Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar/archive1

Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar

 * Nominator(s): Wehwalt (talk) 13:38, 12 December 2020 (UTC)

This article is about... another of the commemorative half dollars issued in 1936. This one wasn't scandalous and they went out of their way to be fair, other than unnecessarily having the coins struck at multiple mints, increasing the cost to the individual collector seeking a complete set. Enjoy.Wehwalt (talk) 13:38, 12 December 2020 (UTC)

Image review
images are appropriately licensed. Nikkimaria (talk) 20:52, 12 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks,, but I've added three more. Could you clear those?--Wehwalt (talk) 12:25, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
 * New images need alt text
 * Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:33, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
 * File:Seal_of_South_Carolina.svg: the rendition here is different from the one provided at the source site - what supports that the one here is a US federal government work? Nikkimaria (talk) 14:19, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Switched to the state legislature's site, which contains the history and so it's out of copyright.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:33, 13 December 2020 (UTC)

Source review
Sources are of the first rank. Ceoil (talk) 22:24, 12 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the source review.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:25, 13 December 2020 (UTC)

Comments by CPA-5
Am currently obsessed with old and rare coins.
 * Link Treasury Department?
 * Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:46, 24 December 2020 (UTC)


 * was a committee to be established by Columbia's mayor Who is he?
 * Named.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:46, 24 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Davidson, a Jewish immigrant from Russia If he was from Russia then pipe it to the Russian Empire if he's from Soviet Russia then we better link that.
 * He left in 1922, but the source doesn't say exactly when in 1922. Although the USSR was formally created close to the end of 1922, I don't like to presume it was after Davidson left. Open to ideas.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:46, 24 December 2020 (UTC)


 * 9,007 were struck at Philadelphia, 8,009 at Denver and 8,007 Per MOS:NUMNOTES we should avoid numbers at the start of a sentence.
 * Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:46, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

In the infobox
 * "Value: 50 cents (0.50 US dollars)" Shouldn't it be "(.50 US dollars)" I don't know I thought that Americans don't use the nought before the full stop in numbers a lot?
 * I believe the idea is that the leading zero provides clarity.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:55, 25 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Shouldn't US/imperial units be primary units here per MOS:CONVERSIONS?
 * The weight of the half dollar, in 1936, was defined by section 15 of the Coinage Act of 1873 as "twelve grams (grammes) and one-half of a gram (gramme)". Although the other dimensions are not prescribed by law, it seemed best to be consistent.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:55, 25 December 2020 (UTC)


 * "Composition:	90.0% silver 10.0% copper" I don't know if it's necessary but shouldn't the noughts be rounded since they're unnecessary?
 * They are not required in this case but earlier in US coinage history it wasn't an even 90 percent so again, consistency seemed in order. I don't see it as a big deal either way.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:55, 25 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Where is the US/imperial conversion of the mass?
 * Generally, we've avoided using it because of possible reader confusion between the total mass, and the amount of pure silver it contains. It's easy enough to convert.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:55, 25 December 2020 (UTC)

Okay, that's everything from me. Cheers. CPA-5 (talk) 12:12, 18 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Due to real life, it may be two or three more days until I can deal with these.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:10, 22 December 2020 (UTC)
 * All done or replied to. Thank you for the review.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:55, 25 December 2020 (UTC)

Comments Support from Hog Farm
I collect silver dimes and nickels, so I might actually have some background knowledge as to this subject. Hog Farm Bacon 06:28, 23 December 2020 (UTC)


 * It strikes me as odd for some reason that you use both "fifty-cent piece" and "half dollar" in the lead.
 * They are the same thing, and saying that the Columbia half dollar was a commemorative half dollar would not be an improvement, I suspect.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:03, 26 December 2020 (UTC)


