Rhode Island Tercentenary Commemorative Half Dollar This commemorative coin most commonly referred to as the 1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary Half Dollar was actually issued to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of Providence by Roger Williams. The maximum authorized mintage was 50,000 pieces, of which the entire amount was produced across three mint facilities and distributed to the public. Designs for the coins were created by John Howard Benson and Arthur Graham Carey. Their original models did include reference to the Providence with inscriptions around the outer edge of the coin on the obverse “In a scene of God’s Merciful providence until me, called the place Providence” and on the reverse “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation Tercentenary”. These lengthy inscriptions were not used in the final version of the design. These designs were struck in low relief, but with sharply designed elements that resemble a woodcut. Including pieces struck for assay, the Philadelphia Mint produced 20,013, the Denver Mint 15,010, and the San Francisco Mint 15,011. The Rhode Island Half Dollars were issued for $1 each and said to have sold out quickly, however it was later suspected that some insiders held back portions of their allotments in order to sell them to the public at higher prices after the so-called sell out.
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