I've been hesitant to post this one because the ships presented on the coin are not sailing ships - they are modern steam-powered ships (circa 1936). But, as I've already posted all of the classic era US commemorative coins that feature a true sailing ship, I thought I would add this one to complete the "collection" via a general "ships on coins" contribution.
The 1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge commemorative half dollar was issued to mark the opening of the bridge that connected San Francisco with Oakland; the bridge opened officially on November 12, 1936. The bridge was comprised of two spans that met on Yerba Buena Island in SF Bay. A double suspension bridge ran from San Francisco to the island (the Western Span) where it was then connected to a double cantilever and long-span truss bridge that continued on to Oakland (the Eastern Span). The scene on the coin presents a view from San Francisco, with the Western Span - the suspension bridge - the dominant design element; the Eastern Span can be seen in the background.
(Note: As a result of the 1989 earthquake in the area, the Eastern Span was damaged and temporarily closed. It was eventually replaced by a new, self-anchored suspension bridge with the old bridge demolished. The scene on the coin is now just a memory.)The coin depicts two ships in San Francisco Bay. A ferry ship is seen closest to the SF Ferry Building (in the foreground), and an ocean-going passenger liner is depicted further out in SF Bay (on a direct heading for the second tower!
). Both ships appear to be under full steam.
Jacques Schnier (1898-1988), a San Francisco-based sculptor, designed the coin; he had a background in engineering (he received his degree in engineering from Stanford in 1920) and enjoyed many interests in addition to his art. Schnier won several regional awards for his sculptures prior to receiving the commission for the commemorative half dollar, and would go on to have a very successful career in art after his coin work, including creating several large-format pieces for the 1939-40 Golden Gate International Exposition.
1936 Bay Bridge Half Dollar
If you'd like to learn more about the coin, chack out:
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1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge -
1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge - Ephemera -
1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge - Distant Cousin -
Bay Bridge Opening - Coins Depicting Places ThreadOther of my post posts about commemorative coins and medals can be found here:
Read More: Commems Collection.
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Posted 03/12/2021 11:22 pm
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