Episode 937
Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar
Thu, 2019-Nov-28 00:55 UTC
Length - 2:13
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, 28 November 2019 is Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar.
The Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar or Pilgrim half dollar was a commemorative fifty-cent coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1920 and 1921 to mark the 300th anniversary (tercentenary) of the arrival of the Pilgrims in North America. It was designed by Cyrus E. Dallin.
Massachusetts Congressman Joseph Walsh was involved in joint federal and state efforts to mark the anniversary. He saw a reference to a proposed Maine Centennial half dollar and realized that a coin could be issued for the Pilgrim anniversary in support of the observances at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The bill moved quickly through the legislative process and became the Act of May 12, 1920.
Sculptor James Earle Fraser criticized some aspects of the design, but the Treasury approved it anyway. After a promising start, sales tailed off, and tens of thousands of coins from each year were returned to the Philadelphia Mint for melting. Numismatist Q. David Bowers has cited the fact that the coins were struck in a second year as the start of a trend to force collectors to buy more than one piece in order to have a complete set.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:55 UTC on Thursday, 28 November 2019.
For the full current version of the article, see Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar on Wikipedia.
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This has been Kimberly. Thank you for listening to featured Wiki of the Day.
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