Whale Wednesday: 1935 Hudson Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Commemorative PCGS MS-67

Wow, if this is MS67 I would hate to see a heavily worn one, wouldn't be able to make out the details at all! I'm surprised by how weak the design is, especially on the obverse, it's a shame because I think this is such an unusual design that I wish the detail was more visible.

Neptune's body/face/hat are basically a blob. When compared with other commem halves I'm always surprised by the wild difference in design/strike quality

I fully agree regarding that design. However, in commems coin, and mine shown below, I believe you can see a bit more definition in Neptune's face/hat than in the coin shown above. Additionally, on the above coin, the bottom of the head is blended into Neptune's chest, where on my coin and Commems coin the head is clearly separate from the chest.

However, the details of the sails on the reverse is so much better on the above MS67 coin than my MS66+ with a CAC. Oddly, other than the details in the sails, the stronger strike on my coin and Commems coin shows greater detail on most of the rest of the coin, even on the reverse. Compare the horizontal lines on the body of the boat as just one clear example.

Of personal interest to me is the name of Henry Hudson's boat, the "Half Moon", and this design shows a half moon on the reverse, shining light on Hudson's boat. I went to Tappan Zee High School in NY, and our school slogan for our annual H.S. yearbook was the "Half Moon".

You don't have to imagine coinfrog - I'll show you ....

1935 Hudson Sesquicentennial Half Dollar - PCGS VF35