Featured Early Commemoratives Proposed But Not Issued

This is the only other image I've found for a proposed design:


The Numismatist, Designs for Proposed Grover Cleveland Coin. May, 1937, p. 406. The designs are by Edwin D. Mott, a local artist.

“A bill authorizing a half dollar to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Grover Cleveland has been introduced in the Senate, according to press reports. It is said the bill authorizes the coinage of 50,000 half dollars, to be struck for the Caldwell Coin Club.

Former President Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, N.J., in March, 1837, where it is proposed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The old Cleveland home on Bloomfield Avenue, opposite the Erie Station, was entirely restored last summer by WPA workers.”45

44 The Numismatist, Commemorative Coins. February, 1937, pg. 107-108.

“Bills Introduced For New Commemorative Coins, A Goodly Number Proposed for 1937. . .

Caldwell (N. J.) Coin Club Asks for Grover Cleveland half Dollar.

To authorize the coinage of 50-cent pieces in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Grover Cleveland.

This bill authorizes an issue of not more than 25,000 pieces, to bear the date 1937 irrespective of the year in which they are minted, to be struck at the three mints at such times as they may be requested by the Chairman of the Caldwell Coin Club Committee. Not less than 5000 coins shall be issued at any one time, and no coins shall be issued after one year from the passage of the act.

The proceeds from the sale of the coins shall be used in defraying the expenses incidental and appropriate to the commemoration of the event.

The Numismatist, Bills Introduced For New Commemorative Coins. March 1937, pg. 202-208.

“Designs For Proposed Grover Cleveland Coin.

If and when the bill authorizing the issue of a half dollar commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Grover Cleveland pass Congress, the designs on the coin will follow closely the drawings illustrated here. The Caldwell Coin club is sponsor for the coin. The designs are by Edwin D. Mott, a local artist.

The reverse shows the manse of the First Presbyterian Church in Caldwell, N.J., where Grover Cleveland was born in 1837. At that time his father was pastor of the Church, but left that field when the future president was 4 years old.”58

58 The Numismatist, Designs for Proposed Grover Cleveland Coin. May, 1937, p. 406.

The end.

 

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I was going thru some older files and found this:



Courtesy of Superior Galleries, The L. W. Hoffecker Collection, Auction and Mail Bid Sale, February 8-11, 1987.

 

Almost looks like the inspiration for the I-10 ... I mean US-90 ... I mean Spanish Trail commem.

 

lol

 

And I hadn't even noticed the "Hoffecker Collection" bit when I said that. It's clearly the "if at first you don't succeed" failure that led to the Spanish Trail commem. Wikipedia says this on the Spanish Trail page: "In 1929, [Hoffecker] organized the Gadsden Purchase Commission (consisting mostly of himself) to seek a commemorative coin issue for the 75th anniversary of the Gadsden Purchase." I assume that the comment of the commission consisting "mostly" of Hoffecker meant that he had most of the power rather than he made up most of the people on the commission, as the latter would imply that there was at least one fractional person on the commission.

 

Found another coin image for a proposed coin:



A G. Heaton was the third president of the American Numismatic Association, governing from 1894 to 1899. In 1893, he published his famous Treatise on Coinage of the United States Branch Mints, which revolutionized numismatics. Until its publication, collectors generally only collected by date. Heaton's Treatise, commonly referred to as just Mint Marks, showed that the coinage of the branch mints was often significantly more scarce and hence worth far more.

In 1900, Heaton updated Mint Marks in the article, Late Coinage of the United States Mint, published in The Numismatist. Heaton was a frequent contributor to The Numismatist, submitting both articles and poetry, including The Numismatist and the Burglar, published by The Numismatist in 1894 and later appeared in Heaton's book, Fancies and Thoughts in Verse. As a collector, he owned a complete collection of US $3 and $1 gold coins from all five mints where they were coined, one of only two such collections in existence.

 

Was the Heaton coin design meant to be a commemorative of some sort, or just a proposal for a new design? It's unclear from the design what, if anything, is being commemorated. Statehood for Oklahoma? Does the ribbon the eagle has actually say "45 President?"

 

A replacement for the standard half dollar.