I thought I'd post a little something that did not pertain to today's release of the 2017 225th Anniversary Enhanced Uncirculated Set...
I recently came across a promotional brochure/booklet distributed by the Roanoke Island Historical Association (RIHA) that instantly struck me as familiar. The RIHA partnered with the Roanoke Colony Memorial Association (RCMA) to plan and stage the 1937 celebrations for the 350th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh's Roanoke Colony. The two groups also jointly promoted the Virginia Dare - Sir Walter Raleigh commemorative half dollar (the "Roanoke" to you and me).
Read More: Commems Collection1937 Roanoke Commemorative Half Dollar: Obverse & Reverse
The brochure was used to promote the anniversary celebrations to be held during the summer of 1937 on Roanoke Island, the site of the original colony. It features a brief history of Raleigh's New World colonization attempts, reviews the work that had been done to restore/recreate the original colony on Roanoke Island and briefly describes the celebration plans for the colony's 350th anniversary. It also features several pages promoting tourism in and around Dare County, NC - the present-day NC county in which the original colony site is located.
When I first saw the brochure, it immediately seemed familiar to me - it reminded me of the Roanoke half dollar holder / mailer.
The top portion of the brochure's front cover immediately reminded of the top portion of the interior content panel of the coin holder. The listing of the first English settlements of Roanoke Island, Jamestown Island and Plymouth Rock were instantly familiar.
Cover Panel of Brochure
Inside Panels of Coin Holder
The introductory paragraphs of the brochure were also familiar and turned out to be slightly different versions of the discussion found inside the coin holder (above). I think it's interesting to compare the two and see how the content was abbreviated and slightly refocused for the coin holder.
Introduction of Brochure
The brochure is not dated, but I would suggest that it first appeared in January 1937 or soon thereafter. I base this estimate on the images of the plaster models for the obverse and reverse of the commemorative half dollar seen on the brochure's back cover. The models shown, with Raleigh's name spelled "Ralegh," were not completed until mid-December 1936 and therefore suggest that the brochure could not have been finalized and printed until late-December or early-January.
Back Cover of Brochure
The images used for the brochure are the same as those used on the front cover of the coin holder and on the back of the official First Day Cover.
Front Cover of Coin Holder
1937 Virginia Dare Stamp First Day Cover
I would also submit that the content of the brochure was developed first and, once completed, served as the source for the much briefer historical content featured in the holder; it's typically easier to edit and shorten text information vs. expand upon it.
I'm always on the lookout for ephemera that aligns with the coins of the US classic commemorative series and was happy to come across this piece for my collection.
Posted 08/01/2017 4:41 pm
