1935 Hudson Half Dollar
Mintage 10,008
This coin was issued to mark the 150th anniversary, of Hudson New York, a small city along the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Few U.S. commemorative coins are more important-or more expensive-for those who collect the Series. That's because this coin, with a mintage of barely 10,000, is one of the scarcest issues in the series-not only in mint condition but in every single grade. Ironically, even 10,000 coins would be enough to provide one sample for every current resident of the city, whose 1980 population was just 7,986. The Hudson half dollar was designed by Chester Beach, a distinguished sculptor-medalist whose work also appears on several other U.S. commemoratives. Its obverse depicts the Half Moon, the flagship of Dutch explorer Henry Hudson, after whom the City of Hudson was named. A small crescent moon above the ship provides the design with a second "half moon," so to speak The coin's reverse features elements borrowed from Hudson's city seal and a whimsical seal it is! Neptune, the god of the sea, is shown riding backward on a spouting whale; meantime, off to the left, a mermaid is blowing a conch shell. The Hudson half dollar may have seemed somewhat trivial at the time of its authorization; it's dubious, at best, whether a city of such small proportions merited recognition on national coin of the realm. In fact, the incongruity probably helped account for the low mintage. However, there's no denying that this coin has become one of the biggest keys in a set of U.S. commemoratives. And the ship motif of its obverse heightens its appeal to hobbyists all around the world.
Value $400 - $1,800 |
