leeg

                                                                                     Courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

On 7/25/2021 at 12:36 PM, numisport said:

I'll assume you will make an announcement when you work will be published ? I've been following your excerpts with enthusiasm (and I don't even own a commemorative coin yet) 

Sure enough.  

    “. . .The coin was issued by the Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, with headquarters in New York City, whose director was an A. N. A. member, and, with Mr. Moritz Wormser, then President of the A. N. A., acting in an advisory capacity, made it the first instance we believe, where the coin fraternity has been consulted in the issue of a commemorative half dollar.

    The A. N. A. members looking only at the coin features of the new issue forgot their history or else thought no one would recall it. No so the public press, which severely criticized the use of these profiles on the coin.

    Admiral Coligny was killed in the massacre of St. Bartholomew on August 24, 1572, and William the Silent, whose fourth wife was the daughter of Coligny, was also slain June 10, 1584, forty years before the settlement now commemorated. Neither of these men had anything to do with the founding of New Netherlands, then why should they be perpetuated on an American souvenir coin? Dr. Zwerlein, of Rochester, answered that question in an address delivered in the Church of the Sacred Heart on March 17, 1924. He said:

    ‘Minting this Huguenot coin was a shameful abuse of the Untied States currency. New Netherland was a Dutch colony, even though the first colonists sent out on the ship, Nieuw Nederlandt, thirty families, were mostly Walloons, comprising also a few Huguenots. The Dutch, therefore, are the ones who should have been honored by the coin, but the Dutchman, William the Silent, is made to play second fiddle to the Frenchman, the Huguenot Coligny.

    ‘Traditional Calvinist lore represents Admiral Coligny and William the Silent as martyrs in the fight for religious liberty, but scientific history brands this view of those men as untrue and in flagrant contradiction with historical evidence.

    ‘Nevertheless, the false tradition seems to have inspired the Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, instituted by the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, when the United States Government was duped into minting this Huguenot half dollar, so as to make a Protestant demonstration out of the tercentenary of the colonization of the State of New York.”⁷

⁷ The Numismatist, John F. Jones, Jamestown, N. Y., May 1937, p. 394-395.

“William of Orange and Coligny

    Editor Everybody’s Column: Can you explain what Coligny and ‘William the Silent’ had to do with the founding of New Netherland! They are represented on the new coin of the Huguenot half-dollar.

R. M. L.

    Neither had anything to do directly with the founding of New Netherland by the Dutch in 1623. But William of Orange, called the Silent, was the chief figure in the deliverance of the Netherlands from Spain and the founding of the Dutch Republic in the preceding century, and thus he holds a place in the affection of his countrymen something of the same place that Washington holds in ours. Admiral Coligny, who perished in the massacre of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572, was one of the leaders of the French Protestants. Since many Huguenots, even before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, emigrated to the American colonies, and particularly to New York and its vicinity, as early as the days of Dutch rule, the commemoration of both men on the half-dollar is natural and appropriate.”⁸

 ⁸ The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Sat, Apr 5, 1924 · Page 12.

    “Bartholomew's Day, massacre of French Huguenots (Protestants) in Paris on August 24/25, 1572, plotted by Catherine de' Medici and carried out by Roman Catholic nobles and other citizens. It was one event in the series of civil wars between Roman Catholics and Huguenots that beset France in the late 16th century.”⁹

⁹ Britannica.

François Dubois: The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day. The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day, oil on wood by François Dubois, 1572–84; in the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland. Courtesy of the Musee Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne; photograph, Andre Held. Britannica.

    “The Huguenot-Walloon Commemorative half dollar was issued in February. It commemorates the three-hundredth anniversary of the permanent settlement of New Netherland, now the State of New York, by Walloons, French and Belgian Huguenots on the banks of the Hudson River in 1624 by the Dutch West Indies Company. Walloons is the collective name of the inhabitants of the southeastern division of Belgium. Huguenots is a name formerly given to Protestants in France and Belgium.

    This coin adds another to the number of commemorative half dollars struck for various anniversaries during the last seven or eight years, and in point of merit and excellence it is the equal of any of them. From the collector’s point of view, the only objection that can be urged against it is that the reverse is similar in general appearance to the reverse of the Pilgrim half dollar. The workmanship is excellent, and there is a balance and symmetry to both the obverse and reverse that is lacking on some of the other commemorative issues. . .

    The coin is issued by the Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, with headquarters in New York City, of which Rev. John Baer Stoudt, a member of the ANA, is director. A fitting celebration of the event has been organized by the National Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Commission, instituted by the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America. The celebration will take place on April 27, 1924, and is to be observed by all the descendants of the Walloons, French and Belgian Huguenots who came to this country under the Dutch West India Company.

