While doing a bit of searching on the internet, I came across the "Guide" area of a well-known precious metals dealer's web site and was quite surprised when I read: "The authored and approved legislation mandated that there will be the date of minting "1936", as well as four other dates on this coin - "1682", "1736", "1845" and "1936". " in connection with the 1936 Norfolk Bicentennial/Tricentennial Half Dollar.
Such a sentence certainly gives the impression that the multiple dates that appear on the coin are there by legal statute -
but they are not. The enabling legislation for the coin did specify that the coin "shall bear the date 1936, irrespective of the year in which the they are minted or issued" - the coins were struck in September 1937 and issued shortly thereafter. The other dates that appear on the coin are there as part of the design decisions made by William Marks Simpson and his wife Marjorie Emory Simpson, the coin's co-designers and/or specifications from the Norfolk Advertising Board, the coin's sponsor.
Norfolk Half Dollar Fun Fact: Between its Obverse and Reverse, the Norfolk half dollar includes five dates, which outpaces other US classic era commemorative coins.My first thought after reading the statement was that I had somehow overlooked this fact in my previous posts about the Norfolk half dollar and that it was an interesting tidbit worth addressing. So, I immediately opened up my copy of the authorizing legislation for the coin for a quick review. I found no reference to any date other than "1936." It appears to have been a case of incomplete research by the author of the article and the dissemination of incorrect information. Who knows how many time it has/it will be "copy-and-pasted" by others and thus promulgated across the web!
So, if you come across such an assertion about the source of the Norfolk's dates, know that it is incorrect and that the dates (other than 1936) were not legally mandated.
1936 Norfolk, VA Bicentennial/Tricentennial Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other stories of the Norfolk half dollars, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/06/2023 2:53 pm
