Commems Collection Classic: 1927 Battle Of Bennington / Vermont Independence 150th - First?

I find that it's always best to do a bit of "fact checking" when reading historical accounts of things - including commemorative coins! - as hyperbole sometimes seeped into news reports - either intentionally or without realizing. (Same as today!)

One example of this can be found in early 1927 when claims circulated that the Battle of Bennington/Vermont Independence Sesquicentennial half dollar was the first United States ("US") commemorative coin to be issued without the involvement of a private sponsor, instead being managed by the Vermont State Sesqui-Centennial Commission.

My "Spidey" senses immediately tingled when I read this as I wondered how the Bennington/Vermont Commission was different from the Illinois Centennial Commission of roughly a decade earlier, for example.

The Illinois Centennial Commission was established by the Illinois General Assembly to plan and coordinate the State's Centennial celebration activities; it was established in 1913. It sponsored and coordinated the distribution of the 1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial Half Dollar - such was just one of the Illinois Commission's activities.

The Vermont Independence Sesqui-Centennial Commission was created by the Vermont Legislature in 1921. Its objective was to plan and coordinate the State's Sesquicentennial celebration. The Commission sponsored and coordinated the distribution of the 1927 Battle of Bennington-Vermont Independence Sesquicentennial Half Dollar - it was just one of the Vermont Commission's activities.

I chalk the inaccurate Vermont Commission "First" declaration up to a bit of marketing hype to spur interest and sales of the coin. Was it done intentionally or the result of inadequate research? It's difficult to say - today's internet makes it much easier to quickly conduct some types of research, and make such errors less acceptable. So, it doesn't seem appropriate to slam the Vermont team without definitive contemporary proof of intent. That said, I can't rally behind the "First" claim that was made!

The Illinois Centennial Commission is just one example of a Vermont Commission predecessor. The Maine Statehood Centennial Commission was another that comes quickly to mind.

1927 Battle of Bennington / Vermont Independence Sesquicentennial Half Dollar


1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial Half Dollar



For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more on the Bennington/Vermont Independence coin, see: Commems Collection.