Celebrating Alabama’s Admission to the Union
The State of Alabama was admitted to the Union in 1819. The land that became Alabama was originally inhabited by several Native American nations, including: the Chickasaw, the Creek (Muscogee), the Choctaw, and the Cherokee. The state constitution drafted and published in 1819 legally permitted and protected slavery and protected certain civil liberties for white male citizens. Although Alabama entered as a slave state, its admission occurred during a period of growing sectional tensions that would culminate in the Missouri Compromise.
The 100th Anniversary approached in 1919 and then passed, and there was no official activity to celebrate it. But two states celebrated their Admission to the Union before Alabama did: Maine in 1920 and Missouri in 1921. Legislation to mint a commemorative coin for Alabama’s admission to the Union was introduced by Alabama Congressman Rainey and was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson in 1920. The coins were minted in 1921.
The 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar holds two firsts:
- The first coin to depict a living person (Alabama Governor T. E. Kilby).
- The first U.S. commemorative coin in the world to have ever been designed by a woman, Laura Gardin Fraser, the wife of James Earle Fraser.
Design Details
The initial design was to have displayed President Woodrow Wilson on the 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar, but Warren G. Harding won the presidential election. So the sponsors changed their efforts and had the designer, Laura Gardin Fraser, depict William Bibb, the first Governor of Alabama, on the coin in a conjoined bust with T. E. Kilby, then Governor of Alabama in 1921.
Surmounting the busts on the obverse are the legends “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “IN GOD WE TRUST”. Below the busts are the names “BIBB” and “KILBY,” separated by “1921”. At the bottom of the obverse is the denomination “HALF DOLLAR”. The 22 stars on the obverse indicate that Alabama was the 22nd state admitted to the Union.
The reverse depicts the Alabama seal of arms, an eagle ready for flight standing on a Union shield. Arrows are in the eagle’s talons, but no olive branch. But there is a banner held in her beak on which is inscribed “HERE WE REST”. “STATE OF ALABAMA” and “1819 CENTENNIAL 1919” adorn the periphery.
With the 1921 Missouri Centennial issuers having a “Plain” and a “2★4” version of their coin, the Alabama committee placed a “2X2” on the obverse to create two versions. 6,006 with the “2X2” on the obverse were struck, and 16,014 were minted without that countermark. The number “22” represents that Alabama was the 22nd state admitted to the Union. The “X” is St. Andrew’s Cross that appears on the Alabama state flag. Both varieties were available for $1.00 per coin.
Add the 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar to your collection and explore other U.S. classic silver commemorative coins.
