United States 1926 half dollar KM-160

From CoinVarieties
Jump to navigation Jump to search
1926 United States Sesquicentennial

Authorization

A bill passed by Congress on March 3, 1925, authorized the striking of up to one million silver half dollars and up to 200,000 gold quarter eagles. These were to be provided at face value to the Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association for sale in conjunction with the national observance of the occasion, which again would feature a fair in Philadelphia.

Obverse

John R. Sinnock

Design of the coins was entrusted to John Ray Sinnock, chief sculptor-engraver at the main U.S. mint in Philadelphia, from sketches by John Frederick Lewis. His artwork for the quarter eagle won quick approval; a standing figure of Liberty dominates its obverse, while Independence Hall graces its reverse.

Reverse

The coin's reverse features a straightforward view of the Liberty Bell, with the dual dates 1776 and 1926 to the left and right, respectively. Above the bell is the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. Circling the rim, within an interior border, are the inscriptions SESQUICENTENNIAL OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE and HALF DOLLAR. This reverse would reappear, in modified form, 22 years later on the Franklin half dollar, again with sole design credit being given to Sinnock.

Mintage

The coins' unattractive appearance undoubtedly hurt their sales. Then, too, the Sesquicentennial Exposition, held in Philadelphia from June 1 through November 30, 1926, fell far short of the sponsors' expectations, even though six million people did pass through its gates. In any case, relatively few fair-goers chose to pay the going price of $1 apiece for the half dollars and $4 each for the quarter eagles, and huge quantities ended up being melted. Of the 1,000,528 half dollars (528 of them assay coins) struck at the Philadelphia Mint in May and June of 1926, 859,408 were returned there later for melting, resulting in a "net" mintage of 140,592 pieces. Proofs of the "sesqui" coins were not officially struck, but the late Walter Breen, a renowned numismatic scholar, reported the existence of at least three matte proof half dollars, adding that a fourth was rumored to exist as well. Besides being sold at the fair, the coins were also distributed by the Franklin Trust Company of Philadelphia. The original packaging used by the bank consisted of an envelope with the blue-imprint "Official SesquiCentennial Coins," along with a small commercial message: "At Your Service Day and Night."

Recorded Mintage: 141,120.

Specification: 192.9 grains = 12.50 grams, 0.900 fine silver, 30.6 mm diameter, reeded edge. Designed by John R Sinnock.

Catalog reference: KM 160.

Source:

  • Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • Slabaugh, Arlie R., United States Commemorative Coinage, 2nd Ed., Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing, 1975.
  • Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.

Links:

Retrieved from "https://coinvarieties.com/index.php?title=United_States_1926_half_dollar_KM-160&oldid=246598"