Representative Francis Eugene Walter (D-PA) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives on behalf of the City of Easton, PA to strike 50-cent pieces "in commemoration of the one hundred and eighty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the city of Easton, Pennsylvania;" the bill was introduced in February 1937.
At first glance, the unusual anniversary milestone to be commemorated by the coin appears to point to a situation in which Easton was trying to "cash in" on the commemorative coin craze before the bubble burst. A bit of digging, however, reveals that the year of issue and the 185th anniversary milestone actually have a historical foundation. (Though the "cash grab" motivator is still on the table!)
Easton is a small city in the eastern portion of Pennsylvania (it is just south of the vertical midpoint of the state); the Delaware River forms its eastern border and separates it from New Jersey.
In 1737, Thomas Penn allocated ~1,000 acres of a tract of land he purchased from the local Lenape Native Americans for the creation of a town; the designated land was at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers. The area began to be settled by Europeans in 1739 and was formally founded in 1752 after being surveyed. The new town was called "Easton" in honor of the home estate of Juliana Fermor (Thomas Penn's wife) - Easton-Neston, Northamptonshire, England.
Though 1952 was the city's 200th anniversary of founding, by celebrating its 185th anniversary in 1937 (15 years earlier) Easton could simultaneously mark the 200th anniversary of its roots via Penn's 1737 land allocation. Easton was incorporated as a Borough in 1789 and as a City in 1887 (via a Charter granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Legislature).
The Easton bill called for up to 30,000 coins but did not restrict the Mint facilitities that could be used - thus, its language made P/D/S sets a possibility. The bill did specify, however, that the coins were to bear the year "1937" and that they were authorized to be issued only for up to one year after the bill's enactment. The bill also set 15,000 as the minimum order size that could be placed for the coins (creating a de facto maximum of two orders); the coins could only be ordered (and received) by a committee designated by the Mayor of Easton.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures upon its introduction. The bill was never subject to a Hearing or reported out of the Committee, however, and thus died for lack of action.
Easton did celebrate in 1937, even without a commemorative coin, as it marked the 50th anniversary (Golden Jubilee) of its City Charter with a week-long celebration in June.
For more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 09/05/2022 11:42 am
