The 1935 half dollar issued to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Hudson, NY was one of the few coins in the series to not enjoy a dedicated authorizing Act - it shared its authorizing legislation with the half dollar for Providence, Rhode Island.
In March 1935, three standalone Hudson, NY coin proposals were introduced in Congress, two in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives. All of the bills called for 6,000 coins to be struck on behalf of the mayor (or city) of Hudson, NY with the net proceeds generated from their sale to be used "in furtherance of the commemoration of the founding of the city of Hudson, New York."
The House bill was referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures; the Senate bills were each referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency. The House Committee soon recommended the bill be approved with an amendment to specify "10,000" coins instead of "6,000" as the mintage.
The House bill moved along more quickly, and was passed, with the recommended amendment, by the House and sent to the Senate for consideration where it was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency. The Senate Committee recommended the House bill for approval, and put aside the two Senate-introduced bills it had before it. When the bill came up for consideration in the full Senate, an amendment was proposed to add authorization for a half dollar to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Providence, RI; the Providence bill called for 50,000 coins.
The suggestion for the inclusion of the Providence, RI coin in the Hudson, NY bill was made by Senator Jesse Houghton Metcalf (R-RI) who, in January, 1935 had introduced a standalone bill for a Providence, RI half dollar. As that bill was not gaining traction, Metcalf took a new direction and jumped on the "Hudson Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Bandwagon!"
The amended bill and its amended title were passed in the Senate and sent back to the House for consideration. The House considered the Senate changes and passed the amended bill without objection - the Hudson, NY bill had become a two-coin bill! The combination bill was sent to the President for approval/signature and received same on May 2, 1935.
1935 Hudson, NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
1936 Providence, RI 300th Anniversary Half Dollar
For more on the Hudson, NY and/or Providence, RI coins, check out:
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1935 Hudson, NY 150th Anniversary-
1935 Hudson, NY - Official City Seal on the Half Dollar-
1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary-
1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary - Revisited-
1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary and Horace Grant-
1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary - School of DesignFor a variety of commemorative-themed posts about coins and medals, check out:
Commems Collection. 
Posted 01/12/2022 11:06 am
