Note: I've written multiple times about the BTW-GWC Half Dollar and prefer not to repeat too much of those posts here, so check out the links below for my previous posts on the topic which provide more details about the coin, the men honored and the involvement of the US Congress in the coin's creation.In Melting Pot #03, I discussed the Booker T. Washington (BTW) Birthplace Memorial Half Dollar and the huge number of examples that were returned to the Mint to be melted or released into circulation at face value. (More here:
To The Melting Pot #03 - 1946-51 Booker T. Washington Birthplace)
Sidney J. Phillips was also the promoter/driver behind the BTW-GWC Half Dollar, and was able to turn the "agony of defeat" that was the disappointing sales volume of the BTW coin into the potential "thrill of victory" when he convinced Congress to authorize him to use unstruck/melted BTW half dollars to provide the silver for new commemorative half dollars that jointly celebrated Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver and financially supported the BTW Birthplace Memorial in Virginia and the GWC National Monument in Missouri.
The BTW-GWC program was authorized to run from 1951 through 1954 with a potential mintage of 3.148 million coins. Of this potential, 2.422 million coins were struck (~77%). Unfortunately, Phillips wasn't any more successful marketing the BTW-GWC coins than he was with the 1946-51 BTW half dollars. He continued to try novel community-based sales initiatives, (for example:
1951-54 George Washington Carver-Booker T Washington - Sharing The Wealth), but could never engage his target audience at the level he needed for his coins to be considered an unqualified sales success and finance his projects at the desired levels. Often the coins were sold at face value or just slightly above.
In the end, 1.093 million of the 2.422 million coins struck were returned to the Mint to be melted (~45%). On top of this figure, more than 100,000 of the coins were placed into circulation at face value. With over 1 million coins sold, however, it's hard to argue that the program was completely unsuccessful - but failing to meet sales expectations cast a lingering dark shadow over the program.
The BTW-GWC Half Dollar is reasonably easy to find in the marketplace in uncirculated as well as circulated grades - though some dates/mint marks are tougher than others - it is not a popular US commemorative coin. For example, I've never seen it make a "Top 10" list of collector favorites, and its design aesthetics are among the poorest of the series (IMO). (The inaccuracies in the map make its design appear amateurish!) That said, the issue does have its fans and some strive to assemble a complete date and mint mark set (12 coins).
1951-54 Booker T. Washington - George Washington Carver Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more on the 1951-54 BTW-GWC half dollars, see:
Commems Collection.For a list of posts specifically about the Design Details of the 1951-54 BTW-GWC half dollars, see:
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Design Discussions - 1951-54 George Washington Carver - B T W National Memorials 
Posted 05/30/2023 09:48 am
