1936 Long Island Tercentenary. MS-67+ (PCGS). CAC.

Rich tab toning in bronze and olive-apricot envelops much of the obverse, but is confined to the periphery on the reverse. The surfaces are silky smooth and lustrous with a delightful satin to softly frosted finish. The 1930s were a boom time for commemorative half dollars. Many local and state event committees sought to have special occasions commemorated with a coin, including the Long Island Tercentenary Committee. Founded by Dutch settlers in 1636, Long Island planned to celebrate their tercentenary in May of 1936. The committee sought a commemorative half dollar to help fund these festivities and began discussions with artist Howard Weinman, the son of famed sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman. However, the committee acted too late to get the authorization to proceed in time for the coin to be available for the celebrations. The design for the coin was ready by June and the full authorized amount of 100,000 coins were struck in the Philadelphia Mint during July. Despite coming too late to be sold at the planned events, the coins sold at a brisk pace and all but 18,174 examples were distributed, with the balance returned to be melted. Hoards of these coins occasionally turned up through the 1960s, and individual examples can be found with some degree of ease today. Because of the design's dramatic though rather flat elements, abrasions and other surface marks have a tendency to show up easily, making Superb Gem specimens especially rare. With such an extraordinary degree of preservation and superb eye appeal, this is an exceptional example of the type in all regards.

PCGS# 9322. NGC ID: BYGX.

PCGS Population: 33; with a single MS-68 finer.

Estimate: $2750