½ Dollar Old Spanish Trail

Features

Issuer	United States
Period	Federal republic (1776-date)
Type	Non-circulating coin
Year	1935
Value	½ Dollar = 50 Cents (0.50 USD)
Currency	Dollar (1785-date)
Composition	Silver (.900)
Weight	12.50 g
Diameter	30.60 mm
Shape	Round
Technique	Milled
Orientation	Coin alignment ↑↓
Number	N# 78899 Numista type number (https://en.numista.com/help/what-is-the-n-number-visible-in-the-catalogue-33.html)
References	KM# 172 Tracy L. Schmidt (editor); 2019. Standard Catalog of World Coins / 2001-Date (14th edition). Krause Publications, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States. And 5 more volumes.

Commemorative issue

400th Anniversary of the Old Spanish Trail

Obverse

Head of a "Longhorn" cow.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
UNITED · STATES · OF · AMERICA
E PLURIBUS UNUM
LIBERTY
ALVAR NUÑEZ CABEZA DE VACA
HALF DOLLAR

Engravers: L. W. Hoffecker, Edmund J. Senn

Reverse

The reverse is a section of the southeastern United States with a line marking the trail. A yucca tree in bloom is superimposed over the central portion of the map.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
OLD · SPANISH · TRAIL
EL PASO
IN GOD WE TRUST
1535  1935

Engravers: L. W. Hoffecker, Edmund J. Senn

Edge

Reeded

Mint

Comments

One of the lower mintage early commemorative coins that command a premium across all grade levels is the 1935 Old Spanish Trail Half Dollar. Total distribution was only 10,008 coins, including the pieces struck for assay.

This commemorative was authorized to mark the 400th anniversary of the “Old Spanish Trail”, which extended from Florida to El Paso. This was the path traveled by the pioneer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca during the years 1528 to 1536. The obverse of the coins featured the head of a cow, which is a literal translation of part of the explorer’s last name Cabeza de Vaca.

The authorizing legislation was passed due to the efforts of L.W. Hoffecker, who set up the El Paso Museum Committee to distribute the coins. He would also create the designs for the coins, which would be modeled by Edmund J. Senn. Some numismatic literature has questioned the appropriateness of this issue and claimed that it was produced to the benefit of a “one-man operation”.

The Old Spanish Trail Half Dollars were sold at an issue price of $2 each and were widely distributed. The entire maximum authorized mintage of 10,000 coins was sold out. The low mintage and wide distribution contribute to the current high premiums for the coins.

Only two other silver commemorative half dollars had a low mintage of 10,000 coins. The two issues were the Hudson Sesquicentennial Half Dollars issued in 1935 and the Hawaiian Sesquicentennial Half Dollars issued in 1928.

Authorization: Public Law 74-97
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 10,000

See also

• Cow or bovine
• Explorer
• Map
• Tree

Manage my collection

Please sign in or create an account to manage your collection.

Get this coin

A member of this site wants to exchange it: eljunquito52

Feedback: none
Country: Spain
Languages:

Numista Rarity index: 83

This index is based on the data of Numista members collections. It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members.

Bullion value: USD 8.08

This value is given for information purpose only. It is based on a price of silver at 718 USD/kg. Numista does not buy or sell coins or metal.

» Buy coins from the United States at eBay

Contribute to the catalogue