Post Your Coins And Medals With Trees

1960 Tunisia.
5 Millimes.


Obverse:
Oak tree or Cork oak tree (Binomial Name: Quercus suber)

Very nice!

Common 1 Dollar Canadian Coin featuring the Common Loon in the foregound and the pine trees in the background.

Next up is a coin on which trees play only a minor (i.e., background) role in the design - the 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial half dollar.

Today, Monument Terrace in Lynchburg, VA (shown on the reverse of the coin) is lined with trees from its base level (Church Street) to its top level (Court Street). At the time the coin was designed/struck, however, grass was the dominant occupant of the intermediate terrace levels with trees mostly part of a future landscaping plan. A few trees were located at the top, however, across the street from the Old Courthouse. Two of these Court Street trees are shown on the coin: a full tree is seen to the right of the Confederate Monument at the top (viewer's perspective) with a partial view of a second tree to the left (about half of it is hidden behind Lady Liberty). Neither is very large, but Charles Keck, the coin's designer, included the pair of trees to help present an accurate depiction of the contemporary scene.

The coin's obverse features a portrait of Senator Carter Glass of Virginia. He was opposed to having his portrait appear on the coin, but was over-ruled by the coin's sponsor, the Lynchburg Sesquicentennial Association; the former US Representative, former US Secretary of the Treasury and then-current US Senator served as the honorary chairman of the Association.

1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial Half Dollar





You can learn more about the Lynchburg, VA coin here:

- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial
- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins With Hats Thread
- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins Depicting Places Thread
- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins Depicting Mythology
- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins With Hands Thread
- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins That Depict a Statue Thread


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, check out: Commems Collection.

Very interesting, commems! Great coin!
1993 Zimbabwe One Dollar:

1991 Philippines.
2 Piso.


Reverse:
Palm tree

Time to return to the pine trees of Maine - presenting the 1936 York County, ME Tercentenary half dollar - a double-sided tree coin. The coin was issued to commemorate the three-hundredth anniversary of the county's founding in 1636; it is Maine's first county.

The York County Seal is presented on the coin's reverse (per the US Mint) with a depiction of Brown's Garrison on the obverse. (For a discussion of Brown's Garrison, see the "Coins Depicting Places Thread" linked below.)

Maine's nickname is the Pine Tree State." Since approval by the state legislature in 1945, the white pine tree has been considered Maine's official State Tree.

Today, Maine has over 17.6 million acres of forest (approximately 90% of the State's land area). The long-term presence and importance of pine trees in Maine no doubt drove the inclusion of a pine tree within the York County Seal.

A pine tree is presented in the upper-left quadrant of the Seal. It is the only decorative element included on the Seal's Shield other than the cross. The Seal is believed to be rooted in the 17th century unofficial flag of New England. There were multiple versions of the flag, but most incorporated St. George's Cross in the canton along with a small pine tree in the upper left corner (like the York County Seal).

17th Century Flag of New England

Image Credit. Thespoondragon, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

As can be seen, the flag of New England is primarily red. The Seal of York County, however, is green and white.

Seal of York County, Maine

Image Credit. Web site of York County Maine Government, https://www.yorkcountymaine.gov/)

If you look closely at the obverse, you will see a pine tree forest in the background, behind Brown's Garrison and below the setting sun.

The coin was designed by noted wildlife artist Walter Rich of Portland, ME.

1936 York County, ME Tercentenary Half Dollar





For more information about the York County coin and its original holder/mailer, have a look at:

- 1936 York County Tercentenary
- 1936 York County Tercentenary - Revisited
- York County Tercentenary - Quick Bits
- 1936 York County Half Dollar - Coins Depicting Places Thread - Brown's Garrison.

Other of my commemorative coin and medal posts can be found here: Commems Collection.

The reverse design of the 1937 Battle of Antietam 75th Anniversary commemorative half dollar incorporates multiple mature sycamore trees that create a peaceful scene that contrasts sharply with the brutal battle that took place on and near the bridge during the US Civil War in September 1862.

Here is a photograph, taken within days after the battle, that shows a landscape around the bridge that is very stark in comparison to the coin's depiction of the famous bridge. Today, the bridge is known as the Burnside Bridge, but, at the time of the CW, is was referred to simply as the Lower Bridge over Antietam Creek.

Burnside Bridge, Looking North, Circa 1862

(Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/pictures. Public Domain.)

William Marks Simpson, the coin's designer, chose to present a more idyllic scene of the bridge that is likely representative of its appearance at the time of the anniversary vs. the date of the battle. The scene depicted on the coin does not reflect the scene at the bridge today. The tree closest to the viewer on the right side of the bridge is not seen today, but the mostly obscured tree depicted on the opposite side of the bridge does. The split-trunk tree is referred to as a "Witness Tree" as it was present at the time of the battle. Too bad that tree's side was not featured on the half dollar!

1937 Battle of Antietam 75th Anniversary Half Dollar


Here's a current view of the bridge and its tree-filled surroundings:


(Image Credit: National Park Service, Digital Asset Management System. Public Domain.)


You can read more about the coin here:

- 1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar
- 1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar - Revisited
- 1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar - A Look At Its Stars
- 1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar - Coins with Beards Thread
- 1937 Battle of Antietam Half Dollar - Coins Depicting Places Thread


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