Q. David Bowers
Bridgeport Celebrates Its Centennial Although Bridgeport, Connecticut was founded in 1639 and was an important center during the 17th and 18th centuries the city was not incorporated until 1836. In 1936 the city fathers decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this event. A committee styling itself as Bridgeport Centennial, Incorporated aided with the preparation of congressional legislation, approved on May 15, 1936, which specified that no fewer than 25,000 silver half dollars of a single design be struck at a single mint. The bill further provided that "the coins herein authorized shall bear the date 1936, irrespective of the year in which they are minted or issued," placing no expiration time on minting nor limit to the quantities that could be ordered. Accordingly, a strict reading of the legislation suggests that Bridgeport had the authority to order as many additional half dollars as it wanted to and could have produced an unlimited number of 1936-dated coins during the next several years until the Act of August 5, 1939, prohibited the further issuance of any commemoratives authorized prior to March 1, 1939.
Barnum and the Half Dollars, Pro and Con
Henry G. Kreis, the sculptor who designed the 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary half dollar and who would in 1936 prepare the model for the Robinson side of the Robinson-Arkansas half dollar, created the designs for the Bridgeport half dollar.
The obverse motif depicted P.T. Barnum, Bridgeport's most famous citizen, whereas the reverse showed a modernistic eagle quite similar in concept to that used on the 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary piece. The Medallic Art Company of New York City finalized the models, and the striking of 25,015 coins was accomplished in September 1936 at the Philadelphia Mint.
An irreverent view of the Bridgeport half dollar was given by B. Max Mehl in The Commemorative Coins of the United States, 1937: "As no doubt the first thought in the collector's mind is just why Mr. Barnum's portrait should be upon the coins. Here is the reason given by the Committee: 'In addition to the worldwide fame of P.T. Barnum as a showman, we look upon him with a great deal of respect as a fine citizen and philanthropist of our city. He served as our mayor in the year of 1875. In 1851 he purchased a tract of land in East Bridgeport, laid out streets and lined them with trees. He also reserved a grove of eight acres, which is now known as Washington Park. This was the beginning of an industrial development in our city which has since grown to great proportions.
"Considering the status of the commemorative coins we think that Barnum's likeness, in view of his famous remark, (A reference to "There's a sucker born every minute," perhaps incorrectly attributed to Barnum, or the less well-known observation, "Every crowd has a silver lining.") is certainly most appropriate. As regards the reverse, it is best described by a comment made by one of the suckers, pardon me, I mean purchasers, as published in a recent issue of a publication: 'The eagle (?) on the new Bridgeport half dollar is the biggest joke as a specimen of our noble bird that ever appeared on a coin. Not a feather appears on its tin-roof surface, and several beholders said it resembled an airplane. Turn it around and you have a fine shark with two dorsal fins, an open mouth and a tongue. The shark appears to be laughing. I wonder at whom? And how apropos that P.T. Barnum's portrait adorns the other side. He was right in his famous remarks years ago."
Years later Walter Breen called Barnum "the patron saint of coin collectors" with knowing reference to the saying, "There's a sucker born every minute." However, as the issuing Committee for the coin pointed out, in fact, Barnum was a very community-minded, benevolent individual who made great contributions to the citizenry and indeed to America as a whole. Who will deny that Barnum's circus ("The Greatest Show on Earth"), his American Museum, or his other activities did not contribute to the enjoyment of average Americans during the middle part of the last century, perhaps as Walt Disney did to a later generation in the next century?
The present author read Barnum's autobiography, Struggles and Triumphs, years ago and ever since then has had an appreciation for America's best-known showman. The book reveals that Barnum was a hard-working, dedicated, self-made individual with an untamable entrepreneurial spirit. Many of the things he did were not so much misrepresentation as they were showmanship or whimsy; however, a line between the two is hard to draw. For example, when he found that his American Museum in New York City was becoming overly crowded by people who stayed longer than they should have, he erected a sign marked "To the Egress," egress meaning exit, although most of his patrons did not know that. Following the sign in the hope of locating an interesting exhibit, visitors found themselves out on the street!
Historian Arlie Slabaugh also appreciated Barnum and a two-page spread in his United States Commemorative Coins book was devoted to Barnum's life, concluding thus: "Barnum is buried in Bridgeport .... In 1883 the Barnum Museum of Natural History was established at Tufts College [Medford, Massachusetts] in his honor; there are also statues, but his greatest monument is the circus. Don't you see that sawdust ring, hear the calliope?"
P.T. Barnum excited America and Europe with many attractions including the Feejee Mermaid, Joice Heth (an aged lady who claimed to have cared for George Washington in his infancy), Jumbo (the huge elephant whose name survives today as an adjective denoting large size),General Tom Thumb, the pageant of Lall Rookh, Jenny Lind (the "Swedish Nightingale," who was a relatively unknown singer brought to America by Barnum and launched on this side of the Atlantic with an unprecedented publicity campaign; overnight she became famous), and others.
Barnum's career had many setbacks, the "struggles" mentioned in the title of his life story. He co-signed a note for the Jerome Clock Company, an enterprise that became defunct, leaving him with a large obligation, although he had reaped no benefits. As a matter of principle Barnum eventually repaid every cent-a tribute to his integrity.