Hudson

Insider2

Please post images of your Hudson half dollars.

abcde12345

I don't own a Huguenot Commemorative yet here is an interesting write-up along with a photo from a book showing off this fascinating coin:

THE HUDSON HALF-DOLLAR
The occasion for a souvenir half-dollar was the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city of Hudson, New York, in 1785. This town of 14,000 inhabitants was one of importance in the late eighteenth century at the time it received its charter. The city was named after Hendrik Hudson, who sailed up the Hudson River in 1609 as an employee of the Dutch East India Company in search of a northwest passage to the Orient.

The authorizing bill for this issue is as follows: [Public— No. 48—74th Congress] An Act To authorize the coinage of 50-cent pieces in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city of Hudson, New York, and of the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, respectively. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That, in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city of Hudson, New York, there shall be coined by the Director of the Mint ten thousand silver 50-cent pieces, and in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, there shall be coined by the Director of the Mint, fifty thousand silver 50-cent pieces, in each case such coins to be of standard size, weight, and fineness of a special appropriate design to be fixed by the Director of the Mint, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, but the United States shall not be subject to the expense of making the models for master dies or other preparations for this coinage. Sec.2. Coins commemorating the founding of the city of Hudson, New York, shall be issued at par, and only upon the request of the committee, person, or persons duly authorized by the mayor of the city of Hudson, New York, and the coins commemorating the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, shall be issued at par and only upon the request of the Providence Tercentenary Committee. Sec. 3. Such coins may be disposed of at par or at a premium by the committee, person, or persons duly authorized in section 2, and all proceeds shall be used in furtherance of the commemoration of the founding of the cities of Hudson, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island, respectively. Sec. 4. (Same as Maryland issue, Section 4, page 99.) Sec. 5. The coins authorized herein shall be issued in such numbers, and at such times as they may be requested by the committee, person or persons duly authorized by said mayor of Hudson, New York, in the case of coins issued in commemoration of the founding of that city, and by the Providence Tercentenary Committee in the case of coins commemorating the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and in each case only upon payment to the United States of the face value of such coins. Approved, May 2, 1935.

The above Act is one of the few instances in the commemorative coinage wherein two or more issues have been authorized in the same Act. The Hudson issue was released in 1935; that of Rhode Island was not struck until 1936 and is described in its sequence.

The pleasing design of this issue is by Chester Beach, the designer of a number of previous commemorative issues.

The Philadelphia Mint struck 10,,008 coins, which represented the entire authorized coinage, in June 1935, and these were originally distributed at one dollar each. Considerable criticism was evoked by this issue, as few collectors had time to place their orders with the Commission prior to its entire disposal which had taken place within an unbelievably short time. This promptness on the part of the Commission combined with wholesale selling resulted in a rapid rise of the retail price.

90. Obv. Hendrik Hudson’s flagship, the "Half Moon" sailing to right. Directly below, partly on waves and partly on the field, in thick curved ornamental letters: Hudson In left field, a half moon. Around upper circumference: the United States of America Below, in smaller letters, parallel: in god we — trust At the lower border: half a dollar At the extreme left border, artist’s monogram in relief: CB Rev. Seal of the City of Hudson, New York. Neptune, with an upright trident in hand, riding backward on spouting whale. At left, mermaid blowing conch shell. Above on scroll: et decus — et premium — recti in small letters. Around upper circumference: • the city of Hudson • n • y • At the lower border: 1785 • 1935 and above, in smaller letters, curved: e Pluribus Unum

Edge. Reeded. 30 mm. Silver.

Lettering. Gothic.

The Latin motto appearing upon this issue translated means: " Both the honor and the reward of the righteous."

The half-moon shown upon the obverse is of particular interest because it makes use of the canting device so often found upon Greek coins.

Justacommeman

I sort of miss this fella. They don’t often come like this

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2ndCharter

Not a Hudson Half Dollar but how about an original ribbon from a member of the Hudson Sesquicentennial's Executive Committee?

thefinn

An Englishman with his name in Dutch. Like Christopher Columbus instead of Cristofero Columbo.
The initial images are of a Chinese counterfeit. No Hudson's have a full face for Poseidon.

drei3ree

It's a Hudson Half, but not a half dollar.

CommemKing

Here is the only one I have owned. It was part of my first complete 50 piece commemorative half dollars registry set.

I really wasn't fond of the coin, but it's painful originality struck me for some reason. Anyway its gone and here it is:

thisistheshow

@CommemKing said:
Here is the only one I have owned. It was part of my first complete 50 piece commemorative half dollars registry set.

I really wasn't fond of the coin, but it's painful originality struck me for some reason. Anyway its gone and here it is:

Painful originality.......I like that

ricko

The Hudson commem is an interesting coin... as is the city of Hudson (been there many times, not far from where I live)....The representation of a 'half moon' is misleading, since it is really a quarter moon...Overall a nice coin and quite unique, design-wise, among commemorative coins.... Cheers, RickO

Insider2

Nice bit of humor Ricko! Indeed it is a quarter moon but I understood the "Half Moon" referred to the name of his ship.

keets

wow, and I even said Thank You!!

ChrisH821

@abcde12345 said:
I don't own a Huguenot Commemorative yet here is an interesting write-up along with a photo from a book showing off this fascinating coin:
...
...

I'm no expert, but that one looks to be of questionable authenticity to me. Or is that some sort of prototype engraving? It looks different and is lacking some detail shown on other ones. The mermaid's tail for instance, and the water jet from the whale. I know you said it's from a book, but... I have to ask.

metalmeister

Still have this one from the 1990's