Quick Coinage Facts
Years Minted: 1936
Mints: Philadelphia
Composition: 0.900 silver, 0.100 copper
Diameter: 30.6 mm
Weight: 12.50 grams
Total Mintage: 20,013
Description
The 1936 Lynchburg Sesquicentennial is another in the list of commemoratives that hardly warranted national attention. The City was chartered in 1786 named after John Lynch the town Founder. The Lynchburg Sesquicentennial Commission sponsored the bill which became law on May 28. 1936. Originally the sponsors wanted a portrait of John Lynch on the coin, but when it was found that no images existed they decided to use the portrait of Lynchburg's favorite son, then Virginia Senator and former Secretary of the Treasury, Carter Glass. Senator Glass, who was still alive at the time, is best known for introducing the bill that created the Federal Reserve Bank and later for the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 that created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The authorization called for the minting of not more than 20,000 coins to be coined at a single mint. The Sesquicentennial commission called on Charles Keck (who had previously designed the 1915-S Panama pacific gold dollar and the 1927 Vermont commemorative half), to design the coin and 20,013 were struck (including 13 for assay) in Philadelphia in August 1936 and released for distribution on September 21 in time for the Sesquicentennial Celebration. The design proved to be reasonably popular and the issue sold out by the end of the Year
The Obverse Design is dominated by a portrait of Senator Glass in a suit and tie, facing to the coins left. Inscriptions include: His Name “CARTER GLASS” under the portrait, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” along the top rim from 8 o’clock to 3 o’clock, “LIBERTY” to the left under the senators chin, and “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right behind his neck.
The Reverse design is a bit more artistic showing a figure of Liberty, in a flowing gown, standing in the center of the coin with her arms outstretched. Behind her on the right is a building identified as the old Lynchburg Courthouse, with the Confederate Monument (from Monument terrace) in front of it. The inscription “LYNCHBURG VIRGINIA SESQUICENTENNIAL” runs along the rim from 8 o’clock to 4 o’clock with “HALF DOLLAR” at the bottom and “E PLURUBUS UNUM” to the left below Liberty’s outstretch hand. The twin dates 1786 and 1936 are divided by Liberty’s legs.
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