Huguenot-Walloon half dollar
The Huguenot-Walloon half dollar is a commemorative coin issued by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1924. It marks the 300th anniversary of the voyage of the Nieuw Nederlandt which landed in the New York area in 1624. Many of the passengers were Huguens from France or Walloons from what is now Belgium; they became early settlers of New York State and the surrounding area. The coin excited some controversy because of its sponsorship by a religious group.
About Huguenot-Walloon half dollar in brief
The Huguenot-Walloon half dollar is a commemorative coin issued by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1924. It marks the 300th anniversary of the voyage of the Nieuw Nederlandt which landed in the New York area in 1624. Many of the passengers were Huguens from France or Walloons from what is now Belgium; they became early settlers of New York State and the surrounding area. A commission run by the Federal Council of Churches in America sought issuance of a half dollar to mark the anniversary, and the bill passed through Congress without opposition in 1923. Of the 300,000 coins authorized by Congress, fewer than half were actually struck, and of these, 55,000 were returned to the Mint and released into circulation. The coins are currently valued in the hundreds of dollars, depending on condition. The coin excited some controversy because of its sponsorship by a religious group. The choice of William the Silent and Gaspard de Coligny to appear on the obverse was also questioned as the men are considered martyrs by the Huguentots and died decades before the voyage. In 1626, Peter Minuit, the Director General for the Dutch West India Company, famously purchased the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans for goods worth some 60 guilders, often rendered as USD 24.
Many Huguet and Walloon refugees fled France in the 16th and 17th centuries, when there was intense persecution of them, most notably in the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of 1572. In 1584, Huguot military and political leader, Admiral Gaspards deColigny, was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard, a pro-Spanish zealot. In 1915, a group led by Rev. John Baer Stoudt sought the issuance of commemorative stamps and coins. The commission, led by its chairman, Rev. Dr. John Stoudd, planned an observance for the 300-year-old anniversary. In 1924, the U.S. Mint issued the half dollar as a symbol of the occasion, but it was not intended as a serious fundraiser, as it was intended to raise money towards the observance of the Mayflower anniversary. It was seen as a tribute to the Dutch, who were the first Europeans to arrive in New York in the 17th century, and to the French Protestants who had been persecuted by the Catholic majority in France for centuries. The half dollar was the first of its kind in the world and is one of only a handful of coins to commemorate the event. It is currently valued at about $1,000. It has been in circulation since 1924, when it was issued as a mark of respect for the early settlers in the state and the Dutch possessions centered on New York.
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This page is based on the article Huguenot-Walloon half dollar published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 31, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
