United States 1946 half dollar KM-196
Authorization
Harry S Truman, who approved the Iowa bill on August 7, 1946, also authorized the Booker T. Washington commemorative half dollar at the same time. A maximum of 100,000 coins was permitted under the Iowa legislation, and it was strongly believed by the sponsors that this issue would be a sell-out. Chairman of the State Centennial Sub-Committee on Coin was Ralph Evans. He worked tirelessly to have this bill signed into law, and he followed up its passage with an equal effort in securing the best models and seeing to a fair distribution of the finished coins
The Territory of Iowa was established in 1838, carved out from a portion of the vast Louisiana Purchase. Eight years later, on December 28, 1846, Iowa was granted statehood, with Iowa City designated as the first state capital. Although the capital would ultimately shift to Des Moines in 1857, it was the Old Stone Capitol Building in Iowa City which appeared on the commemorative halves of 1946.
Obverse
Adam Pietz's obverse design depicts a heraldic eagle. It grasps in its beak a banner inscribed in several lines OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN. This motif is a simplification of the Iowa State Seal. A constellation of 29 stars is above the eagle, indicating Iowa's role as the 29th state admitted to the Union. E PLURIBUS UNUM appears in arc form, placed in small letters beneath the banner. A beaded inner border surrounds these elements. Outside, arranged peripherally, are IOWA STATEHOOD CENTENNIAL and the dates 1846 and 1946. These inscriptions are separated by quatrefoils.
Reverse
The reverse of the Iowa half depicts an elevation view of the Old Stone Capitol at Iowa City, so identified below it. Billowing clouds appear above and behind the structure along with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, arranged in an arc. Also in arc form is the motto LIBERTY, placed below the building. Around the periphery are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOLLAR. The designer's initials AP appear in tiny letters between the R of DOLLAR and the second A of AMERICA.
Mintage
Published Mintage: 100,057
The full authorized mintage of 100,057 was coined at the Philadelphia mint, late in November (the odd 57 pieces were reserved for assay and later destroyed). Priced at $2.50 to Iowa residents and at $3 for those out of state, the coins sold very quickly. All supplies were exhausted by March of 1947, with the exception of some 1,000 pieces set aside for future distributions in 1996 and 2046, along with several dozen additional coins for presentation purposes (such as the Iowa Award). To assure that all residents of Iowa had ample opportunity to secure at least one coin, the State Centennial Committee devised a novel distribution plan which allocated all but 5,000 of the coins for Iowa residents exclusively, each county receiving a quantity selected on the basis of its population. The counties could then distribute the coins to the various banks within their borders. The coins were disbursed in a lottery system, in which each resident of a particular town theoretically had an equal shot at being able to purchase a coin. As it was, not all of the coins set aside for Iowans were purchased, and out-of-state collectors were given plenty of opportunity to acquire one or a few pieces. Unlike other commemorative programs, however, no one was able to obtain large numbers, and none of the coins were ever discounted by the state. Though this type had a large mintage as compared to most commemorative issues, the Iowa halves remain widely distributed to this day.
Specification: 12.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, .361 troy oz ASW, 30.6 mm diameter, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: KM 196.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- 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.
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