Episode 1471
Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar
Sat, 2021-May-15 00:04 UTC
Length - 2:38
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Saturday, 15 May 2021 is Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar.
The Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar was a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint. Designed by Abraham Wolfe Davidson and minted in 1936, it marks the 150th anniversary of the designation of Columbia as South Carolina's state capital.
The obverse design depicts Lady Justice holding a sword and scales, standing between South Carolina's Old State House, built in 1790, and the New State House, completed in 1903. The reverse shows the palmetto tree, South Carolina's state symbol, surrounded by 13 stars representing the original Thirteen Colonies, though they may also be intended to represent the Confederate States.
Despite growing opposition to commemorative coins, legislation for the Columbia half dollars passed Congress unopposed in 1936. The Commission of Fine Arts did not like Davidson's designs, and unsuccessfully sought his replacement. The coins were struck in September 1936, but they were slow to be distributed. Once they were, they were sold in small quantities, frustrating coin dealers who hoped to accumulate more to resell to their customers. The mintage of 25,000 was distributed; no coins were returned to the Mint for redemption and melting. They generally sell in the hundreds of dollars range today, depending on condition.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:04 UTC on Saturday, 15 May 2021.
For the full current version of the article, see Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar on Wikipedia.
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This has been Kimberly Neural. Thank you for listening to featured Wiki of the Day.
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