1936 Delaware Tercentenary Commemorative Half Dollar
Base
About This Coin
The 1936 Delaware Tercentenary Commemorative Half Dollar is a United States commemorative half dollar. Struck in 1936 to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Swedish colony on the banks of the Delaware River in 1638. The settlement at Fort Christina (present-day Wilmington) was the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley and the principal settlement of New Sweden. The obverse features a ship resembling the Kalmar Nyckel, which brought the first Swedish settlers to Delaware in 1638, under full sail, while the reverse displays the Old Swedes Church in Wilmington, Delaware, built in 1698 and the oldest church building in the United States still in regular use. Designed by Carl L. Schmitz. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 12.5 grams, 30.6 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. With 20,993 pieces struck, the Delaware Tercentenary Half Dollar is a moderately scarce single-year issue. The Old Swedes Church depicted on the reverse remains a National Historic Landmark and active parish today.