½ Dollar Wisconsin Territorial Centennial

As the name suggests, this issue does not mark the 100th anniversary of statehood, which would occur six years later, but rather the start of the territorial government.

The designs, which have been criticized by some collectors, are the result of the strict instructions from the Coinage Committee of the Wisconsin Centennial Celebration and the work of two artists. A local university art student David Parsons prepared initial designs based on the requirements to feature the territorial seal on one side of the coin and a badger on the other. The models prepared by Parsons were rejected by the Mint, so modifications were performed by New York artist Benjamin Hawkwins to make the designs suitable for production. The final designs bore little resemblance to the initial rejected models, except for the identical themes presented.

The authorizing legislation for the 1936 Wisconsin Half Dollars specified a minimum mintage of 25,000 pieces, with no specified maximum. The minimum quantity was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and offered for sale for an initial price of $1.50 per coin plus postage. Unsold quantities remained available for many years.

Authorization: Public Law 74-593
Maximum Authorized Mintage: none (minimum mintage 25,000)