1936 Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
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Purpose:
To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the founding of Columbia, South Carolina.
Maximum Number Authorized: 25,000 pieces.
Sale Price: $2.15 each or $6.45 per set of three.
Designs:
Obverse – Abraham Wolfe Davidson
A standing personification of Justice holding a sword in her right hand and scales in her left. She is standing between the Old State House in the left field with the date 1786 below and the New State House in the right field with the anniversary date of 1936. The inscription “SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE CAPITAL COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA” circles the designs.
Reverse – Abraham Wolfe Davidson
A palmetto tree, emblematic of South Carolina. Crossed arrows are tied to the tree and broken oak branches are at the tree’s base. The arrows and branches are in reference to a battle fought in Charleston Harbor during the Revolutionary War. Thirteen stars surround the tree in a semicircle. The stars represent the thirteen original states.
Online Resource: https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1776/battle-sullivans-island/
Popularity:
All 25,000 pieces authorized were minted. 9,000 were produced at the Philadelphia Mint and 8,000 each were produced at the Denver and San Francisco Mints. Coins could be obtained individually and as a three piece set. No coins were returned to the Mint.
Trivia:
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Abraham Wolfe Davidson’s initials do not appear on the coin.
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In 1806, Columbia was incorporated and became the first planned state capital in the United States.
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South Carolina is the only state to successfully elect a write-in candidate for the Senate. Strom Thurmond was elected to the Senate in 1954 and served until 2003 at the age of 100.
For more information:
Encyclopedia of the Commemorative Coins of the United States by Anthony J. Swiatek
KWS Publishers (2012)
Commemorative Coins of the United States Identification and Price Guide by Anthony J. Swiatek
Amos Press Publishers (2001)
References:
Encyclopedia of the Commemorative Coins of the United States by Anthony J. Swiatek
KWS Publishers (2012)
The Encyclopedia of United States Silver & Gold Commemorative Coins 1892 t
o 1954 by Anthony Swiatek and Walter Breen
Arco Publishing, Inc. (1981)