Episode 734
Maine Centennial half dollar
Thu, 2019-May-09 00:33 UTC
Length - 2:06
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 Thursday, 9 May 2019 is Maine Centennial half dollar.
The Maine Centennial half dollar is a commemorative coin struck in 1920 by the United States Bureau of the Mint. It was sculpted by Anthony de Francisci, following sketches by an unknown artist from the U. S. state of Maine.
Officials in Maine wanted a commemorative half dollar to circulate as an advertisement for the centennial of the state's admission to the Union, and of the planned celebrations. A bill to allow such a coin passed Congress without opposition, but then the state's centennial commission decided to sell the coins at $1, double the face value. The Commission of Fine Arts disliked the proposed design, and urged changes, but Maine officials insisted, and de Francisci converted the sketches to plaster models, from which coinage dies could be made.
Fifty thousand pieces, half the authorized mintage, were struck for release to the public. They were issued too late to be sold at the centennial celebrations in Portland, but eventually the coins were all sold, though relatively few went to coin collectors. They list for hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on condition.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:33 UTC on Thursday, 9 May 2019.
For the full current version of the article, see Maine Centennial half dollar on Wikipedia.
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This has been Joey. Thank you for listening to featured Wiki of the Day.
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