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Pilgrim Tercentenary Commemorative Half Dollar

As fall foliage in the New England area is reaching its peak, most are planning or is getting ready for Thanksgiving. When one think of Thanksgiving decorations, we think of the colorful leaves of the season, turkey, and Pilgrim characters. Throughout New England in between1920 to 1921 local New Englanders thought of more than just Thanksgiving decorations. There were various local celebrations honoring the 300th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims in Plymouth in 1620. The Pilgrim Tercentenary Committee was the organization responsible for these events throughout the New England area. To raise funds for these events, the committee was also responsible for sponsoring a bill to Congress petitioning the authorization of the mintage of a commemorative half dollar. The bill was passed in Congress and became the Act of May 12, 1920, giving birth to the Pilgrim Tercentenary commemorative half dollar.

The Pilgrim Tercentenary commemorative half dollar features an unidentified man in a conical hat which was intended as an idealized portrait of Plymouth Colony Governor William Braford, holding a book intended to symbolize the Bible, dressed in a Puritan garment on the obverse of the coin. The reverse of the coin features a ship intended to represent the Mayflower in full sail with the inscription reading Pilgrim Tercentenary Celebration and the dates 1620 to 1920. These Pilgrim Tercentenary were minted at the Philadelphia Mint in 1920 and 1921 with a net mintage of 152,000 and 20,000 respectively.

The team here at Stack’s Bowers Galleries Boston welcomes you to come in and pick up one of these historical coins while supplies last. Our numismatists are ready to help you find the rare coin you are looking for. To contact us for further inquiries or to make an appointment for any numismatic inquiries please call 617-843-8343 or email [email protected]. We hope to see you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving to all and thank you for being a patron of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

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