1936 Lynchburg, Virginia, Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
Click the images above for enhanced view.
Purpose:
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Lynchburg, Virginia.
Maximum Number Authorized: 20,000 pieces.
Sale Price: $1.25
Designs:
Obverse – Charles Keck
Senator Carter Glass facing left. His name appears below the portrait.
Online Resource: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/people/carter_glass
Reverse – Charles Keck
A statue of the goddess Liberty, standing with her arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture. The right field contains a portion of the Monument Terrace leading up to the old Lynchburg Courthouse. In front of the building is a Confederate monument. The anniversary date 1786 is located to the left of Liberty and the mintage date of 1936 is to her right. Above Liberty appears the inscription “LYNCHBURG VIRGINIA SESQUICENTENNIAL”.
Online Resource: https://tclf.org/landscapes/monument-terrace
Popularity:
20,000 half dollars were struck for sale to the public. They sold out rather quickly with no examples returned to the Mint.
Trivia:
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Senator Carter Glass became the third living person to appear on a U.S. coin and the first living person to appear alone.
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Glass served as Secretary of the Treasury during the Wilson Administration. As such, his signature appears on paper currency.
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Originally, the coin was to portray an image of the founder of Lynchburg, John Lynch. A likeness of Lynch could not be found and native son Carter Glass was chosen.
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From April 6 – 10, 1865, Lynchburg served as the capital of Virginia.
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The packet boat Marshall was salvaged and put on display at the Lynchburg Sesquicentennial in 1936. The boat had carried the body of Confederate hero Stonewall Jackson from Lynchburg to Lexington, Virginia.
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)
Truth About the Federal Reserve System by Carter Glass
Scholar’s Choice (2015)
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 to 1954 by Anthony Swiatek and Walter Breen
Arco Publishing, Inc. (1981)