The 75th Anniversary of the Old Spanish Trail
The 1935 Old Spanish Trail Half Dollar was the idea of coin dealer L. W. Hoffecker. He designed the coin, lobbied it through Congress, and was the original distributor. Edmund J. Senn was the sculptor. Hoffecker had previously tried to get a commemorative coin bill through Congress; he suggested a commemorative half dollar to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Gadsden Purchase. While he successfully shepherded the bill through Congress, it was vetoed by President Hoover.
A few years later, he decided to try again, this time proposing the 1935 Old Spanish Trail Half Dollar to remember and celebrate the Old Spanish Trail. Hoffecker claimed that the travels of the Spanish explorer Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in the 16th century began in 1535 and ended in Hoffecker’s hometown of El Paso, Texas. Neither claim was accurate, but at the time, neither was challenged, so the legislation gained steam in Congress. The coin bill passed through Congress and was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt. The bill authorized 10,000 coins to be struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca’s journey across North America provided one of the earliest and most important European accounts of the peoples and geography of the American Southwest and Texas. He is well known for advocating for fairer treatment of Native Americans. His expedition did not end in Texas, but rather in Mexico in 1536. In 1537, he returned to Spain.
To control the design elements, Hoffecker volunteered to design the coin himself and sent sketches of the proposed coin to the Mint for approval. With some comments and suggestions, the Mint and the Commission of Fine Arts approved the design.
Design Details
Hoffecker’s design featured the head of a cow, representative of Cabeza de Vaca, whose name literally translates to “head of a cow,” on the obverse, looking straight at the viewer. Between the upraised horns are the words “LIBERTY” and the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The top periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” Below the cow’s head is “ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA DE VACA.”
The reverse depicts the “Old Spanish Trail” from Florida, ending (erroneously) in El Paso, Texas. There is a Yucca Tree as well as outlines of the five Gulf States – Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. At the top periphery is “OLD SPANISH TRAIL” with the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” below the states, “EL PASO” at the theoretical end of the Trail, and the dates “1535 – 1935” on the bottom periphery.
Mintage & Distribution
The legislation authorized 10,008 coins to be struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Once the coins had been struck, Hoffecker purchased them from the government and sold them to collectors. The actual distributor was the El Paso Museum, but Hoffecker was its chairman. The coins were offered to the public at $2 each plus postage. Hoffecker also distributed the 1936 Elgin Centennial Commemorative Half Dollar and later became President of the American Numismatic Association.
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