1936 50C Cincinnati MS65 Certification #07468904, PCGS #9283

Expert Comments

David Hall

The 1936 Cincinnati commemorative half dollars were struck in very limited quanties at all three Mints. A little over 5,000 coins were distributed for the 1936, 1936-D and 1936-S Cincinattis. This commemorative was a totally contrived issue. It was supposed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cincinnati as "a center of music, and its contribution to the art of music for the past 50 years." It featured the obverse bust of Stephen Foster. The only problem was that no one outside of the few promoters of the Cincinnati halves viewed Cincinnati as a music center in the United States and Stephen Foster spent only a very short time in the city and didn't write any of his famous songs there. Nonetheless, the Cincinnatis were struck and offered at $7.75 for the three coin set. But very few sets were sold to the public as most of the original mintage went to a small group of insiders. The value of the Cincinnati set almost immemdiately went to $40 to $50, netting the original conspirators a nice profit. By 1939/1940 they were back down to $15.

Despite the dubious origins, Cincinnati commemoratives are quite popular with collectors today. They should probably be considered semi-common to semi-scarce in grades of MS63 to MS66. Superb MS67 examples are definitely scarce. Interestingly, though the three coins have identical mintages, the 1936-D is far more populous than the 1936 and the 1936-S is rarer still. The 1936 Philadelphia Mint Cincinnati is semi-common in all grades up to MS67, and it's scarce in the top grade of MS67. The 1936 has a semi-frosty, somewhat satiny luster and comes either white or with varying degrees of toning.

 

PCGS #
9283
Designer
Constance Ortmayer
Edge
Reeded
Diameter
30.60 millimeters
Weight
12.50 grams
Mintage
5005
Metal
90% Silver, 10% Copper
Pop Higher
273
Pop Lower
983
Region
The United States of America
Price Guide
PCGS Population
Auctions - PCGS Graded
Auctions - NGC Graded

Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More

Grades
65 or Better 4250 R-4.1 21 / 144 TIE 21 / 144 TIE
All Grades 3400 R-4.3 21 / 144 TIE 21 / 144 TIE
60 or Better 1250 R-4.9 18 / 144 TIE 18 / 144 TIE
65 or Better 4250
All Grades 3400
60 or Better 1250
65 or Better R-4.1
All Grades R-4.3
60 or Better R-4.9
65 or Better 21 / 144 TIE
All Grades 21 / 144 TIE
60 or Better 18 / 144 TIE
65 or Better 21 / 144 TIE
All Grades 21 / 144 TIE
60 or Better 18 / 144 TIE

Condition Census Learn More

Pos Grade Thumbnail Pedigree and History
1 MS67+ PCGS grade MS67+ PCGS grade
2 MS67 PCGS grade
2 MS67 PCGS grade
2 MS67 PCGS grade
2 MS67 PCGS grade
MS67+ PCGS grade #1 MS67+ PCGS grade
#2 MS67 PCGS grade
#2 MS67 PCGS grade
#2 MS67 PCGS grade
#2 MS67 PCGS grade