Q. David Bowers
"I want to thank you for the compliment that you would like to work with me on a commission. I was supposed to have two other men on the committee when I went to Washington, but they laid down on me. One of them came down and spent a couple of hours with me, but could not give up the time to stay longer, and the other fellow was afraid of what criticism would come up. I am like you. I don't worry about a little criticism if I think I am doing what is right, and I think any sane man knows right from wrong, and I can't understand Mr. Philbrick (The key figure in the 1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary half dollar distribution scandal.) getting into the trouble he did. I don't think the man can have good business sense .... "
By year's end in 1936 the market for commemorative coins was on the down-side, and dealers were discounting prices from summer levels in order to stimulate sales. Coins released in the autumn and early winter did not meet with the enthusiastic reception accorded earlier issues, and many distributors found themselves with unsold remainders on hand, despite enthusiastic advertising campaigns mounted in the pages of The Numismatist and elsewhere.
The market would continue to trend downward until about 1941, but in the meantime a number of new issues already in the hopper or in the planning stages would be released in 1937, among which was the 1938-dated New Rochelle half dollar sent out in advance. In addition, those old war horses, the Arkansas, Boone, Oregon Trail, and Texas half dollars, authorized years earlier, were still being produced at all three mints and would be struck through 1938-1939.
A short study titled "One Collector's Comment on Commemorative Half Dollars in General, and Arkansas and Boones in Particular," otherwise unsigned, gives one person's opinion of the proliferation of varieties marketed at the time. Written in 1936, the commentary was included in B. Max Mehl's 1937 monograph, The Commemorative Coins of the United States:
"Just a little more than a year ago I took considerable pride in my collection of commemorative half bucks. Each coin carried an interest that created in me a re-naissance in both history and geography. True, the Oregon Indian tribute was be-coming a war party, but by showing the reverse of some it didn't hurt the appear-ance of the collection, as it was such an artistically designed coin. Now when I look at my assortment I realize that I am a numismatic nut. Who but a bug would try to obtain an assortment of ten of that long nose on the Boone issue? I'm glad that I have only eight of them and I'm glad that Daniel never looked like that sculpted mug.
"Then those seven Texas items. It's not a very proud eagle that is trying to hide that star, but it revives your geographic knowledge that Texas is our largest state when you see them trying to show every-thing in that state on one side of a coin. And the Arkansas-how these eagles have lost their beauty since the Alabama and Illinois issues! The carpenter that designed it should have omitted his square or showed his union card. And the decapitated redskin and his equally bodyless companion are all wrong. When did an Indian ever get that close to Liberty?
"I'm thankful that there are only three of those Rhode Island notary public seals, and triply glad for only one of Mr. Hoffecker's map and steer head. I've seen those steer heads in Mexican market restaurants. You could buy a slice of cheek or an eyeball for lunch, if so disposed. In spite of my knocks, I still like the darned monstrosities, but I hope the coin company will layoff the Oregon. Old Daniel was a simple old guy, and I'm sure he's embarrassed with the present number of shrines, and I do hope those Arkansas and Texas centennials will not carry over into 1937. They might forget to stop. I like to inflict my collection on visiting friends, and I'm tired of explaining why I have so many of these items."
Numismatists of a later generation were to look back and marvel at the vast array of 1936 commemorative coins bearing the date of this watershed year: 1936 Albany, 1936 Arkansas, 1936-D Arkansas, 1936-5 Arkansas, 1936 Robinson-Arkansas, 1936 Boone, 1936-DBoone, 1936-SBoone, 1936 Bridgeport, 1936 Cincinnati, 1936-D Cincinnati, 1936-s Cincinnati, 1936 Cleveland, 1936 Columbia (South Carolina), 1936-D Columbia, 1936-S Columbia, 1936 Delaware, 1936 Elgin, 1936 Gettysburg, 1936 Long Island, 1936 Lynchburg, 1936 Nor-folk, 1936 Oregon Trail, 1936-S Oregon Trail, 1936 Rhode Island, 1936-D Rhode Island, 1936-s Rhode Island, 1936-D San Diego, 1936-S San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1936 Texas, 1936-D Texas, 1936-S Texas, 1936 Wisconsin, and 1936 York County, amounting to the awesome total of 34 varieties!