Delaware Tercentenary half dollar

Delaware Tercentenary half dollar
United States
Value50 cents (0.50 US dollars)
Mass12.5[1] g
Diameter30.61[1] mm (1.20 in)
Thickness2.15 mm (0.08[2][3] in)
EdgeReeded[1][a]
Composition
  • 90.0% silver[1]
  • 10.0% copper
Silver0.36169[1] troy oz
Years of minting1937
Mintage25,015 including 15 pieces for the Assay Commission and 4,022 later melted.
Mint marksNone, all pieces struck at Philadelphia Mint without mint mark[1][4]
Obverse
DesignOld Swedes Church
DesignerCarl L. Schmitz
Design date1936
Reverse
DesignKalmar Nyckel
DesignerCarl L. Schmitz
Design date1936

The Delaware Tercentenary half dollar (also known as the Swedish Delaware half dollar) is a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the first successful European settlement in Delaware. The reverse features the Swedish ship Kalmar Nyckel, which brought early settlers to Delaware, and the obverse depicts Old Swedes Church, which has been described as being the oldest Protestant church in the United States still used as a place of worship. While the coins are dated "1936" on the obverse and the reverse also has the dual date of "1638" and "1938", the coins were actually struck in 1937.

Authorizing legislation for the coin passed Congress in early 1936. Although there was no opposition, the legislation was changed to add protections for collectors against abuses, such as low mintages or strikings at multiple mints, which marked some commemorative coins at that time. Once the coin was authorized, the Delaware Swedish Tercentenary Commission (DSTC) held a competition to design the coin, judged by Mint Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock and sculptor Robert Tait McKenzie, which was won by Carl L. Schmitz.

The coins were produced at the Philadelphia Mint in March 1937, and were then sold to the public by the DSTC for $1.75 each. Of the 25,000 coins minted for sale, 20,978 were sold, and the profits used to help fund the tercentenary celebrations. The Delaware Tercentenary half dollar sells in the low hundreds of dollars, though exceptional specimens have sold for more.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Yeoman, p. 1101.
  2. ^ Flynn, p. 355.
  3. ^ Crowell's Dictionary of Business and Finance. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1923. p. 121. OCLC 1123997620.
  4. ^ "Mint Marks". United States Mint. December 3, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.


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