Commems Collection Classic: 1920-21 Pilgrim Landing Tercentenary - Historical Tidbits

A few odds and ends from my files on the 1920- Pilgrim Landing Tercentenary Half Dollar:

Tidbit #1

The Talbot's clothing store in Lynn, Massachusetts held a special sale in which it gave away examples of the 1920 Pilgrim Tercentenary Half Dollar with the purchase of selected Boy's suits, overcoats or mackinaws (i.e., heavy wool coats). The special sale was held in November 1920 and ran for "one-week only". The advertisement for the sale touted that the coins were "greatly in demand for souvenirs."

The suits, BTW, were advertised in the range of $16.75 to $21.75 each - some came with an extra pair of pants! I wonder if the promotion was a success?

Tidbit #2

Did the Pilgrim half dollar feature Myles Standish?

A contemporary account of the new Pilgrim coin stated "The coin on the obverse face shows a bas-relief of Myles Standish in profile. The stern features of the Pilgrim are accentuated." And here I've long believed the established references that the coin's portrait was that of Governor William Bradford!

Portrait - Myles Standish


Portrait - William Bradford


For the record and to not come down too hard on the "Standish" declaration, other contemporary news accounts variously described the coin's obverse as having "the head and shoulders of a Pilgrim", "the bust of a man in Pilgrim attire, carrying a Bible", "a likeness of a Pilgrim Father" and "a picture of the Pilgrim fathers". Let's just say that, in 1920, numismatic accuracy was in the eye of the beholder!

Tidbit #3

As the selling of commemorative coins at a premium was still a relatively new concept in 1920, efforts were made to publicize the reasons behind the price point:

"While worth only 50 cents, it [the coin] will be sold by the banks for $1, the additional 50 cents going toward a fund to defray the expenses of coining, and what is left goes to a fund for a memorial at Plymouth to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrims."

Funds raised by the Tercentenary Commission via coin sales were largely used to help fund local celebrations/events - including "The Pilgrim Spirit", the Commission's historical pageant staged in 1921.

Tidbit #4

The Tercentenary Commission expressed optimism regarding the sales potential of its 1921 issue:

"As there are only 100,000 of the new issue, or but half as many of the 1920 coins, it is expected that demand will quickly use up the full supply."

History informs us that only about 20,000 of the 100,000 1921 coins were ultimately sold/distributed.


1920 Pilgrim Landing Tercentenary Half Dollar



For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more about the Pilgrim Landing half dollar, see: Commems Collection