    The act authorizing this issue of coins provided that 300,000 might be struck. Only a comparatively small number will be struck at first, and additional pieces will be struck as the demand warrants. The bill also provides that they shall be issued only upon the request of the Fifth National Bank, New York City, which will act as distributing agent.

    This coin should possess a special interest for members of the ANA, since the director of the commission is a member of our association, and President Wormser has been consulted and has acted in an advisory capacity with the commission. This is the first instance, we believe, where a numismatic organization or its officers have been consulted in the issue of a commemorative half dollar.

    A letter from President Wormser has been sent out by the commission, as follows: 

THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION

Office of the President

95 Fifth Avenue, New York. 

January 29, 1924 

To Whom It May Concern:

    This is to certify that from time to time I have had the privilege to act in an advisory capacity with the Director of the Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Tercentenary, in the issuing of the Huguenot Memorial half dollar, which the mint in Philadelphia is about to strike.

    I have passed on the designs and seen proof of the obverse side. I feel safe in saying that I believe this coin will surpass all previous U.S. commemorative coins in both attractiveness and historical significance and feel certain, too, that it will appeal not only to those of Huguenot, Walloon, or Dutch extraction, but to all citizens of every section of our country who are interested in the romantic history of its founding as a refuge for the oppressed.

    I have confidence in the management of the Tercentenary, which I am assured is free from the keen commercialism too often apparent in the distribution of commemorative coins.

    The first run, I am informed, will consist of twenty thousand coins, and thereafter only four thousand are to be coined at a time. It is proposed to strike not more than one hundred thousand at most. All coins remaining on hand after a certain date are to be returned to the mint for remelting.

    The good faith of the Commission is evident from the fact that they have come to the American Numismatic Association for suggestions and advice, particularly as to selling methods that should protect the purchasers who buy these coins at a premium over face.

(Signed) Moritz Wormser,

President, American Numismatic Association. . .”⁶

⁶ The Numismatist, Huguenot-Walloon Commemorative Half Dollar, March, 1924, p. 235-237.

On 7/23/2021 at 10:55 AM, RWB said:

Quiet Willie and the Admiral look a lot alike ....

(I'm kidding about the Walloon-Balloon, Quiet Willie and other stuff, but to be serious for a moment --- Leeg's research and content on classic commemoratives is so much more interesting, integrated and authoritative, that I have difficulty understanding why Whitman, or another deep pocket publisher hasn't jumped on the project.)

    “The National Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, Inc., of which the Rev. John Baer Stoudt is director, makes the following announcement regarding the latest of United States commemorative half dollars:

    ‘The Huguenot Memorial Half Dollar, which will be ready for distribution about February 1, promises to be one of the most interesting of the memorial coins. It commemorates the founding of New Netherland by the settling of a colony of Walloons (French and Belgian Huguenots) on the banks of the Hudson River in 1624 by the Danish West Indies Company. The obverse side will show the profiles of Admiral Coligny and William the Silent, and the reverse side the ship New Netherland sailing for America.

    ‘Only 100,000 will be struck and all unsold after a reasonable time will be returned to the mint. There has been close cooperation of the mint at Philadelphia and the Commission of Fine Arts at Washington in making both the design and the dies for the purpose of having this half dollar represent ‘the highest achievement of medallic art.’

    The Fifth Avenue National Bank of New York City is agent of these memorial coins. They will be sold at the customary price of $1.”⁴

⁴ The Numismatist, The Huguenot Memorial Half Dollar Ready for Issue, February, 1924, p. 187.

“New Coin Out

Huguenot-Walloon Half Dollar Reaches Allentown, Special to the Inquirer 

    ALLENTOWN, Pa., Feb. 16.—The new Huguenot-Walloon half dollar minted by the Federal government in commemoration of the Huguenot-Walloon tercentenary reached Allentown today, fifty of the coins being brought here by Rev. John Baer, Stout, secretary of the commission that has the programme for the celebration in charge. 

All of the Eastern and Midwestern States and some of the Southern States have arranged elaborate programmes for the observance of the 300^th anniversary of the Huguenots’ arrival in this country.

    The new half dollar has a picture of the ship New Netherland, on which the immigrants sailed for America, on one side and a picture of William the Silent on the other side.”⁵

⁵ The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News · Sun, Feb 17, 1924 · Page 3.

Admiral Coligny. Wikimedia Commons.

Had trouble with formatting as seen above.  

