Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar
United States | |
Value | 50 cents (0.50 Reeded |
---|---|
Composition |
|
Silver | 0.36169 Assay Commission (8,077 melted) |
Mint marks | None, all pieces struck at the Philadelphia Mint without mint mark |
Obverse | |
Design | City seal of Norfolk, Virginia |
Designer | William Marks Simpson and Marjory Emory Simpson |
Design date | 1937 |
Reverse | |
Design | Norfolk's ceremonial mace |
Designer | William Marks Simpson and Marjory Emory Simpson |
Design date | 1937 |
The Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar is a
Virginia Senator
The legislation required that all coins be dated 1936; thus, there are five dates on the half dollar, none of which are the date of coining, 1937. By that time, the anniversaries had passed, and sales were poorer than hoped; almost a third of the mintage was returned for melting. The Norfolk half dollar is the only U.S. coin to depict the British crown, shown on the city's ceremonial mace, found on the reverse ("tails" side) of the coin.
Background
Much of the area now comprising the
In the 1930s, commemorative coins were not sold by the government—Congress, in authorizing legislation, usually designated an organization which had the exclusive right to purchase them at face value and vend them to the public at a premium.[3] In the case of the Norfolk half dollar, the responsible group was the Norfolk Advertising Board, Inc., affiliated with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.[4]
Legislation
Virginia Senator Carter Glass introduced a bill for a Norfolk Bicentennial half dollar on May 20, 1936; it was referred to the Committee on Banking and Commerce.[5] The bill was reported back to the Senate by Alva Adams of Colorado on June 20. The committee recommended in the report that a medal, not a coin, be issued. They attached a 1935 letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt complaining that commemorative coins of a purely local nature were being authorized by Congress, and recommending that commemorative medals be issued instead.[6]
We haven't quit the fight. We've asked an appointment with President Roosevelt for the purpose of discussing the matter and laying Norfolk's claim squarely before him. We have a right to know why Norfolk has been discriminated against. It's time for the people of this area to rise up in righteous indignation at this insult to the city. The past session of Congress passed bills and the President signed them authorizing the issuance of fifteen commemorative coins. Is the landing of the Swedes in Delaware of more historical importance than the original land grant for Norfolk county, comprising what is now Norfolk, Princess Anne and Nansemond counties, and embracing what historians recognize as the most historical area in the country? Is the settlement of northern Illinois, commemorated by the Elgin issue, more important than the granting of the royal charter to Norfolk City? Why, after all these commemorative coins had been authorized, should governmental authorities suddenly become so solicitous of their coinage that the Norfolk issue is so mysteriously changed to call for a medal? Something is wrong. Something is radically wrong. And it's time for the people of Norfolk to bring every pressure to bear in an attempt to remove what is in reality a direct insult to the city.
Franklin E. Turin, August 5, 1936[7]
June 20, 1936, the final day of the session, was an exceptionally busy day in Congress.
The bill was considered by the House of Representatives later the same day.
Glass reintroduced the bill, this time numbered as S. 4, on January 6, 1937.[15] It was reported back to the Senate on the 16th by Adams with an amendment containing language usual to commemorative coin bills, that the federal government would not be responsible for the expenses of preparing the dies for the coinage.[16] The Senate passed it without objection on January 19.[17] The bill was transmitted to the House, where it was referred to the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.[15] That committee on May 26 reported the bill back, recommending that it pass after being amended, including increasing the authorized mintage from 20,000 to 25,000. The report drew attention to the "unfortunate error" of the previous year, and "that in making this favorable report it is merely helping to correct this oversight".[8] The House passed the amended bill on June 21 without discussion or dissent.[18] As the two houses had not passed the same version, the bill returned to the Senate, where on June 22, on Glass's motion, that body agreed to the House's amendments.[19] Roosevelt signed the bill, authorizing 25,000 half dollars, on the 28th.[16]
Preparation
Expecting a coin to be authorized rather than a medal, the Norfolk Advertising Board hired husband and wife William Marks Simpson and Marjory Emory Simpson to design the half dollar, and on September 26, 1936, William Simpson submitted prints of his design to the
After the coin bill passed Congress in June 1937, the Simpsons modified the design slightly, with the tip of the mace now between the words HALF and DOLLAR, and minor changes being made to the obverse. Photographs of the revised models were sent to the Fine Arts Commission on August 10, 1937; the designs were approved on August 14.[24]
Design
The obverse depicts the city seal of Norfolk. A sailing ship is shown, sailing on stylized waves; below is a plow and three sheaves of wheat. Underneath that is the Latin word CRESCAS, translated as "may you prosper". Above the ship is ET TERRA ET MARE DIVITIAE, meaning "both land and sea are your riches". The inscriptions trace the progress of Norfolk from borough to city, and include the date 1936, as required by the legislation, though the coin was not struck until 1937. The reverse shows Norfolk's mace, with the date of the land grant, 1636, divided by it and flanked by sprigs of
Production and distribution
In September 1937, the Philadelphia Mint struck 25,000 Norfolk half dollars, plus 13 extra that would be held for inspection and testing at the 1938 meeting of the annual
The Norfolk half dollar sold at retail for about $1.50 in 1940, in uncirculated condition. It thereafter increased in value, selling for about $18 by 1955, and $170 by 1975.
