United States 1936 half dollar KM-180
Authorization
The Elgin bill passed June 16, 1936. The Elgin issue was included in an omnibus act which also provided for the Albany and Gettysburg coins. The bill specified only one mint.
Obverse
The obverse of this coin by Trygve Rovelstad, displays a profile bust of a pioneer man, whose full figure is repeated on the reverse as part of a grouping which also includes his wife and baby, as well as their grown sons. Aside from the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, the obverse features the word PIONEER, Rovelstad's monogrammed initials and the dates 1673 1936. The latter date is self explanatory, but the earlier date refers to an entirely irrelevant event, the first European exploration of Illinois by missionaries Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet.
Reverse
The reverse is dominated by a slightly modified rendition of Rovelstad's Pioneer Memorial, lacking its monumental, inscribed base. Most of the lettering is mandated by law: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, HALF DOLLAR, LIBERTY and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The statuary is identified in tiny letters: PIONEER MEMORIAL and ELGIN, ILLINOIS. The faces of the figures are nearly always weakly struck.
Mintage
The entire mintage of 25,015 Elgin halves was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in October (the odd 15 pieces being reserved for assay). Hoffecker received the coins from the Mint on October 11, and he shipped out all of the existing orders just two days later. In addition to the pieces sold by him via mail orders, lesser quantities were distributed by local banks, and even the Elgin Watch Company ordered 100 pieces for promotional purposes. Sales soon slowed to a trickle, however, with about 5,000 pieces still on hand. Hoffecker requested that he be allowed to retain these leftovers at their face value, rather than returning them to the Mint for melting. His offer was declined by Rovelstad, and exactly 5,000 coins were turned in for destruction, leaving a net mintage of 20,000 pieces. Trygve Rovelstad netted about $8,000 from the sale of the Elgin halves, but without additional funding, it provided only a temporary boost to his project.
Specification: 192.9 grains = 12.50 grams, 0.900 fine silver, 30.6 mm diameter, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: KM 180.
- 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:
- 1935 half dollar, Connecticut Tercentenary
- 1935 half dollar, Hudson Sesquicentennial
- 1935-S half dollar, San Diego International Exposition
- 1935 half dollar, Old Spanish Trail
- 1936 cent
- 1936 half dollar, Albany Charter Anniversary
- 1936-S half dollar, Opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
- 1936 half dollar, Bridgeport centennial
- 1936 half dollar, Cincinnati Music Center
- 1936-D half dollar, Cincinnati Music Center
- 1936-S half dollar, Cincinnati Music Center
- 1936 half dollar, Cleveland-Great Lakes Exposition
- 1936 half dollar, Delaware Tercentenary
- 1936 half dollar, Battle of Gettysburg
- 1936 half dollar, Long Island Tercentenary
- 1936 half dollar, Lynchburg Sesquicentennial
- 1936 half dollar, Norfolk Bicentennial
- 1936 half dollar, Arkansas-Robinson Centennial
- 1936 half dollar, Wisconsin Territorial Centennial
- 1936 half dollar, York County Tercentenary
- Coins and currency dated 1936
- return to United States Commemorative Coins, 1892-1954