“. . . The Huguenot-Walloon Memorial Coin and the Tercentenary Stamps

    The first of these tangible expressions of tribute to the Walloon pioneers of 1624 was the striking of the Huguenot-Walloon Memorial Half Dollar by the U.S. Treasury Department; the second was the issuing of three special memorial stamps by the U. S. Post Office Department, the Commission in each case furnishing the designs.

The New Netherland Stamp

The Walloon Stamp

The Ribaut Stamp

    In selecting subjects for these designs, the guiding thought was to include as much of the three-fold significance of the Tercentenary as possible—religious, historic, and racial. The memorial coin shows on its obverse side the profiles of two great Huguenot leaders—William the Silent of Holland, and his friend and ally, Admiral Coligny, of France—both of whom were deeply interested in projects for the colonization of the New World. The reverse bears the ship ‘Nieu Nederland,’ the sturdy Dutch vessel which carried the first boatload of Huguenot-Walloons from their refuge in the Netherlands on that memorable voyage across the as yet little known and much feared ocean. Of the stamps, it is the green one-cent stamp which again displays the gallant little ship and acknowledges the debt of gratitude which the Huguenots owed to the Netherlands for the protection they enjoyed there in the days of persecution. The red two-cent stamp is distinctively Walloon in spirit. It shows the landing of the Walloons at Albany (their first settlement), and introduces to the public, which has had little knowledge of them heretofore, a new racial element in our colonial period. The drawing used as the basis for the design was found in an old history of New York, now many years out of print. Huguenot in character is the five-cent stamp, which carries the message of the Tercentenary around the world. On it is a drawing of the Ribaut monument at Mayport, Florida, whose dedication in the Tercentenary year (May 2, 1924), was one of the outstanding features of the local celebrations. . .”³

³ The Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary, by Antonia H. Froendt, Secretary, The Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, 1924, p. 12-13. A book in my Numismatic Library.

William the Silent. Wikimedia Commons.

Thanks Roger.

    It seems that Congressman or Senator Vestal advised them to have the coin done at the Mint because he informed the Walloon Commission that the artists who had made designs did not understand reductions of coins and made the models too high so that the coins had to be struck several blows before they were perfect, therefore, the models should be made at the Mint. (Mr. Morgan has gotten in his good word against the artists again).

    Mr. Vestal should be informed that any model can be reduced by the pointing machine to any thickness of relief without changing the design and at the same time preserving the character of the modeling except for the flattening of the surfaces which will come in their proper relations.

    It seems to me perfectly disgusting that this inane and lying criticism should go on constantly. You will recall when the new dollar came out that instead of reducing the coin in relation to a low relief so that it would strike properly, Mr. Morgan hammered the surfaces of the electroplate with a flat board and then reduced the model again. That, in spite of the fact that he had been informed of the proper method of handling the models by reducing them properly.

    It seems stupid for me to explain this situation which you know so well but I thought possibly Mr. Vestal might be prevailed on to believe that medalists of international fame and experience might know as much of the method of reduction and what would happen to a coin model as Mr. Morgan of the Mint. Very sincerely yours.

    Moore seems to have taken Fraser’s letter to heart, for on the 7th he wrote to Congressman Vestal: 

    Dear Mr. Vestal: You are familiar with the attempts that have been made since the days of Roosevelt and Saint-Gaudens to bring the United States coins and the work of the Mint generally into the category of artistic achievement rather than commercial production. There have been times in the history of the Mint when the work produced there was of high excellence from the standpoint of the artist, but during the past twenty years there has been a hostile attitude toward the artists, so that while we have developed in this country medalists of high class, we have never reached the highest standards at the Mint. Even when artists have been employed to design the coins their work has been hampered always and frequently nullified within the Mint. I remember quite well the experience when you and I were both members of the Commission to examine the Mint a few years ago.

    You will recall that while much was said about counting and fineness and rapidity of production and all that, not one reference was made about the artistic quality of the coins; in fact that subject was and has been so far as I can find out ignored, and yet in the collection of coins at the Mint are specimens of the beautiful coinage of all ages. Most civilized nations regard the coinage as an opportunity to teach the people standards in beauty.

    By dint² of many struggles our silver coinage, the nickel, and the penny, have been brought up to a fair standard as compared with other leading nations. The only questions now in relation to those coins are questions of quality of work in producing the coins themselves. But there is a later class of coins now coming into being to commemorate historical events.

