United States 1936 half dollar KM-175

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US 1936 50c Bridgeport 1.jpg

Authorization

As Bridgeport approached the 100th anniversary of its incorporation. A group of civic leaders, calling themselves the Bridgeport Centennial, Inc., sought to join in this activity by having a half dollar coined to recognize their town. The process must have moved smoothly, as little is recorded about the Bridgeport coin in Congressional records. A bill was passed May 15, 1936, which authorized the minting of no fewer than 25,000 Bridgeport half dollars.

While this coin features Barnum quite prominently, it is not the man but the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut that is being commemorated. The centennial of its incorporation provides the actual anniversary dates. Originally known as Pequonnock, Bridgeport was not incorporated until 1836, since it's one of the oldest communities in New England; it was founded nearly 200 years earlier, in 1639. As its name implies, it is a seaport city, located on the north shore of Long Island Sound. It grew as a fishing village during the 17th and 18th centuries, but the onset of the Industrial Revolution turned it into one of America's most productive manufacturing centers. Without a doubt, the most famous resident of Bridgeport was Phineas Taylor Barnum. Not a native of this city, he was actually born in Bethel, Connecticut on July 5, 1810. It was Bridgeport, however, that he ultimately made his home.

Barnum's genius as a showman is widely acknowledged, but it was his achievements as a public servant and philanthropist that earned him lasting recognition on the Bridgeport half dollar. Phineas was both the mayor of Bridgeport and a member of the state legislature, although his bid for a Congressional seat in 1866 proved unsuccessful. In 1883, the Barnum Museum of Natural History was created at Tufts College in his honor. Among its exhibits is Barnum's giant elephant Jumbo. When P.T. Barnum died April 7, 1891, Bridgeport lost a respected citizen and the nation its greatest showman.

Legislation

[PUBLIC—No. 596—74TH CONGRESS]

[S. 4229]

AN ACT

To authorize the coinage of 50-cent pieces in commemoration of the one-hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a city.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, there shall be coined at a mint of the United States to be designated by the Director of the Mint not less than twenty-five thousand silver 50-cent pieces of standard size, weight, and composition and of a special appropriate single design to be fixed by the Director of the Mint, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, but the United States shall not be subject to the expense of making the necessary dies and other preparations for this coinage.

SEC. 2. The coins herein authorized shall bear the date 1936, irrespective of the year in which they are minted or issued, shall be legal tender in any payment to the amount of their face value, and shall be issued only upon the request of the Bridgeport, Centennial, Incorporated, Bridgeport, Connecticut, upon payment by it of the par value of such coins. Such coins may be disposed of at par or at a premium by such Bridgeport Centennial, Incorporated, and the net proceeds shall be used by it in defraying the expenses incidental and appropriate to the commemoration of such event.

SEC. 3. All laws now in force relating to the subsidiary silver coins of the United States and the coining or striking of the same, regulating and guarding the process of coinage, providing for the purchase of material, and for the transportation, distribution, and redemption of coins, for the prevention of debasement or counterfeiting, for the security of the coins, or for any other purposes, whether such laws are penal or otherwise, shall, so far as applicable, apply to the coinage herein authorized.

Approved, May 15, 1936.

(247)

39–288 O—64——18

Obverse

Henry Kreis

Sculptor Henry Kreis, veteran of the previous year's Connecticut Tercentenary coin designed the obverse, the sketches were submitted to the Fine Arts Commission on July 10, 1936 and approved one week later.

Reverse

The eagle modeled by Henry Kreis, for the reverse drew some criticism for its extremely stylized and streamlined appearance. This seems a fair evaluation, as it may clash with the very conventional and realistic portrait of Barnum.

Mintage

Published Minatge: {25,000 + 15 assay]

Bridgeport halves were offered at $2 apiece and were distributed through the First National Bank and Trust Co., as well as selected other banks. Purchasers were limited to five coins each. Despite their arriving too late for most of the centennial celebrations, these coins sold well to both the general public and collectors. The majority were sold within a few months, although several thousand remained in 1938. These were wholesaled to dealers at a small premium over face value, and hoards of Bridgeport halves remained intact as late as 1972. None were ever returned for melting.

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

Catalog reference: KM 175.

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

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