The Texas commem is significantly more popular than the Cincinnati I posted earlier. This half dollar was minted in celebration of the centennial of Texan Independence, however short-lived that was. The Texas commem was minted for several years, starting in 1934, and ending in 1938. Each successive year mintages dwindled. The design of the Texas commem has always been one of my favorites in the classic commem series. The obverse features a well-rendered eagle boldly posing in front of a giant star. The reverse is probably the busiest design on any American coin, but its main features are an angel embracing the Alamo, with busts of Sam Houston and Stephen Austin flanking. These were two very important figures in the history of Texas and the Texas Independence movement. Stephen Austin is known as "The Father of Texas." He secured permissions first from the Spanish empire, and then from the newly formed country of Mexico, to bring American settlers in to Texas to colonize the area. Austin thus founded the first American settlement in the Mexican province of Texas. Later, after Independence, Austin served as Secretary of State. Sam Houston was originally from Virginia, but moved to Tennessee at a young age, where he served as Governor. Houston then moved to Texas, and was the highest ranking member of the Texas Army. He led them to victory in the Battle of San Jacinto (the decisive battle in the Texas War for Independence). Houston was then elected President of Texas. After Texas was annexed by the US, Houston served as senator, and then later as governor. Sam Houston was thus the only American to have ever served as governor of two different states. From the 1934 through the 1938S issues, there have been a total of 18,341 Texas commems graded by NGC. Of these, only 9 have been designated as PL, all from the 1937S issue. 4 of these are MS-65PL, 2 are 66PL (of course, Bagne owned one of the 66s). When I saw this NGC MS-65 PL come up on Heritage recently, of course I knew I needed to own it. This was one lot in a terrific group of very scarce PL commems, and I only wish that I had been able to win more (the unique Maine commem in PL was one lot, but I got blasted out of the water on that one!) Anyways, here is the coin! Tell me what you think, and post your own Texans if you have them. The last picture is a (very old) picture of me at the Alamo (in 2009).
I realize that everyone has their personal favorites when it comes to the Classic Commems, but mine have always been the Oregon Trail, Stone Mountain and Texas. ~ Chris
Great coin! And if one were to have just one commemorative in PL as a type example, you picked the perfect example. It's a design that I like as well (it's in my top three with the Oregon and Pan Pacific). Mine is dark, but has a lovely dash of color (especially on the reverse): https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxv-M3oleNT/
I like it. Some history on the Texas Commem: 304,000 coined, 154,522 melted leaving 149,478 sold. Designed and modeled by Pompeo Coppini. The 1934-37 coins were distributed by the American Legion Texas Centennial Committee, A. Garland Adair, Chairman. The 1938 issue was distributed by the Texas Memorial Museum Centennial Coin Campaign, Buford H. Jester, chairman. Dallas Exposition Centennial Aerial View. Courtesy of Texas Centennial in 1936, it’s your State, it’s your Celebration by Wallace Owen Chariton. Design: Obverse: A large eagle superimposed on a large five-pointed star, below 1934; to the lower left E. PLURIBUS UNUM; upper right, IN GOD WE TRUST; around border, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HALF DOLLAR. Reverse: Seated female figure with drapery and outstretched wings, her left arm thrown protectingly over a miniature representation of the Alamo. Above her head, on a scroll ”Liberty” and the flags of France, Spain and Mexico; at left, medallion portrait of Sam Houston; at right, medallion portrait of Stephen F. Austin; lower right field, 1836-1936; around top border, THE TEXAS INDEPENDENCE CENTENNIAL, bottom REMEMBER THE ALAMO. Coppini signature near the L in CENTENNIAL. “AUSTIN, Tex., Feb 20–(AP)–The questions most frequently asked in communications to the office of the American Legion Texas Centennial committee, are: ‘What about a Texas Centennial exposition in 1936? Is there going to be one?’ One citizen recently suggested that if something was not done about it soon ‘we should go in with Arkansas’ and join the people of that state in their centennial exposition. Arkansas’ 100th birthday into the Union will occur in 1936. The American Legion Texas Centennial Committee has constantly given out the information that Texas Legionnaires were primarily interested in the construction by 1936 of a memorial museum devoted to history and to natural history, and appropriately marking all Texas battlefields. The museum, when built, equipped and furnished from the sale of 1,500,000 Texas Centennial silver 50-cent pieces to be minted by the federal government, will be given to the people of Texas. It will be built on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The half dollars will be sold at $1 each, netting $750,000 for the museum. The Centennial sales are the only means of revenue the committee now has with which to conduct its program, pay for the dies, assure an available fund for shipping the coins when minted, placard the state with centennial posters, conduct essay contests in Texas schools, send out publicity to the 10,000 Legion posts of the U. S. regarding the endeavor and pay for many other things that must be done between now and 1936. The committee contemplates calling together within a few weeks members of all existing centennial commissions and committees in order that the Legion’s program may be explained and an opportunity given to work out a unified, coordinated exposition program. A demand for coins has already begun. Col. E. H. R. Green, formerly of Texas, now of New York, has written that he wanted a large supply of the coins. The Texas Society of Chicago has also given notice of its desire to cooperate.”5 5 The Laredo (Tx.) Times, Centennial Is Target For Questions, Tuesday, February 20, 1934.