    It goes without saying that these coins should be of the highest possible excellence. Indeed artistic quality is the only element which excuses the interruption they make in the regular coinage. I am enclosing a copy of a letter from Mr. James Fraser, the sculptor member of the Commission of Fine Arts in which letter you are quoted by the Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission. I know from my conversations with you that you are in entire sympathy with the artistic side of coinage matters and I am sending you the letter with a view to an understanding in the future work on memorial coins. You realize that the frequent shifts in the Office of the Director of the Mint make it necessary for the incoming Director to spend a very large amount of his time in familiarizing himself with the duties of the Office. Our friend, Mr. Raymond Baker, really took an interest in these problems and I think got to enjoy the work very much after he became acquainted with it. I hope the present Director will also get some enjoyment out of his position. Sincerely yours.

    Having had their say, the Commission of Fine Arts blandly approved Morgan’s models, which were then returned to the Mint for reduction.

    Although a photograph of Morgan’s original obverse has not been preserved, the adopted model leaves ample room for criticism. The heads, whether taken individually or as a composition, are poor, and it seems incredible that they were made by the same hand as was the Lincoln head on the Illinois Centennial coin. 

2. He succeeded by dint of hard work.

Morgan’s initial reverse is to be found in the archives, and shows a floundering ship facing the opposite direction from that in the adopted design. This was the engraver’s last work, for in January 1925 he passed away and was succeeded in office by John R. Sinnock.”²

² From An Illustrated History of Commemorative Coinage, Don Taxay, ARCO Press, New York City, 1967, p. 89, 90, 95-102.

Object Details: United States Mint; Designer: Morgan, George T.; Location, Currently not on view; 1924; ID Number 1985.0551.0806; catalog number 1985.0551.0806; accession number 1985.0551; Object Name coin, coin, commemorative;

Physical Description bronze (overall metal), 0 (overall die axis), 0 (overall die axis measurement), struck (overall production method); Measurements overall: .3 cm x 4.13 cm; 1/8 in x 1 5/8 in; place made United States; place of issue United States. See more items in Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection National Museum of American History, Record ID nmah_1100353, Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text), CC0 GUID (Link to Original Record).  Courtesy of The Smithsonian Institution.

Presentation of Huguenot half dollar to President Coolidge by Officers of the Commission. Washington, February 21, 1924. (From left to right: Rev. E. O. Watson, A. E. Hungerford, Hon. Jules J. Jusserand, the President, Rev. Charles S. McFarland, Baron de Cartier de Marchieune, Hon. A. D. C. de Graeff, Rev. John Baer Stoudt.) Image courtesy of The Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary, by Antonia H. Froendt, Secretary, the Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, 1924. A book in my personal library.

“To the Director of the National Huguenot-Walloon Commission John Baer Stoudt from the Acting director of the Mint Mary O’Reilly on November 24, 1923, regarding the models of the Huguenot Walloon Tercentenary Half Dollar. 

    Referring to your letter of October 25 submitting a design for the memorial coin authorized by Congress to commemorate the settling of New Netherlands Wallons [sic] under the Dutch West India Company in 1624, please be advised that in accordance with the Executive Order of the President dated July 28, 1921, the models were submitted to the Fine Arts Commission for advice as to their artistic merit. The Executive order of July 28, 1921, with reference to the submission of coins to that body, reads as follows:

    ‘It is hereby ordered that the essential matters relating to the design of medals, insignia and coins, produced by the executive departments shall be submitted to the Commission of Fine arts for advice as to the merits of such designs before the executive officer having charge of the same shall approve thereof.’

    The models have been returned to this Bureau with the following letter from the Fine Arts Commission: 

    ‘The models for the Huguenot–Wallon [sic] Tercentenary coin, submitted by your Bureau under date of October 26, 1923, received the attention of the Commission of Fine Arts at their meeting on November 15.

    While the ideas intended to be expressed are excellent, the execution is bad. The lettering is poor, the heads are not well modeled and the ship is ill designed. The workmanship is below the standard of excellence attained in previous coins. The models are therefore not approved. The models are herewith returned.’

    No further action will be taken by this Bureau until advised by you as what disposition you desire to have make [sic] of the models left by you at this Bureau. 

To the Chairman Executive Committee Chas. S. Macfarland from the Treasurer on October 2, 1924, regarding returning some of the Huguenot Walloon Tercentenary half Dollars. 

    With reference to your letter of the 27th ultimo, addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury and referred to this office under date of the 30th ultime, [sic] by the Director of the Mint for appropriate action, stating that you desire to return to the United States Mint for redemption 22,000 of the Huguenot Half Dollars struck this spring in commemoration of the Huguenot Tercentenary and that you would appreciate it if it were possible for the mint to hold them for a short while in stock in order that you might order them from time to time if desired, you are advised that you may ship at your risk and expense for transportation, preferably by express, prepaid, the Superintendent of the United States Mint, Philadelphia, the coins stated. The superintendent of the Mint has been instructed to hold the coins unmelted until November 15 next.

