olumbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Columbia, South Carolina Sesquicentennial half dollar United States Value 50 cents (0.50 US dollars) Mass 12.5 g Diameter 30.61 mm (1.20 in) Thickness 2.15 mm (0.08 in) Edge Reeded Composition 90.0% silver 10.0% copper Silver 0.36169 troy oz Years of minting 1936 Mintage 25,023 (25,000 authorized) including 23 pieces for the Assay Commission Mint marks D, S. Located beneath the figure of Justice on the obverse. Coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint have no mint mark. Obverse Columbia half dollar obverse 1936.jpg Design Lady Justice holding a sword and scales; Columbia's old and new State Houses Designer Abraham Wolfe Davidson Design date 1936 Reverse Columbia half dollar reverse 1936.jpeg Design Palmetto tree surrounded by 13 stars, with arrows bound to it; below a broken oaken branch Designer Abraham Wolfe Davidson Design date 1936 The Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar was a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint. Designed by Abraham Wolfe Davidson and minted in 1936, it marks the 150th anniversary of the designation of Columbia as South Carolina's state capital. The obverse design depicts Lady Justice holding a sword and scales, standing between South Carolina's Old State House, built in 1790, and the New State House, completed in 1903. The reverse shows the palmetto tree, South Carolina's state symbol, surrounded by 13 stars representing the original Thirteen Colonies, though they may also be intended to represent the Confederate States. Despite growing opposition to commemorative coins, legislation for the Columbia half dollars passed Congress unopposed in 1936. The Commission of Fine Arts did not like Davidson's designs, and unsuccessfully sought his replacement. The coins were struck in September 1936, but they w ere slow to be distributed. Once they were, they were sold in small quantities, frustrating coin dealers who hoped to accumulate more to resell to their customers. The mintage of 25,000 was distributed; no coins were returned to the Mint for redemption and melting. They generally sell in the hundreds of dollars range today, depending on conditio