Jul 03


Coin of the Month July 2010: United States of America Half Dollar 1921 Alabama State Centennial Commemorative.
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From the U.S. Mint: Obverse Description: This coin is the first ever created by the Mint to carry a living person's portrait. The busts are of William Wyatt Bibb, the first governor of Alabama, and T.E. Kilby, governor at the time of the event. The 22 stars indicate that Alabama was the 22nd state admitted to the Union. The inscriptions include United States of America, Half Dollar, In God We Trust, and Bibb 1921 Kilby. Obverse Designer: Laura Gardin Fraser Reverse Description: The image on the reverse of the coin is an adaptation of the State Seal of Alabama. The inscriptions say, State of Alabama, 1819 Centennial 1919, and the state motto, Here We Rest. Reverse Designer:Laura Gardin Fraser These coins were first distributed on October 26, 1921 when President Warren Harding passed through Birmingham to help dedicate a new Masonic temple. They were then sold by banks throughout the state and were widely circulated during the Great Depression. The coin was minted exclusively at the Philadelphia mint and although 100,000 coins were authorized, only about 70,000 were actually minted. There is also a version of this coin with a "2X2" on the right side of the obverse, above the stars, The X represents St. Andrew's cross, which is depicted on Alabama's state flag. There is an estimate that 6,006 of these coins were minted with the "2x2" on the coin. Stats: Diameter: 30.6 millimeters Weight: 12.5 grams Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper (ASW: .36169 oz) Edge: Reeded |