Post Your Coin Or Medal With Flora

A rose for England and a thistle for Scotland on the UK £5 coin issued in 1990 to commemorate the Queen Mother's 90th birthday:

The primary design element of the obverse of the 1936 Albany. NY Charter 250th Anniversary half dollar is clearly the realistic beaver sculpted by Gertrude Lathrop. the coin's designer/modeler. But, a beaver's got to be a beaver!

Lathrop presents the beaver in the midst of making a meal out of a maple tree branch. Beavers eat the bark, stems and twigs of a variety of trees, as well as leaves, grass, mushrooms and roots. Hard or soft, a beaver is always ready to gnaw some flora for food!

The primary scene on the reverse is that of Governor Thomas Dongan (left) shaking hands with Peter Schuyler after he presented the city's charter to him (the Charter is the rolled-up document being held by Schuyler). Robert Livingston, the regional Secretary for Indian Affairs, is depicted to Schuyler's right. Behind Dongan, is depicted a small pine tree with its branches and pine cones clearly evident, The lumber industry was of primary importance to Albany in its early history - along with beaver pelts - with many pine trees being felled to make the lumber needed to build a growing community. Small pine cones are also used to separate the inscription "SETTLED - 1614 - CHARTERED - 1836" from "ALBANY - N - Y."

In the artist's own words, "The maple branch is used with the beaver because the maple is the New York State tree, and the introduction of maple leaves on this side and pine cones on the reverse is symbolic of the growth and fertility of the community."

1936 Albany, NY 250th Anniversary of City Charter





I've posted more details about the Albany half dollar:

- 1936 Albany Charter 250th
- 1936 Albany Charter 250th - Ephemera
- 1936 Albany Charter 250th - Unused Funds

You can read more about commemorative coins and medals here: Read More: Commems Collection

1836 M.T Republica Peruana
8 Reales

Excellent!


Always good to see this commemorative, especially here to showcase the palmetto.

1993 Malta 2 cents with olive branch on the reverse:

Beautiful coin, commems - that's definitely one I'd like to get sometime!

Floa on both sides of this Guatemala 10 centavos - jungle plants either side of the monolith on the reverse, and laurel branches forming part of the coat-of-arms on the reverse!

The 1936 Norfolk commemorative half dollar marks the 300th anniversary of the 1636 land grant that led to the founding of the Village of Norfolk, as well as the 200th anniversary of the 1736 establishment of the Borough of Norfolk, VA. Its flora element - the American Dogwood - is found on the coin's reverse.

The coin's dominant reverse design element is the Royal Mace of Norfolk. The mace is flanked by "16" and "36" - the year of the original land grant. The date is flanked by flowering dogwood (aka American Dogwood, Cornus florida) branches, one on each side; the elements are spread across an imaginary horizontal line between the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. Flowering (American) dogwood is very common in Virginia; it has been the official Virginia State Tree and Flower since 1918 when such was declared by the Virginia General Assembly. In selecting the American Dogwood, Virginia legislators hoped to "stimulate an interest in the history and traditions of the Commonwealth." One relevant historical note is the fact that Thomas Jefferson grew Dogwood at his Monticello (Virginia) estate.

The coin was jointly designed by William Marks Simpson and his wife Majorie Emory Simpson.

1936 Norfolk Bicentennial/Tricentennial Half Dollar





You can learn more about the Norfolk half dollar here:

- 1936 Norfolk, VA Bicentennial / Tricentennial
- 1936 Norfolk, VA Bicentennial / Tricentennial - Original Models vs. Final Coins
- "Thanks! But No Thanks!" - The Norfolk Medal
- Raleigh's Portrait - Raleigh Coin's Design Team
- 1936 Norfolk, VA Tricentennial / Bicentennial, Coins Designed by a Woman Thread
- 1936 Norfolk, VA Tricentennial / Bicentennial, Coins With Hats Thread


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, see: Read More: Commems Collection.

Very interesting! I did not realize the significance before.