A few notes about the 1936 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Robinson Type Half Dollar...Tidbit #1The Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Robinson Type Half Dollar came about as a result of the 1936 efforts to get three new designs for the Arkansas Centennial half dollar approved by Congress.
In April 1936, the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures reported its support for the design change proposal but amended the bill to reflect just one additional coin design vs. the three originally proposed. In May 1936, the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency supported passage of the amended version of the bill.
The one-additional-design bill was signed into law on June 26, 1936 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; the bill did not specify a Robinson design, it simply authorized a second design for the coin program. The coin's sponsor - the Arkansas Honorary Centennial Celebration Commission - drove the selection of the Robinson design for the coin to honor his long-term service to Arkansas and his efforts on behalf of its Centennial.
Tidbit #2The Act that authorized the Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Joeseh T. Robinson half dollar specified that the coin's mintage was to be "not less than twenty-five thousand and not more than fifty thousand". It also specified that the coins must be delivered in batches of at least 25,000 coins - essentially, one or two batches could be ordered/delivered.
The legislation also stated that the coins were to bear the date '1936' "irrespective of the year in which they are minted or issued."
In January 1937, the Philadelphia Mint struck the first and only batch of 1936 Arkansas-Robinson half dollars - 25,265 coins were struck (including Assay coins). Distribution of the coins began in February 1937.
Tidbit #3A few milestone dates for the 1936 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Robinson Type Half Dollar:
- Half Dollar Approved - June 26, 1936
- Half Dollars Struck: January 1937
- Half Dollar Distribution Begins: February 1937
- Senator Joseph Robinson Dies: July 14, 1937
At least Senator Robinson got a chance to see and enjoy his half dollar for a few months!
Tidbit #4A brief 1936 news release that preceded the coin's launch, touted the half dollar as "the second to carry the profile of a living person." The piece then referenced the Lynchburg, Virginia 150th Anniversary coin that features Senator Carter Glass as the other.
Of course, the release overlooked the two "living person" commemorative half dollars of the 1920s: the 1921 Alabama Statehood Centetnnial (then-Governor Thomas Erby Kilby) and the 1926 American Independence Sesquicentennial half dollar (then-President Calvin Coolidge).
For a bit more on the topic of living persons on US commeorative coins, see:
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Quick Bits #07 - Alive And Well (At The Time!)1936 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Robinson Type
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Tidbits stories, see:
Commems Collection 
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