and Cleaveland decided the plain above the river was a good site for a settlement. The site was named Cleaveland in the General's honor. It was incorporated as a Village in 1814, and then as a City (without the extra "a") in 1836.
The medal was struck in bronze with a diameter of 51 mm (two inches); its weight is ~3.1 ounces (~88 grams). The medal was struck by Medallic Art Company of New York, New York.
The medal's obverse features a waist-up portrait of Moses Cleaveland holding a small map and a surveyor's tool; Moses is flanked by the anniversary dates "July 22, 1796" and "July 22, 1921." The inscription "125th Anniversary of the Founding of Cleveland" is seen semi-encircling the portrait.
The reverse of the medal features a combination of graphic elements and inscriptions. At center is a shield with a gear (symbolic of Cleveland's industrial might) and an anchor (symbolic of Cleveland's place as a port city on Lake Erie) at its top, "Cleveland" inscribed in the middle and a wreath below it. Flanking the shield to the left is an allegorical male figure symbolic of
Industry and to the right is a kneeling female figure representing
Justice.
Above the shield is the inscription "Fifth City" which is a nod to the 1920 US Census that listed Cleveland as the fifth most populous US city behind New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit.
Below the shield, in the exergue, is the inscription "Issued by The 125th Anniversary Commission / W. E. Fitzgerald, Mayor / Honorary Chairman."
1921 Cleveland Founding 125th Anniversary Medal
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other World War II commemorative coin stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 04/11/2024 04:37 am
