Commems Collection Classic: 1925 California Statehood Diamond Jubilee - Haig Patigian?

How 'bout a mid-week twist that likely alters what you "know" about the 1925 California Statehood Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar?

1925 California Statehood Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar


Of course, everyone knows that Haig Patigian, a noted artist/sculptor based in San Francisco, California, designed and sculpted the 1925 California Statehood Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar.

Wait, what? Everything I've ever read states that Joseph "Jo" Mora was the artist responsible for the coin's designs. Who's Haig Patigian (aka Haig Patigan)?

In March 1925, in several newspapers, Patigian was announced as the designer of the California half dollar. While the announcements were light on specific details - the stories appear based on a brief release from the California Diamond Jubilee Committee - it was stated that "He is already at work upon a bas relief that will be typical of the Golden Gate as well as of intrinsic beauty."

At the time, Patigian was working on the Lincoln statue he was commissioned to sculpt for placement at the San Francisco City Hall/Civic Center. (Patigian also sculpted other public works erected in and around the city.)

Haig Patigian Standing Beside His Abraham Lincoln Ststue (Circa 1927)

(Image Credit: Genthe photograph collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.)

Whether it was a case of being "overbooked" or over a disagreement with the Jubilee Committee, Patagian appears to have been replaced by Jo Mora early on in the project (April/May) as announcements were made beginning in late June that Mora's designs had completed the iterative review/revise cycle with the Commission of Fine Arts and that his gold miner and gizzly bear designs had been approved for use on the coin by the Secretary of the Treasury.

I haven't yet found a definitive statement regarding the change of artists, but update this post with such information should I find it!


For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more on the history and design of the California Statehood half dollar discussed here, see: Commems Collection.