Days Of Classic US Commemorative Coins

As a collector active in today's numismatic market, it is impossible to imagine legislation authorizing the issuance of a commemorative half dollar honoring the anniversary of a typical county.

That is exactly what occurred with this coin in 1936 - a time when the classic commemorative series was fraught with illogical and politically conceived issues commemorating events of only local impact with no national significance.

1936 York County (Maine) Tercentenary Half Dollar - PCGS MS67+/CAC



Light golden toning in hand ... the digital image above is not well color matched.

The York half dollar is readily available today in gem MS state.


1936 York County (Maine) Tercentenary Half Dollar - Circulated



As you might guess by the sad face ... my dual MS/circulated type sets are complete except for an honestly circulated York half dollar.

That is not surprising ... the York half dollar is an extremely rare coin in circulated condition. The closest I have come to obtaining a circulated example was a coin that the PCGS wizards judged as XF-Details (cleaned).

I am designating the York half dollar as the third of five 'stoppers' for a complete circulated type set ... in my judgment it is possible for a dedicated collector to never find one.

The PCGS population report agrees ... there is but 1 York half dollar certified at XF45 or lower ... a stunning VF25 example. The York half is the only circulated type coin with a PCGS Pop of only 1 coin below AU.

I'm hopeful to find one someday ... any help out there?

David

Day Forty-Two: 1936 Bridgeport, Connecticut

Why issued?

1) To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
2) To help the Bridgeport Centennial, Inc. group raise funds to support its planned anniversary celebrations.


Design // Designer

Obverse:. A left-facing portrait of Bridgeport's one-time mayor and most famous resident - the unabashed promoter Phineas Taylor (PT) Barnum. // Henry Kreiss

Reverse: A very modern take on the American (Bald) Eagle. // Henry Kreiss


Net Mintage:

25,000

Original Selling Price:

$2.00


Quick Fact:

The law authorizing the coin did not limit its total mintage, nor did it limit its striking to the year 1936. Fortunately for today's collector, contemporary sales of the coin did not require more than the sponsor's original order of 25,000 1936-dated coins.


Here's a link to my prior post about the "Bridgeport" half dollar (it features multiple images of the coin's original distribution boxes):
https://goccf.com/t/118717


My example is a brilliant, white coin with terrific luster.

Henry Kreis magnificent Art Deco eagle shown on the reverse of this coin is the artistic continuation of his modernistic eagle shown on the reverse of his 1935 Connecticut half - discussed in this thread on October 23rd.

Both of them are amongst my favorite eagle images in the classic commemorative series ...

Fun Fact - In the classic silver commemorative series there are 10 type coins with images of eagles. Each is different (with the exception of the 'repeat' on the Arkansas-Robinson) and all are treasured.

1936 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Half Dollar - PCGS MS66/CAC



Toned example with dull surfaces ... searching for a brilliant upgrade.

1936 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Half Dollar - PCGS AU55



I 'downgraded' to this coin from an ugly AU50 example to improve the eye appeal.

The Bridgeport half dollar is today very difficult to obtain in honestly circulated state ... as evidenced by my AU55 example after over 5 years of dedicated searching.

PCGS agrees - having certified only 2 Bridgeport at XF45 or lower ... the current lowball is a stunning G04 example.

Despite that level of rarity ... I am not considering the Bridgeport half to be a circulated set 'stopper' ... two more of them are on the way shortly.

David

I like the toning muddler!
The Bridgeport is one of two commemoratives I have in ms. I will try to get to my dads house and take a picture. It's in our 7070

Good to know I was not the only one. For the longest of time when flipping through the pages of my Red Book, I always thought it was a whale coming out of the water with its 2 fins sticking out at the bottom. It was only after I seriously started collecting this series and started to read the descriptions that I found out it's an Eagle, a very unusual Eagle but nice.

Day Forty-Three: Wild Card Wednesday

I've made a last minute "executive decision" and added a theme to this edition of Wild Card Wednesday.

In addition to the previously announced themes of "Least Worthy" and "Catch Up," I've decided to add "Most Worthy."

So, which classic US commemorative coin issue do you rank as #1 in terms of its celebration of the most worthy person/place/event of the series? I believe by combining the "most" and "least" worthy coins of the classic series into one day, we'll get some very interesting comparisons and gain some insight into how CCF members view the series' various issues!

So, today's Wild Card Wednesday themes are:

1) "Most Worthy" subject to be commemorated
2) "Least Worthy" subject to be commemorated
3) "Catch Up" (If you missed posting a coin on its assigned day, "catch up" and post it today!)


For me, choosing the subject "Most Worthy" of commemoration is fairly easy - I go with the 1926 Sesquicentennial of American Independence. If we had only been allowed one commemorative program between 1892 and 1954, I would have voted for the 1926 silver half dollar and gold quarter eagle that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the formal birth of the United States of America.





In contrast, selecting the "Least Worthy" subject is more difficult for me. I could easily do without the various city/county coins, as I prefer my US commemorative coins to be "national" in nature. (I'm fine with the colony/state coins.) I also wouldn't feel bad if we had missed the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, another rather local event/accomplishment IMO.

But since I have to pick just one, I will go with the 1936 Cincinnati Music Center half dollar. Its link to an actual event and specific date to commemorate is beyond tenuous and, to make matters worse, nothing meaningful for the Cincinnati music scene came from the coin's net proceeds - just profits for the coin's sponsor!