United States | |
| Value | 50 cents (0.50 US dollars) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 12.5 g |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm (1.20 in) |
| Thickness | 2.15 mm (0.08 in) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Composition |
|
| Silver | 0.36169 troy oz |
| Years of minting | 1936 |
| Mintage | 100,053, including 53 pieces designated for the Assay Commission; 18,227 melted |
| Mint marks | None, all pieces struck at Philadelphia Mint without mint mark. |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Native American and Dutch settler |
| Designer | Howard Kenneth Weinman |
| Design date | 1936 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Dutch sailing vessel |
| Designer | Howard Kenneth Weinman |
| Design date | 1936 |
The Long Island Tercentenary half dollar was a commemorative half dollar struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. The obverse depicts a male Dutch settler and an Algonquian tribesman, and the reverse shows a Dutch sailing ship. It was designed by Howard Weinman, the son of Mercury dime designer Adolph A. Weinman.
The Long Island Tercentenary Committee wanted a coin to mark the 300th anniversary of the first European settlement there, at modern Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York City. The authorizing bill passed through Congress without opposition. Still, it was amended in the Senate to add protections against past commemorative coin abuses, such as low mintages or an assortment of varieties. On April 13, 1936, the bill became law with the signature of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The coins were not struck until August of that year, too late for the anniversary celebrations, which had been held in May. The coins were placed on sale to the public, and four-fifths of the 100,000 coins sent to the Tercentenary Committee were sold, a result deemed to be successful given the significant issue and a lack of advertising. The remainder was sent back to the Philadelphia Mint for redemption and melting. The half dollar catalogs up to the low hundreds of dollars.