Tonight we continue our look at the Daniel Boone commemorative half-dollars with a look at the "Small Date" variety of the coin. The coin is presented via an example in PCGS MS-65.
Here's a link to the previous post regarding the 1934 Daniel Boone half-dollar:
http://goccf.com/t/117670Read More: Commems CollectionUnlike many of the coins in the classic commemorative series, the 1934 Boone half-dollar did not use dual dates to identify the bicentennial being celebrated (i.e., no ‘1734-1934'). This would not have been much of an issue if the coin was only to be struck and dated ‘1934', the actual year of the bicentennial of Boone's birth (1734). But, the half-dollar would be struck for several years and bear the dates 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1938 -- thus the connection to the bicentennial date would be lost. To address the situation, a small ‘1934' was added on the reverse above the ‘Pioneer Year' inscription beginning in 1935 to identify the original bicentennial year. I view these coins as the "Small Date" variety of the Boone commemorative.
The 1935-dated half-dollars were issued with and without the small-date ‘1934' on the reverse, but the coins issued from 1936 through 1938 all include the small date.
Trivia Question: What is the first US coin to feature a real-life Native American (vs. a composite or symbolic representation)?
Trivia Answer: The Daniel Boone half-dollar; it features Shawnee Chief Black Fish (sometimes Blackfish) on its reverse.
Anyone know the second coin?
As with yesterday's coin, my "Small Date" Boone is a brilliant white coin with nice cartwheel luster on both obverse and reverse. It wouldn't be too difficult to upgrade this piece to an MS-66 example, but it's a near certainty that this nice white gem in a PCGS original green holder will be a long-term part of my collection.
I've also included an image of a page from the Daniel Boone Bicentennial Commission Report to the Kentucky General Assembly; it features the obverse/reverse models of the coin.
Enjoy!
1935/34 Daniel Boone Birth Bicentennial, Small Date Variety -- Obverse
1935/34 Daniel Boone Birth Bicentennial, Small Date Variety -- Reverse
Daniel Boone Birth Bicentennial Half-Dollar - Obverse and Reverse Models
Posted 04/30/2012 2:45 pm
