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Alabama Centennial Half Dollar
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50
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US Dollars
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125
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306
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Reeded
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900% Ag <br>100% Cu
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1921
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-
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Alabama_centennial_half_dollar_obversejpg
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William Bibb and Thomas Kilby
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Laura Gardin Fraser
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1921
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Alabama_centennial_half_dollar_reversejpg
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Adaptation of the State Seal of Alabama
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Marie Bankhead Owen
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1921
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The
Coin was minted to celebrate the
Centennial of
Alabama's admission to the
Union in
1819 . This was the last slave holding territory admitted prior to the
Missouri Compromise in
1820 . This was also the first
Commemorative Coin minted with the image of a living individual. These coins were first distributed on October 26,
1921 when President
Warren Harding passed through
Birmingham to help dedicate a new
Masonic temple. They were then sold by banks throughout the state and were widely circulated during the
Great Depression .
The
Obverse of the coin was designed by Laura Gardin Fraser (wife of
James Earle Fraser ) and depicts overlapping profiles of the
William Bibb , who was the
Governor in 1819, and
Thomas Kilby , who was the governor in
1919 .
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is at the top perimeter with
IN GOD WE TRUST directly under that. HALF DOLLAR is at the lower perimeter with the date above between BIBB and KILBY. The 22 stars flanking the portraits indicate that Alabama was the 22nd state admitted to the Union. On some coins, there is a 2X2 in the right field with the X representing the St. Andrew's cross. The
Reverse was designed by Marie Bankhead Owen and shows the Alabama State Seal with STATE OF ALABAMA at the top perimeter and 1819 CENTENNIAL 1919 at the lower perimeter.
The Alabama centennial half dollar was minted exclusively at the
Philadelphia Mint .
Although the
United States Congress authorized 100,000 coins, only approximately 70,000 were struck. Of those, about 5,000 unsold coins were melted. The net mintage was 6,006 of the "2x2" variety and 59,038 of the plain variety. Many of these coins were weakly struck and are difficult to find in higher grades as so many of them circulated.
'' NGC Photo Proof Series
'', by
Richard (R. S.) Yeoman
Early United States Commemorative Coins
