When I posted my original comments about the 1936 commemorative half-dollar marking the 250th anniversary of Albany, NY receiving its charter, I did so knowing I was only telling part of the story I had intended. (Original post:
http://goccf.com/t/119087)Why? Nothing devious, of course, I simply couldn't find my example of the original mailer/holder for the coins that I had intended to include! I knew it had to be a matter of being misplaced vs. lost, but, either way, it wasn't available for me to present at the time and the "show had to go on!"
I found it earlier this week in a file folder mixed in with other miscellaneous commemorative ephemera. So, I decided to share it tonight along with an attractive medal that marked the 200th anniversary of the Albany Charter back in 1886.
Read More: Commems CollectionThe holder's style is essentially the same as that used by other coin sponsors of the mid-1930s (e.g., Delaware Tercentenary). It features a five-coin cardboard holder with a paper wrap that features information about the history commemorated by the coin. I've presented all panels of the holder below - even the blank back!
I've always liked these "booklet" holders, and wish more of the sponsoring committees had chosen to prepare this type of holder/mailer for their coins.
The 1886 medal features the same principals as the 1936 coin, namely Thomas Dongan, Peter Schuyler and Robert Livingston. Dongan, the Governor of the Province of New York in 1686, is seen signing the charter in the presence of Schuyler (at right), the first Mayor of Albany, and Livingston, the city's first Town Clerk. The reverse of the medal features the central elements of the city's coat-of-arms. The shield is divided into upper and lower sections, with the upper containing a depiction of a beaver felling a tree (presumably a maple tree) and the lower featuring two sheaves of wheat. The shield is surmounted by a sloop; the motto "Assiduity" is seen on a ribbon below (it means "persistence" or "diligence"). In terms of a design element, it's interesting to note that the medal's version of Albany's coat-of-arms was not adopted until 1789, more than 100 years after the granting of the charter in 1686.
The medal is 51mm in diameter and was struck in bronze, white metal and gilt; a very few silver medals were also struck. It was designed by noted medalist of the time, George Hampden Lovett; his "signature" is on the reverse of the medal below the ribbon.
1936 Albany, NY Charter 250th Anniversary Half-Dollar - Obverse
1936 Albany, NY Charter 250th Anniversary Half-Dollar - Reverse
1936 Albany, NY Charter 250th Anniversary Half-Dollar Original Mailer/Holder - Front
1936 Albany, NY Charter 250th Anniversary Half-Dollar Original Mailer/Holder - Interior
1936 Albany, NY Charter 250th Anniversary Half-Dollar Original Mailer/Holder - Back
1886 Albany, NY Charter 200th Anniversary Medal - Obverse
1886 Albany, NY Charter 200th Anniversary Medal - Reverse
Posted 03/01/2013 6:33 pm
