|
CCF Master Historian of Commemorative Coins
 United States
12506 Posts |
A few brief tidbits about the 1936 Long Island Tercentenary Half Dollar...[/i[
Tidbit #1
Though the coin is referred to as the 1936 Long Island Tercentenary Half Dollar, it is a coin "born and bred" in Brooklyn. Its sponsor was located in Brooklyn, the bank that served as the primary financial depository for coin activities (The National City Bank) was in Brooklyn and the US Congress Representative who introduced the bill that proposed the Long Island coin represented Brooklyn.
Also, Brooklyn (Dutch: Breuckelen) was among the first settlements on Long Island (its roots can be traced to a land purchase from the indigenous people in 1636) - Flatlands (Dutch: Nieuw Amersfoort) is considered the first settlement (also in 1636). Today, Flatlands is a neighborhood within the Borough of Brooklyn.
Of course, Brooklyn is the western segment of Long Island - it is one of four Long Island counties along with Queens, Nassau and Suffolk - so "it's all good."
Note: In fairness, it should be said that the Long Island Tercentenary Committee stated that the coin celebrated all of Long Island, not just Brooklyn.
Tidbit #2
Howard Kenneth Weinman of Forest Hills, Long Island was selected as the artist to design the coin. Howard Weinman was the son of Adolf Weinman, the designer of the Liberty Head Dime (aka, Mercury dime) and Walking Liberty half dollar.
The two shared a workshop, so I'd bet a nickel that Adolf offered his thoughts/suggestions as Howard worked up the designs.
At the time, Howard Weinman commented:
"I chose the heads of the pioneer from the Netherlands and the Indian because they got along so well some 300 years ago.
"These two groups managed to barter and live under the most peaceful circumstances as contrasted with the disorder that occurred between the Indians and the early settlers in New England and Virginia."
Howard researched his design elements at Columbia University and the New York Public Library.
Tidbit #3
In April 1936, the Long Island Tercentenary Committee announced that is was ready to take pre-orders for its commemorative half dollar. The coins would not be physically available for several months, so orders were to be considered "subscriptions."
A maximum of five coins per individual was established.
The coins were sold for $1.00 each, plus $0.18 postage for one coin, $0.20 for two, $0.21 for three, $0.22 for four and $0.23 for five.
Subscription forms were available from local banks throughout Long Island.
Tidbit #4
On May 28, 1936, Howard Weinman hand-delivered his models for the Long Island Tercentenary half dollar to Mary O'Reilly, Assistant Director of the Bureau of the Mint, in Washington, DC. The models were then given to the Commission on Fine Arts for review.
Tidbit #5
In late November 1936, the Tercentenary Committee announced that sales had reached ~70,000 of the 100,000 available. The Committee was dismayed by the fact that Brooklyn, with its circa 1936 population of ~3 million people, did not sell out its quota of 50,000 coins. The Committee urged "public-spirited Brooklynites" to purchase one or more coins before it returned unsold coins to the Mint to be melted.
[i]Note: Nearly 20,000 coins were eventually returned to the Mint.1936 Long Island Tercentenary Half Dollar  For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other 'Historical Tidbits' stories and more about the Long Island half dollar, see: Commems Collection Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
|
Replies: 0 / Views: 19
Posted Today 1H 0M ago