    Upon receipt in this office of information from the Superintendent of the Mint that the coins have been received and verified a check for the amount thereof will be sent you by this office in payment thereof.”¹ 

    “The running conflict between Mint engraver George Morgan and the Commission of Fine Arts is nowhere more evident than in the issue of the Huguenot-Walloon half dollar. After the letter above was received back at the Mint it was finally agreed that Morgan would revise his models under Fraser’s supervision, an arrangement that could hardly have been relished by either man. Nevertheless, the work progressed slowly, and on January 3, 1924 Fraser wrote to Moore: 

    My dear Mr. Moore: The Walloon Coin Commission came to me for criticism of the models, which I gladly gave them. You will recall that the design was not bad in itself. I criticized the modeling, construction, etc., of the heads. Then they brought them again for other criticisms which I gave them and at last they are considerably improved and I should say passable. They are to show me the reductions and I believe they will not be bad. 

¹ From The Authoritative Reference on Commemorative Coins 1892-1954, Kevin Flynn, published by Kyle Vick, 2008, p. 283-284.

In February thru April, 1924, 142,080 pieces were coined at the Philadelphia Mint with 80 pieces reserved for annual assay and 87,000 sold for a $1 each to the public. A quantity of 55,000 pieces went back to the Treasury Department, which placed the coins into circulation. Designed by George T. Morgan chief engraver of the mint, used designs suggested by Dr. John Baer Stoudt (a Numismatist-LG). Distributed by the National Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, Inc., Rev. John Baer Stoudt, director.  Associated with the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America. A coin in my collection.

    Approved by Congress on February 26, 1923 and issued in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the settling of New Netherland, the Middle States, in 1624, by Walloons, French and Belgian Huguenots, under the Dutch West India Company. 

Coin Description:

Obverse: Profiles of Admiral Coligny and William the Silent, with their names, in small letters, below. Inscription above, ‘United States of America.’ Below, ‘Huguenot Half Dollar.’ To right of busts, ‘In God We Trust.’ 

Reverse: Ship Nieu Netherland, in which the first 30 families of settlers came to New York, with the dates at the sides, 1624 and 1924. Inscription above, Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary. Below, Founding of New Netherland. 

In February thru April, 1924, 142,080 pieces were coined at the Philadelphia Mint with 80 pieces reserved for annual assay and 87,000 sold for a $1 each to the public. A quantity of 55,000 pieces went back to the Treasury Department, which placed the coins into circulation.¹ Designed by George T. Morgan chief engraver of the mint who used designs suggested by Dr. John Baer Stoudt. Distributed by The National Huguenot-Walloon New Netherland Commission, Inc., Rev. John Baer Stoudt, director. Associated with the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America.

1. Cf. p. 29 of Coinage of Commemorative 50-cent pieces (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1936) and a letter from Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon to Hon. Randolph Perkins, chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, January 31, 1930, which states that 55,000 were returned to the mint and then placed into circulation.

Courtesy of the Commission of Fine Arts 

Minutes of Meeting held in Washington, D. C., November 15 and 16, 1923.

The following members were present:

Mr. Moore, Chairman,

Mr. Greenleaf,

Mr. Fraser,

Mr. Ayres,

Mr. Bacon,

Mr. Mowbray,

Mr. Medary, 

Also Mr. H. P. Caemmerer, Secretary and Executive Officer.

Original model by George T. Morgan for reverse of Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary half dollar. Taxay p. 71.

Huguenot-Walloon Memorial Coin: Under date of October 26, 1923, the Director of the Mint, Treasury Department, submitted to the Commission models made at the United States Mint, of the Huguenot-Walloon Memorial 50-cent piece, which is to be minted by authority of Congress for the Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary celebration in 1924. The obverse of the model showed the portrait of Coligny and William the Silent, and the reverse a design of the ship New Netherland.

    The Commission inspected the models. Mr. Fraser felt that the composition of the design was good but that the execution was bad. The Commission decided that the work on the models does not conform to the standards set by the Commission and disapproved them. (Exhibit A).

EXHIBIT A

November 19, 1923.

Dear Sir:

    The models for the Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary coin, submitted by your Bureau under date of October 26, 1923, received the attention of the Commission of Fine Arts at their meeting on November 15th.

    While the ideas intended to be expressed are excellent, the execution is bad. The lettering is poor, the heads are not well modeled and the ship is ill designed. The workmanship is below the standard of excellence attained in previous coins. The models are therefore not approved.

    The models are herewith returned.

