United States 1934 half dollar KM-166

From CoinVarieties
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Stack's Bowers December 2020 auction, lot 4061, sold $168
"1934 Maryland Tercentenary. MS-65 (PCGS)."

Authorization

The Maryland Tercentenary Commission in Baltimore induced its friends in Congress, notably Senator Phillips Lee Goldsborough (a former Republican Governor and a friend of President Roosevelt, who later appointed him to the board of directors of the FDIC), and Senator Millard Tydins (D. Maryland), to speak for the bill which sought to authorize coinage of commemorative half dollars for the Tercentenary celebrations to be held statewide that summer and fall.

This bill became the Act of May 9, 1934; it was the first commemorative coinage act to mention the Director of the Mint as responsible for the mintage, or to mention that the coins were to be sold above face value.

Obverse

Hans Schuler

The 3/4 facing bust labeled CECIL CALVERT is that of the second Lord Baltimore (after whom the city is named); The reason Baltimore (1609-1675) is portrayed is that he received the immense land grant (some 10,000,000 acres of what is now called Maryland) from King Charles I, ruling it was a benevolent despot, but according his subjects religious freedom at a time when it was not to be found anywhere else in the English speaking world except Rhode Island.

The two supporters apparently represent Labor (with the spade) and Fisheries (with the fish). Next to Labor's foot are initials HS for Hans Schuler, the designer. As for the motto, FATTI MASCHII PAROLE FEMINE ("Deeds are manly, words are womanly"), that belongs to the State of Maryland, which to date has not shown any disposition to repudiate this sexist rubbish. The date 1634 is that of arrival of the 200 odd colonists at St. Mary's, the first group to settle in Maryland after Lord Baltimore obtained his grant.

Reverse

The reverse features Lord Baltimore arms, quartered with his wife's (a cross botony), as those were adapted for the arms of the State of Maryland. We have no been able to ascertain why the mantling or the triple crest were used, though the coronet and flags (above the helmet) appear on the Lord Baltimore Denarium or "Penny" of 1658. The two supporters apparently represent Labor (with the spade) and Fisheries (with the fish). Next to Labor's foot are initials HS for Hans Schuler, the designer. As for the motto, FATTI MASCHII PAROLE FEMINE ("Deeds are manly, words are womanly"), that belongs to the State of Maryland, which to date has not shown any disposition to repudiate this sexist rubbish. The date 1634 is that of arrival of the 200 odd colonists at St. Mary's, the first group to settle in Maryland after Lord Baltimore obtained his grant.

Mintage

Published mintage: 25,015. The Philadelphia Mint made 25,000 coins during July 1934. The Maryland Tercentenary Commission managed to sell almost 15,000 of the coins at $1 apiece by mid-November 1934, mostly to locals; during the following month they moved about 5,000 more at the same price.

During 1935 the remaining 250 rolls (5,000 coins) were offered at 75¢ apiece; about 2,000 pieces went at this figure, the remainder being dumped at 65¢ each. Several Maryland families purchased 20 rolls at 65c per coin; these specimens remain off the market, being held for sentimental reasons. Matte proofs of this issue exist; the number is unknown but has been estimated at four. To date three different ones have been examined.

Specification: 192.9 grains = 12.50 grams, 0.900 fine silver, 30.6 mm diameter, reeded edge.

Catalog reference: KM 166.

Source:

  • Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
  • 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

Link to:

Retrieved from "https://coinvarieties.com/index.php?title=United_States_1934_half_dollar_KM-166&oldid=140232"