Classic Coins - Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

The Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar Classic Commemorative Coin celebrated the 150th anniversary of the approval to incorporate the city of Hudson in 1785.

Characteristics - size, weight, metal content, value range
Obverse - picture, description, artist
Reverse - picture, description, artist
Commentary - coin notes, mintage information, historical comments, fun facts

On May 2, 1935, the first session of the 74th Congress approved an act which became Public Law 74-48 that authorized both the Hudson NY Sesquicentennial and the Providence RI Tercentenary coins.

The law began, "That, in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city of Hudson, New York, there shall be coined by the Director of the Mint ten thousand silver 50-cent pieces, and in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, there shall be coined by the Director of the Mint, fifty thousand silver 50-cent pieces, in each case such coins to be of standard size, weight, and fineness of a special appropriate design to be fixed by the Director of the Mint, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, but the United States shall not be subject to the expense of making the models for master dies or other preparations for this coinage.

"SEC. 2. Coins commemorating the founding of the city of Hudson, New York, shall be issued at par, and only upon the request of the committee, person, or persons duly authorized by the mayor of the city of Hudson, New York, and the coins commemorating the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, shall be issued at par and only upon the request of the Providence Tercentenary Committee.

"SEC. 3. Such coins may be disposed of at par or at a premium by the committee, person, or persons duly authorized in section 2, and all proceeds shall be used in furtherance of the commemoration of the founding of the cities of Hudson, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island, respectively."

The law continues in Section 4 stating that all laws already in place applying to coinage shall also apply to these coins.

"SEC. 5. The coins authorized herein shall be issued in such numbers, and at such times as they may be requested by the committee, person or persons duly authorized by said mayor of Hudson, New York, in the case of coins issued in commemoration of the founding of that city, and by the Providence Tercentenary Committee in the case of coins commemorating the founding of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and in each case only upon payment to the United States of the face value of such coins."

Characteristics - Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

Metal Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Diameter - millimeters: 30.6
Diameter - inches: 1.2
Weight - grams: 12.5
Weight - troy ounce: 0.401884332
Silver content weight - troy ounce: 0.3617
Mint Locations: Philadelphia
Years Minted: 1935

The coin's silver content alone makes it more valuable than its face value of $0.50.

But, the coin's age, its condition, and its desirability make it even more valuable as a collectible.

The coin's estimated value ranges from $550 (low grade - XF) to $1650 (high grade - MS-66).

Extraordinary characteristics on the Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar can command a price outside the estimated value range. 

Obverse - Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

The obverse or front of the coin bears two half moon images. One is the Half Moon, Henry Hudson's two-masted sailing vessel, under full sail. The other is a half moon just above the ship's sails on the left.

The coinage inscriptions say, United States of America, In God We Trust, Hudson, and Half Dollar.

Artist: Chester Beach

Reverse - Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

The reverse or back of the coin displays the seal of the city of Hudson. The seal includes Neptune, god of the sea, holding a trident and riding a spouting whale. A mermaid in the background blows into a conch shell.

The coinage inscriptions read City of Hudson, N.Y., Et Decus Et Pretium Recti, E Pluribus Unum, and 1785–1935.

Artist: Chester Beach

Commentary - Hudson NY Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

Though the stated mintage limit was "ten thousand," records show an additional 8 over the 10,000 limit were minted.

The coin pictured above resides in an NGC holder and is graded as an MS-64. (NGC, Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, provides coin grading and certification services.)

Versions of the coin also exist across a variety of the grades.

Interestingly, the Official Red Book shows the Half Moon as the obverse, but the US Mint's historical archive for the City of Hudson NY Sesquicentennial half dollar shows the seal as the obverse.

Henry Hudson sailed the Dutch East India Company's ship called the Halve Maen, which is Half Moon in English.

Some believe the local legend that the Hudson NY Sesquicentennial half dollar was minted on the direct order of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They believe the gesture was in appreciation to the Hudson City Democratic Committee for being the first to endorse him for State Senator and Governor.

The banner above Neptune reads "Et Decus Et Pretium Recti" which means "both the ornament and the reward of virtue" (per the Latin/English translation dictionary).

However, other cities use this motto (e.g., the coat of arms for Grafton Australia). Their translations: It means "The Honour and Recompense of Virtue" and literally means "Both the glory and rewards of right", or more correctly, "Rectitude is both honorable and precious".

But, sadly, today's City of Hudson NY uses a different City Seal without Neptune and his mermaid companion. It only shows a whale with two banners - one noting the city above and one below noting the city's incorporation.

Another view of today's seal can be seen in this Hudson Valley Magazine article about the importance of whaling to early Hudson NY.

Henry (Hendrick) Hudson explored what is now known as the Hudson River in 1609.

Due to the hardships of winter on a sailing vessel, his crew mutinied and left him, his young son and several other men in a "shallup" perhaps in what is now called Hudson's Bay.

Habbakuk Prickett, one of the crew, preserved Hudson's journal enabling people to understand Hudson's voyage. Details can be found in the HISTORY OF THE CITY OF HUDSON NEW YORK WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF HENRY HUDSON AND ROBERT FULTON, an online book in the Internet Archive Library. 

Visit our GACS Numismatic Shoppe Hudson NY Sesquicentennial for a variety of useful items decorated with images of the classic commemorative silver half dollar coin.