 Very respectfully, yours,

 Charles Moore,

Chairman

The Director of the Mint,

Treasury Department,

Washington, D. C.

Super Connnecticut arrived today!!  Three days west to east coast and well packaged.

Much thanks!

19 hours ago, Numismatic, A.A.S. said:

Love the Brilliance...Grade?

Thanks.  65

1926 Declaration of Independence Sesquicentennial Half Dollar. Courtesy of the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, P.O. Box 247, Plymouth, Vermont 05056.

    “Cornelius Vermeule writes: The fact that this coin, the silver half dollar commemorating the sesquicentennial of American independence in 1926, is in such low relief was the response of officialdom—not the innocent designer—to the experiments of Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Henry Hering. The edge is relatively high and the flan curves up to meet it, but there are scarcely any surfaces on the compressed busts of Washington and the austere Calvin Coolidge beyond him (fig. 184). Although it is fashionable to cite this as the first time a living president appeared on U.S. coinage, the point is unimportant, for likenesses of current presidents had graced official medals from the Mint for many years. John R. Sinnock, who became first engraver at the Mint in 1925—the year in which Morgan died and the coin commemorating the sesquicentennial was authorized—had enjoyed nearly a decade of producing such government medals under Morgan.

    The stepped rim on the outer part of the reverse breaks the potential monotony of delicate lettering. The bell and its inscriptions are jewels of precision. Rosettes on either side of LIBERTY on the obverse are an unnecessary reminder that monumental bronze relief often guides a coin design, for they are similar to ornaments on the corners of countless war memorials and other commemorations involving lists of names or epigraphy of sorts.

1926 Sesquicentennial quarter eagle. Jewelry piece. AU. This commemorative gold coin is housed in a 10K bezel and is the host to a gold enameled symbol of the Knights of Pythias. An unusual item which is bound to receive an interesting reception from potential bidders. Courtesy The John A. Van Arsdall, M.D. and the Antelope Valley Silver Dollar Collections. Bowers and Merena, Inc. Lot 1645 ($132.00 price realized), January 7 & 8, 1993, p. 228.

It had been a coin in the regular series, the precise, extremely sensitive work could not have taken the punishment of constant size, but as a commemorative piece that would not circulate it is arresting as a total concept in its difference from the 50-odd other such half dollars that would comprise the ‘classic’ series.

    The gold quarter eagle for the sesquicentennial of 1926, also by Sinnock, reverts in part to the allegorical iconography of the 19th century. Liberty stands on a globe and holds both the torch of freedom and a scroll, presumably the Declaration of Independence (fig. 185). The view of Independence Hall falls into the category of straightforward illustrations of buildings on American coins, Monticello in 1938 and the Lincoln Memorial in 1959 being the common examples. Liberty is statuesque and pseudo-Attic, in that classical drapery reveals human form in the manner of the Venus Genetrix on coins of Hadrian or its monumental source in the sculpture of Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars. The upper part of the garment has been made into a Doric chiton with loose, zigzag overfold, a type of Greek transitional or pre-Parthenon classicism. This style would also preoccupy the Mint’s new chief engraver in the reverses of his presidential medals for Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. Despite these Grecian details, Liberty’s total impression is thoroughly dated; she looks like a flapper of the 1920s. Her cloth cap accentuates this resemblance, and her position as she steps forward, head in profile, recalls the obverse of Hermon MacNeil’s quarter dollar of 1916 to 1931.

    Considering the size of the coin, John Sinnock has produced a good design that has the lettering of Weinman’s 1916 dime and the obverse monumentality of the same sculptor’s half dollar (figs. 159 and 160). The torch of freedom and scroll together are perhaps too bookishly symbolic and too little like Liberty. One of the traditional attributes of the 1870’s, the shield or an eagle beside Liberty, would have been no less symbolic and much less abstract.

It was not until 1946 that the ‘torch of freedom’ found its true home in Sinnock’s repertory, when it was used on the reverse of the Roosevelt dime (fig. 230).¹⁴ “⁸

14. The sketches for the sesquicentennial of American Independence half dollar attributed to John Frederick Lewis in Taxay’s Commemorative Coinage, 111-117, are obviously from the hand of John Sinnock; the credit for the coin, therefore, must remain his.  (Taxay got information from the National Archives.  LG)

⁸ Numismatic Art in America; Aesthetics of the United States Coinage, 2nd edition, Cornelius Vermeule, Whitman Publishing, LLC, 2007, p. 160-161.

On 6/1/2021 at 9:18 AM, Oldhoopster said:

It's information like this, that makes the numismatic chat boards worth it.  A big shout out to @leeg , @RWB ,  @DWLange and others who do the research, wade through the sources like the National Archives and NNP, and but it all together for so the rest of us can benefit.  

