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Three 1936 Cincinnati 50C PDS (36, 36-S, 36-D) NGC MS65

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:700.00 USD Estimated At:1,400.00 - 1,800.00 USD
Three 1936 Cincinnati 50C PDS (36, 36-S, 36-D) NGC MS65
The Cincinnati was brought into existence purely for monetary purposes, how shocking. Any artistic theme was secondary. It is another of the period's Art Deco-style coins and features Stephen Foster on the obverse and a female figure holding a lyre on the reverse meant to personify Music. According to Breen-Swiatek, the date 1886 was chosen on the basis of no historical event whatever, pulled out of a hat in effect, in order to obtain a suitable year for convincing Congress to authorize the coin, "to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a center of music and to commemorate Cincinnati's contribution to the art of music in the United States for the past 50 years"! Miss Constance Ortmayer designed the piece and her monogram is placed behind Foster's head in the left obverse field. A total 5,000 P-D-S sets were struck; they sold out at $7.75 per set. Prices soon rose in the aftermarket to $75 per set before a reaction set in and the speculative bubble burst (1936-37). A lightly toned P-D-S set of the 1936 coinage. (#9286)