Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the 1686 Albany, New York Charter
The people of Albany, NY, celebrated the 250th anniversary of the 1686 Dongan Charter, granted by Thomas Dongan, who was the English-appointed Governor of colonial New York. This charter remains one of the most significant colonial charters in American municipal history and is still considered foundational to Albany’s legal identity. The settlement was vital to the fur trade with the Native Americans and served as a defensive outpost.
In the 1930s, a New York congressman introduced legislation to mint a commemorative coin for consideration by Congress. The original bill called for only 10,000 coins, but because of prior abuses in which coins were sold 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 required that a minimum of three Committee members, chosen by the Mayor of Albany, agree to order coins from the Mint. With those two changes, the legislation went through Congress and was signed by President Franklin D. 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.
Design Details
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, and an eagle soars overhead. “1936” is inscribed at the base of their feet, and on the bottom of the coin is “ALBANY – N-Y”. “LIBERTY” is visible in small print above the eagle.
The reverse depicts a beaver gnawing on a maple tree branch. Are the outer peripheries “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “HALF DOLLAR”. The mottoes “E PLURIBUS UNUM” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” are above and on either side of the beaver. A beaver appears on the coin to acknowledge the vital role of beaver pelts in the region’s 17th-century trade and because the beaver appears on the seal of Albany, New York.
Distribution Details
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. In 1943, 17,658 coins were sold, and 7,342 were returned to the United States Mint.
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 Charter Half Dollar)
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