Many of the classic-era US commemorative coins had a formal order/subscription form that was to be completed by interested collectors/souvenir seekers. For example, here's one of my earlier posts that includes the Order Form for the 1936 Norfolk Half Dollar:
1936 Norfolk Bicentennial/Tricentennial.
The Roanoke Colony Memorial Half Dollar is among those with a formal "Subscription Application" (i.e., Order Form). I suppose the term "Subscription Application" was justifiable as the sponsor did reserve the right to cancel or alter an order received. The Roanoke Colony Memorial Association, a sponsor of the coin, went on record to state that it had worked hard to keep the coin from "unscrupulous dealers" and limit the number of coins sold to an individual. (Read more here:
1937 Roanoke Colony - Guarding Against Unscrupulous Dealers.
The Roanoke order form was a simple, one-page, folded, four-panel brochure that included brief historical background and coin information, described the ordering process and included a tear-off order form; it was printed on a light-weight, light blue stock. The form's front panel notes the two groups that promoted/benefited from the coin's sales: the Roanoke Colony Memorial Association of Manteo and the Roanoke Island Historical Association, Inc. It also refers to the coin as the "Virginia Dare / Sir Walter Raleigh / Commemorative / Half Dollar" - the "Roanoke" nickname was still in the future at the time of the form.
Though the form is undated, at least two things are clear from the phrasing of its text: 1) The form was printed/distributed no earlier than the second half of 1936 (authorization for the Roanoke Half Dollar was signed into law on June 24, 1936 and the form refers to it as a past event), and 2) the form was distributed prior to the 1937 celebration and the coin's availability as the "Information and Instructions" panel refers to both of these in the context of being future events.
The form is also quite clear in stating the ordering limits that were to be in place for the coin. It's impossible to say how many individuals made efforts to bypass the limits or were successful in doing so, but the up front publishing of the limits did likely control the amount of hoarding of the coin. It was an issue that interested collectors were able to comfortably secure for their collection directly from the sponsor.
The per-coin price of $1.50 plus $0.15 for postage, insurance and handling is clealry described; it does not appear any postage/handling discounts were offered for multi-coin orders.
The form estimated the coins being available in late December 1936, but they were not struck by the Mint (first batch) until January 1937 - 25,000 coins were struck + assay pieces. This delay did cause some collectors to contact the Association about the status of their orders, but the Association worked diligently and promptly to process all orders on hand once it did receive the coins. Most mail orders were fulfilled with coins inserted in a protective and informative mailer, illustrated below.
1937 Roanoke Colony Memorial Association Half Dollar
1937 Roanoke Colony Memorial Half Dollar Subscription Application - Outer Panels
1937 Roanoke Colony Memorial Half Dollar Subscription Application - Inner Panels
(Image Credits: The images of the Subscription Application are courtesy of the NC Collection - Wilson Library, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.)1937 Roanoke Colony Memorial Half Dollar Mailer - Front Panel
1937 Roanoke Colony Memorial Half Dollar Mailer - Inner Panels
For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including much more on the Roanoke half dollar, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 03/24/2023 6:09 pm
