A look back at a common, but classic commemorative – Wisconsin’s Territorial Centennial

Congress authorized Classic commemorative coins like modern ones and, unlike those issued since 1982, put out the earlier run between 1892 and 1954. They were issued to honor events, locations, or important historical people and did not always touch on matters of national interest. All the 50 major commemorative silver halves of the classic era have designs that have since earned their place in history and smaller mintages than modern ones and, one highlights Wisconsin.

When it comes to this 1936 production it was designed by David Parsons and Benjamin Hawkins. Parsons was a university art student and prepared the initial designs based on requirements to feature the territorial seal on one side of the coin and a badger on the other. Modification of Parson’s design was performed by New York’s Benjamin Hawkins who made the design suitable for big production.

On the obverse? An image of a badger stands on a log with three arrows and an olive branch positioned vertically in the back. The surrounding inscriptions read “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “Liberty,” “Half Dollar,” and “In God We Trust.” The reverse features an arm holding a pickaxe and a small mound of rocks adapted from the seal of the Wisconsin Territory. The inscriptions on this side read “Wisconsin Territorial Centennial, 1836, 1936,” and “4th Day of July Anno Domini” with no nods to baking soda as some critics claim.

Photo by Evan J. Pretzer

The authorizing legislation for the piece specified a minimum of 25,000 had to be made and no maximum was listed. The minimum amount was produced at the Philadelphia Mint and offered for sale for $1.50 per coin plus postage for mailing.

The legislation for the coin was introduced by Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr. and was passed by Congress without opposition. The coins went on sale in July by the Wisconsin Historical Society and it took until the end of the 1950s for them to sell out. The coins were later reduced to $1.25 and went up to $3.00 in 1952.

The coin goes for $105.00 in XF, $160.00 in MS-65, and $1,750 in MS-68. These are prices coin dealers would pay, so retail prices are usually higher. One would think that the mintage of commemorative coins would create higher prices, but it is capitalism in action. The demand is just not there at this moment when it comes to the classic commemoratives that the Wisconsin piece is a part of.

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