The Illinois Centennial half dollar is a commemorative 50-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1918. The obverse, depicting Abraham Lincoln, was designed by Chief Engraver George T. Morgan; the reverse, based on the Seal of Illinois, was by his assistant and successor, John R. Sinnock. Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo required changes, not all of which were made. The coins were minted in August 1918, and were sold to the public for USD 1 each.
About Illinois Centennial half dollar in brief
The Illinois Centennial half dollar is a commemorative 50-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1918. The obverse, depicting Abraham Lincoln, was designed by Chief Engraver George T. Morgan; the reverse, based on the Seal of Illinois, was by his assistant and successor, John R. Sinnock. Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo required changes, not all of which were made. The coins were minted in August 1918, and were sold to the public for USD 1 each. All sold, though many were held by a bank until 1933, and the profits used to defray the cost of local centennial celebrations or to help those in need because of World War I. Later writers have generally admired the coin, considering it one of the more handsome American commemoratives. The coin is valued in the hundreds of dollars today, though exceptional specimens may trade for more. A commemorative was wanted by the State of Illinois to mark the centennial of its 1818 admission to the Union, and in 1918, legislation was introduced into Congress to accomplish this. It met no opposition, though several amendments were made during the legislative process.
After it passed, the two engravers produced designs, but Treasury Secretary required changes. The bill was amended to reduce the authorized mintage from 200,000 to 100,000 and to add a statement that the U.S. government would not be responsible for the costs of the dies. It was passed without objection on May 21, 1918, by the House-passed bill, where the bill would apply to the state’s subsidiary silver coinage laws relating to the minor coinage of the United United States. This was changed to that of the silver coin; this would apply without objection to the coin’s silver obverse and reverse. The House passed the bill 8742 to 8742, and it was transmitted to the Senate without objection, where it was referred to the Banking and Currency Committee. The Senate passed it 8742-8742 on May 23, 1918; it was passed as amended without objection by the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures on May 24, 1918. It would have been the first half dollar to be struck in honor of a state’s centennial, but it was never struck.
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