Vermont was
not one of the original 13 colonies that declared its independence from Great Britain to form the United States in 1776. At the time, the colonies/provinces of New York and New Hampshire had competing claims over the land that comprises current-day Vermont. In January 1777, however, the people living in the disputed region declared their independence and created the Republic of New Connecticut. Six months later, the name was changed to the Republic of Vermont. Vermont delegates met, drafted a state constitution, established a post office and elected a president.
In January 1791, Vermont ratified the US Constitution; it became the 14th state upon Congress' approval on March 4, 1791.
In April 1941, Representative Charles Albert Plumley (R-VT) introduced in the House of Representatives a bill that proposed half dollars be struck "in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the admission of the State of Vermont to the Union."
The bill called for up to 100,000 coins to be "coined at the mints of the United States," which would have opened the possibility of coins being struck not only in Philadelphia, but also in Denver and San Francisco - another three-coin program to maximize potential sales to collectors assembling complete date and mint mark sets. The bill did not name the sponsor of the coin, something that was a bit odd considering it was 1941 and including the name of a coin's sponsor in its bill had become standard by that time.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, but was never reported out for consideration by the Whole House. As no companion bill was introduced in the Senate, the Senate never considered the bill.
As someone who would have supported Statehood Anniversary coins back in the day, I think this one would have been justified. I also think it would have paired well with the 1927 Battle of Bennington / Vermont Independence half dollar. Charles Keck, the designer/sculptor of the 1927 Half Dollar and 1927 Official Medal for the Bennington / Vermont Anniversary (see my previous posts) was alive at the time - maybe he could have been commissioned to work on the 1941 coin? The two coins would have paired well, IMO!
Though no commemorative half dollar was struck by the Mint for Vermont, the US Post Office Department issued a postage stamp in recognition of the anniversary. Following is an image of the three-cent stamp which depicts the Vermont capitol building located in Montpelier.
1941 Vermont Statehood Anniversary Three-Cent Stamp
(Image Credit: Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Fair use, education.)For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 12/28/2022 10:19 am