Whenever I think I know a lot about numismatics, threads like this come along to remind me of how much I don't know about the history and background.

Thanks

Much thanks!

I spend my time on research for the sake of all collectors. Been working on this project (early commemoratives) off and on for about ten years now.

“To the Director of the Mint Robert Grant from the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Academy Committee of Fine Arts John Lewis on May 5, 1926, regarding the Sesquicentennial of Independence Commemorative coins. 

    Following out [sic] telephone conversation of this morning, I respectfully request that the first Sesqui Centennial coins struck off from one up to twenty be preserved in order in envelopes as I have no doubt that the Hon. W. Freeland Kendrick, Mayor of Philadelphia, will desire to use these first issues for official presentation.

    With reference to the half dollar, I presume he will desire the first coin struck off should go to the President of the United States.

    I like your unofficial suggestion that when the actual coinage begins that the Mayor should be present at the Mint, when you are there, and an appropriate photograph could be taken at the time.

    With reference to both the half dollars and $2.50 gold pieces, I understand that it is customary to put some mark, almost microscopic, on the first 1,000 coins struck off, and I write to request that if doing this is possible, a microscopic ‘K,’ which will stand for the Kendrick administration, be put in an inconspicuous place on both coins. This will be preactically [sic] the only mark identifying the issue with Philadelphia. I understand that with reference to the delivery of the coins and the payment therefore, arrangement will be or has been made with the Federal Reserve Bank, which will then distribute the coins to the different banks of the City as needed.

    It is the wish of the Management of the Sesqui-Centennial Exhibition Association to put the coins on sale as promptly as possible. At the end of May and the first day or second of June, there will be probably be 200,000 Shiners in Philadelphia holding a National Convention and if it be possible to have both coins for sale at that time such a market would not be missed.

    I particularly thank you for your assurance that you will do everything possible to speed the completion of the dies and the actual coinage of money.”⁵ 

⁵ The Authoritative Reference on Commemorative Coins 1892-1954, by Kevin Flynn, published by Kyle Vick, 2008, p. 325-326.

    “The first Sesqui-Centennial commemorative half dollar was struck at the Philadelphia mint at noon May 19 by Mayor Kendrick. The coin was given to him, and he will present it to President Coolidge when the latter visits the Sesqui-Centennial exposition. The remainders of the first thousand coins were turned over to the mayor for distribution. Fifty thousand were struck the following day, and 400,000 in all are expected to be coined.”⁶

 ⁶ The Numismatist, First Sesqui Half Dollars Struck, May 19th, p. 285.

    “The Sesqui-Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia closed its gates on November 30 last. Exposition officials announced that a profit of about $125,000 had been realized on the sale of the commemorative coins. . .

    The first coin was struck by Mayor Kendrick on May 28, 1926, and the second was minted by E.J Lafferty, City Purchasing agent and vice-president of the Sesqui-Centennial. Immediately after the entire supply of coins had been minted they were distributed through the Federal Reserve Bank. Booths were erected in various sections of the Exposition grounds for the distribution of the commemorative pieces.”⁷

⁷ The Numismatist, Sesqui Coins net the Exposition About $125,000. January, 1927, p. 36.

Hi.

I prefer to keep this lesson focused on the 1926 event.

Thanks

Minutes of Meeting held in Washington, D. C., March 25, 1926.

 The following members were present:

Mr. Moore, Chairman,

Mr. Greenleaf,

Mr. Mowbray,

Mr. Medary,

Mr. Delano,

Mr. Taft,

Mr. Garfield 

Also Mr. H. P. Caemmerer, Secretary and Executive Officer. 

Sesquicentennial $2.50 Gold Piece: By letter dated February 27, 1926, the Director of the Mint submitted sketches for the Sesquicentennial $2.50 gold piece authorized by Congress. They were referred to Mr. Taft, who regarded the composition acceptable, but felt certain changes could be made in the interests of the design. The obverse represented a figure of Liberty holding a torch and the reverse Independence Hall.

    Attention was called to the difficulty of showing a building on a coin which is smaller than a ten cent piece, and Mr. Garfield suggested using possibly only the cupola or the center portion of the building; but it was thought that any such change in the design would interfere with the composition.

Mr. Medary said that the sun and its rays should be omitted from the back of the building, as this would indicate that the sun rises on the north side of the building, which is contrary to fact.

    The Commission indicated desired changes on the sketches and submitted a report to the Director of the Mint. (Exhibit A). 

Exhibit A:

March 26, 1926.

