Authentic 1936 Long Island Tercentenary Silver Half Dollar - MS60+ (Uncirculated), Toned - Long Island Commemorative Half Dollar 1936

This listing is for the 1936 Rhode Island Commemorative Half Dollar photographed. MS60+ (Uncirculated), Toned, a high grade for this coin. And an ICG graded MS63 slabbed coin.

The Rhode Island Tercentenary half dollar (sometimes called the Providence, Rhode Island, Tercentenary half dollar) is a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. The coin was designed by John Howard Benson and Arthur Graham Carey. Its obverse depicts Roger Williams, founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was intended to honor the 300th anniversary of Providence, Rhode Island, although it bears no mention of the city.

Members of Rhode Island's congressional delegation sought a coin for the 300th anniversary of Providence, and Senator Jesse Metcalf added authorization for one to a bill for another commemorative coin that had already passed the United States House of Representatives. The amended bill was approved by both houses of Congress, and it was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A total of 50,000 coins were struck at the three mints then in operation.

The coins went on sale on March 5, 1936, and the quantity made available to the public sold out in a matter of hours. Rhode Island insiders were holding back quantities for later sale once prices rose. That conduct incensed coin collectors, and the abuses led Congress to move toward banning commemorative coins. The coins are listed for hundreds of dollars today, depending on condition.

Authentic 1936 Long Island Tercentenary Silver Half Dollar - MS60+ (Uncirculated), Toned - Long Island Commemorative Half Dollar 1936