References
- ^ Flynn, p. 134.
- ^ Slabaugh, p. 141.
- ^ Slabaugh, pp. 3–5.
- ^ Flynn, p. 357.
- ^ "Norfolk, Virginia Anniversary Commemorative Medals". Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2018 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Authorize Coinage of 50-Cent Pieces in Commemoration of Three-Hundredth Anniversary of Original Norfolk, Va., Land Grant and Two-Hundredth Anniversary of Establishment of that City as a Borough". United States Senate. June 20, 1936. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Will it Be a Coin or Medal?". The Numismatist: 710. September 1936.
- ^ a b "Coinage of 50-Cent Pieces in Commemoration of the Norfolk, Va., Land Grant and the Founding of the City of Norfolk, Virginia". United States House of Representatives. May 26, 1937. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ 1936 Congressional Record, Vol. 82, p. 10345 (June 20, 1936)
- ^ 1936 Congressional Record, Vol. 82, p. 10504 (June 20, 1936)
- ^ 1936 Congressional Record, Vol. 82, p. 10509 (June 20, 1936)
- ^ a b 1936 Congressional Record, Vol. 82, p. 10680 (June 20, 1936)
- ^ a b Swiatek & Breen, p. 173.
- ^ a b Bowers, p. 173.
- ^ a b "Norfolk, Virginia Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act". Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2018 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b "To Authorize the Coinage of 50-Cent Pieces in Commemoration of the Three-Hundredth Anniversary of the Original Norfolk (Virginia) Land Grant and the Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the Establishment of the City of Norfolk, Virginia, as a Borough" (PDF). United States Senate. June 28, 1937. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2019.
- ^ 1937 Congressional Record, Vol. 83, p. 298 (January 19, 1937)
- ^ 1937 Congressional Record, Vol. 83, p. 6060 (June 21, 1937)
- ^ 1937 Congressional Record, Vol. 83, p. 6116 (June 22, 1937)
- ^ Flynn, p. 133.
- ^ Taxay, p. 242.
- ^ Taxay, pp. v–vi.
- ^ Taxay, pp. 242–244.
- ^ Taxay, pp. 243–244.
- ^ a b Bowers, p. 380.
- ^ Swiatek, pp. 357–358.
- ^ a b Yeoman, p. 1091.
- ^ a b c Vermeule, p. 202.
- ^ Swiatek & Breen, p. 174.
- ^ Bowers, pp. 380–382.
- ^ Bowers, p. 383.
- ^ Flynn, p. 135.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-943161-35-8.
- Flynn, Kevin (2008). The Authoritative Reference on Commemorative Coins 1892–1954. Roswell, GA: Kyle Vick. OCLC 711779330.
- Slabaugh, Arlie R. (1975). United States Commemorative Coinage (second ed.). Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing. ISBN 978-0-307-09377-6.
- Swiatek, Anthony (2012). Encyclopedia of the Commemorative Coins of the United States. Chicago, IL: KWS Publishers. ISBN 978-0-9817736-7-4.
- Swiatek, Anthony; ISBN 978-0-668-04765-4.
- ISBN 978-0-668-01536-3.
- ISBN 978-0-674-62840-3.
- Yeoman, R. S. (2018). A Guide Book of United States Coins 2014 (Mega Red 4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-0-7948-4580-3.
External links
- Media related to Norfolk bicentennial half dollar at Wikimedia Commons