Sir:

    The Commission of Fine Arts, at their meeting on March 25, 1926, approved the sketches of the Sesquicentennial $2.50 gold piece, which you submitted with your letter of February 27th, with the suggestion that the obverse show the years 1776 and 1926, as indicated in the sketch, also the ‘E Pluribus Unum’ be omitted from the obverse. Sketch marked ‘A’ is preferred for the reverse, with the suggestion that the sun and its rays be omitted.

    The Commission would be pleased to see models of the obverse and reverse of the proposed coin.    The sketches are herewith returned to you.

    For the Commission: 

Very respectfully yours, 

Charles Moore,

Chairman,

 Hon. R. J. Grant,

Director of the Mint,

Washington, D.C. 

Sesquicentennial Half Dollar: The director of the Mint submitted models for the Sesquicentennial half dollar, showing on the obverse the portraits of Presidents Washington and Coolidge and on the reverse the Liberty Bell. The models were approved. (Exhibit B). 

Exhibit B: 

March 26, 1926.

Sir:

    The Commission of Fine Arts, at their meeting on March 25, 1926, approved the models for the Sesquicentennial half dollar.

    The models are herewith returned to you.

    For the Commission:

 Very respectfully yours, 

Charles Moore,

Chairman, 

Hon. R. J. Grant,

Director of the Mint,

Washington, D.C. 

Minutes of Meeting held in Washington, D. C., April 29, 1926. 

The following members were present:

Mr. Moore, Chairman,

Mr. Greenleaf,

Mr. Mowbray,

Mr. Medary,

Mr. Delano,

Mr. Garfield

Also Mr. H. P. Caemmerer, Secretary and Executive Officer. 

Sesquicentennial $2.50 Gold Piece: The Director of the Mint submitted models for the obverse and reverse of the Sesquicentennial $2.50 gold piece, made according to the designs passed upon at the meeting of the Commission on March 25th. The models were approved. Mr. Garfield suggested a slight change in the lettering so as not to interfere with the figure on the obverse. The Commission advised that the rosettes on the models be removed. (Exhibit A). 

Exhibit A:

April 30, 1926.

Dear Sir:

    The Commission of Fine Arts, at their meeting on April 29, 1926, approved the models submitted by you of the $2.50 gold piece for the Sesquicentennial Exhibition. The Commission recommends that the word ‘Liberty’ on the obverse be swung around a little and the letters E and R reset, so as not to touch the figure; also the rosettes on both obverse and reverse should be removed.

    The Models are herewith returned.

    For the Commission: 

Very respectfully, yours, 

Charles Moore,

Chairman,

 Hon. R. J. Grant,

Director of the Mint,

Treasury Department,

Washington, D.C.

    “At the insistence of the National Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association both coin designs were executed in very shallow relief with the result that the pieces struck up poorly. Q. David Bowers, Encyclopedia. LG”⁵

⁵ Q. David Bowers, Encyclopedia.

Courtesy of the U. S. Commission of Fine Arts 

Minutes of Meeting held in Washington, D. C. September 3, 1925.

The following members were present:

Mr. Moore, Chairman,

Mr. Greenleaf,

Mr. Ayres,

Mr. Mowbray,

Sketch by John Sinnock for Sesquicentennial of American Independence quarter eagle. Taxay’s Commemorative Coinage (he pulled from the National Archives),  113.

Mr. Medary,

Mr. Delano,

Mr. Taft,

Also Mr. H. P. Caemmerer, Secretary and Executive Officer. 

Sesquicentennial Coins: Mr. Medary stated that Mr. McAleer, secretary of the Exposition Commission, had informed him that the new designer at the Philadelphia Mint is at work on the designs, which have not yet proved satisfactory; and that further effort will be made at the coming session of Congress to secure authority for minting a $1.50 souvenir coin; that it had been their desire to have 13 different souvenir coins made.

Mr. Medary said he advised Mr. McAleer that it was the desire of the Commission of Fine Arts to have the designs submitted before they are prepared fully.

Models by John Sinnock for Sesquicentennial of American Independence quarter eagle. Taxay’s Commemorative Coinage (he pulled from the National Archives),  p. 114.

    It was suggested that a letter be written to the Director of the Mint asking him as to the average number sold of the souvenir coins that had recently been made, as the Stone Mountain, the Norse-American, the Huguenot-Walloon, the Vancouver, and the California Diamond Jubilee coins. The Commission felt that souvenir coins are beneath the dignity of the United States, and that this is a matter which also should be taken up with the Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures of the House. The Commission felt that souvenir coins should be more strictly limited to events of great national historical interest.

Much thanks Roger!

I learned from the best.