1936 – The 250th Anniversary of the 1686 Albany Charter
The people of Albany, NY, recognized the 250th anniversary of 1686 granting of their Municipal Charter by Thomas Dongan, who was the English-appointed Governor of colonial New York. They, too, wanted a commemorative half dollar to defray the costs of their anticipated celebrations. A New York Congressman initiated the legislation to go through Congress. The original bill called for only 10,000 coins but because of prior abuses with coins selling for multiples of their issue price before they were even shipped from the Mint, the legislation was amended to 25,000 coins. An additional amendment was that a minimum of three Committee members, chosen by the Mayor of Albany, would have to agree to order coins from the Mint. With those two changes, the legislation sailed through Congress and was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt.
The Mayor of Albany selected a 3-person committee to oversee the sale of the coins and the Albany Dongan Charter Coin Committee was formed. The city had commissioned Gertrude K. Lathrop to design the coins and she came highly recommended by Commission of Fine Arts member and Buffalo Nickel designer, James Earle Fraser.
The obverse of the coin depicts three men – Governor Thomas Dongan greeting Peter Schuyler and Robert Livingston. Above them, on the periphery are “SETTLED 1614 – CHARTERED 1686.” A small pine tree is behind Dongan but a large eagle overspreads the men, and “1636” is inscribed at the base of their feet. Below them is “ALBANY – N-Y.”
The reverse depicts a beaver gnawing on a maple tree branch. Are the outer periphery are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “HALF DOLLAR.” The mottoes “E PLURISBUS UNUM” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” are above and on either side of the beaver.
The Philadelphia Mint struck 25,013 coins (the 13 coins were struck to be assayed) in October of 1936, well after the celebrations of mid-July. The issue price of $2 was too steep, as the normal offering prices were $1.50 or $1.00, so the offering did not sell out. Some 7,000 coins were returned to the Mint leaving a net mintage of 17,671 coins sold and distributed.
The coins ordered through the mail were shipped in 5-coin holders. Occasionally they can also be found in these holders and the original mailing envelope.
(Original 5-coin holder for the 1936 Albany Commemorative Half Dollar.)
| Date | Type | Mintage | AU Value | Unc Value |
| 1936 | Albany Charter | 17,671 | $225 | $400 |
Ready to expand your currency collection? Shop our broad array of handpicked rare currency.
