Adding a few tidbits to my previous submission (see
1937 Roanoke Colony Memorial - Historical Tidbits #01):
Historical Tidbit #04: Coin ReferenceAs I've previously mentioned, the Roanoke Colony Memorial half dollar was often referred to as the Virginia Dare - Sir Walter Raleigh half dollar at the time of its issue. While this worked fine for news articles, it was not ideal for dealer marketplace advertisements. Hence, "Roanoke" became the far-more-succint identifier for the coin and its use has continued to the present.
Historical Tidbit #05: Postponed HoneymoonWilliam Marks Simpson, the designer/aculptor of the Roanoke half dollar got married on June 5, 1936. At the time, however, he was finishing up his work on the models for the Roanoke, the Battle of Antietam and Norfolk, Virginia commemorative half dollars. (Simpson's wife, Marjorie Emory, worked with William on the Norfolk coin designs.)
His coin work resulted in his honeymoon being postponed until September. At that point, the couple embarked on a three-week honeymoon in the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia) on horseback (with a stop at the Virginia Military Institute) - they didn't just go horseback riding at different times during their honeymoon, the entire honeymoon was spent on horseback! That's something you don't see everyday!
Historical Tidbit #06: Coin ArrivalD. Bradford Fearing, chairman of the Roanoke Colony Memorial Association, announced in late January 1937 that the Association was expecting its coins to be delivered from the US Mint shortly. (The first batch of 25,000 coins was struck in January; a second batch of 25,000 was struck in June.) He encouraged local residents interested in the coin to make their purchase at the Roanoke Coin and Memorial Association within the Chamber of Commerce room of the Court House in Manteo.
He recommended that those interested act quickly to ensure they secure their coin at the issue price of $1.50 each. He noted that the "price will be increased as the supply diminishes." The price did not advance, and mail orders remained at $1.65 per coin (with $0.15 to cover postage and handling).
1937 Virginia Dare-Sir Walter Raleigh Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more stories about the Roanoke Colony half dollar, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 08/12/2025 09:33 am
