Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Hawaii’s Discovery
In 1927, the legislature of the Territory of Hawaii passed a resolution asking the US Government to honor the Sesquicentennial of the Landing of Captain Cook in the Hawaiian Islands. As Congress sought to keep the Hawaiian peoples happy with their relationship with the Government, no opposition formed when a commemorative coin was suggested. The bill for the Hawaiian Half Dollar passed through Congress and was signed by President Coolidge on March 7, 1928. The bill provided for the issuance of 10,000 commemorative Half Dollars.
The Captain Cook Sesquicentennial Commission of Hawaii was formed as the organization designated to sell the Commemorative Half Dollars to the public. The idea was to charge the commission $.50 for each of the Half Dollars and the Commission could sell them at a profit to defray the costs of the celebration. The coins would be sold at $2.00 each, then the highest price ever asked for a commemorative Half Dollar.
Now the Commission needed a design that would make the coin attractive to the buyers. A Honolulu artist, Juliette May Fraser, was asked to submit some sketches which she did. Sculptor Chester Beach made the plaster models and made changes to the models so that the dies could be created.
The obverse design had a portrait, in military dress, of Captain James Cook. He faces left towards a Compass needle and the words, “CAPT. JAMES COOK, DISCOVERER OF HAWAII.” The top periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” with “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right and behind Cook. The denomination “HALF DOLLAR” is below the bust but it is flanked by 8 small triangles, representing the eight largest islands of Hawaii.
The reverse has a scene of a full-figured King Kamehameha I of Hawaii, standing, in ceremonial dress, extending his arm in greetings. There is a large palm tree behind him with a small Hawaiian village, a beach and the famous Diamond Head, in the distance. His only lettering is “E PLURIBUS UNUM” to the lower left and the dates “1778 1928” at the bottom periphery.
The Philadelphia Mint struck 10,008 coins, which includes 8 for assay and the Bank of Hawaii took charge of the collections and distribution of the coins. Fifty coins were struck as proofs and sandblasted to provide a satiny finish. These proofs were distributed to dignitaries such as President Coolidge and members of the British Admiralty who took part in the proceedings.
| Date | Type | Mintage | AU Value | Unc Value |
| 1928 | Hawaiian Sesquicentennial | 10,008 | $2,000 | $6,000 |
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