 * "frustrating coin dealers who hoped to accurate more to resell to their customers." - Disclaimer: I speak a very bastardized rural form of South Midland English, so maybe I'm just illiterate. But I have never in my life seen an instance in which "accurate" would have the correct meaning here.  Is this a typo, or did I increase my vocabulary today?
 * Typo. Burned by the autocorrect on a recent edit and wasn't careful in checking.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:57, 25 December 2020 (UTC)


 * In the lead, you say that the New State House was completed in 1907, the body says 1903
 * It seems a bit foggy as work continued until 1907, but there's a book used as a source in our article on the State House that says it was declared substantially completed in 1903, so that's what I'm sticking with.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:10, 26 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Uncited stuff in the infobox: not seeing where mass, diameter, the reeding, the composition, or the quantity of silver is cited.
 * Cited.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:03, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

That's my comments. This one is in pretty good shape. Hog Farm Bacon 20:23, 25 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Much obliged. I've responded or made changes regarding each.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:10, 26 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Supporting, very nice work here. Hog Farm Bacon 00:19, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

Comments from Mike Christie

 * Not a source review, but I see you have an ISBN for Taxay, which is given as 1967; do you need an orig-year parameter here?
 * I don't have my copy with me so changed to 1966 per Worldcat and will double-check.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:38, 6 January 2021 (UTC)


 * was settled by British colonials: I would have expected "colonists" here; is there some distinction of meaning?
 * They were of British origin, not necessarily born in Britain but descended from. "Colonials" I thought more common for pre-1776. Open to suggestions.


 * How could the stars have symbolized the CSA? There were not 13 states in the CSA, as far as I can see from glancing at that article.
 * - There were thirteen stars on the CSA flag. The 11 main states, plus the disputed Confederate government of Missouri and Confederate government of Kentucky. Hog Farm Bacon 03:52, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks; that explains it. Might be worth a footnote since I might not be the only reader unaware of that. Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 03:56, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Footnote dropped.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:38, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

A concise and well-written article; I was unable to find a single thing to copyedit. Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 03:46, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Sounds good. Thanks. See above for responses.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:38, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

Support, though I think the wording in the footnote needs a tweak. Shouldn't it be something like "The flag of the Confederacy had 13 stars..."? Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 18:54, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

Comments Support from Aza24
Being such a short article, I suspect I'll do a source review after this content one. Aza24 (talk) 04:04, 8 January 2021 (UTC)
 * There are some dup links
 * I saw sabal palmetto. That was because the first link was in an unexpected place and I thought it best to relink it for the design section.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:11, 10 January 2021 (UTC)


 * You have A. Wolfe Davidson in the lead but spell out his first name everywhere else
 * A lot of the sources just use the A. I've standardized with the Abraham.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:11, 10 January 2021 (UTC)


 * In my mind it makes more sense to stick with "Lady Justice" consistently, rather than sometimes "Justice" – but I'll leave that completely up to you; either way, the lead doesn't capitalize "Justice" but you do so in the Preparation section
 * Cleaned up.


 * You could link Coin grading to "condition" in the lead and later in Distribution and collecting; would link United States House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures as well...
 * Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:15, 10 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I must say, I'm not sure what is meant by "coin redemption" in the lead
 * Surplus commemorative coins were often returned to the Mint and they paid the face value and then melted them for recoinage. I've tried to clarify a bit.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:58, 9 January 2021 (UTC)


 * another minor thing, you link to United States commemorative coins and Half dollar (United States coin) in the lead, but not the Background section
 * Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:58, 9 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Surely "despite the fact that the...."? or perhaps something like "despite the Treasury Department's opposition and President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking in 1935 that Congress..." would be better
 * I've done that a bit differently. Does that help?--Wehwalt (talk) 12:10, 11 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes that works better in my mind


 * you mix up ." vs ". but perhaps you're following a convention of some sort?
 * Not sure what you're saying here.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:10, 11 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I mean sometimes your quotes have the quotation mark before and sometimes after the period. I'm not sure if you're following a convention or it's just inconsistent. Aza24 (talk) 07:41, 12 January 2021 (UTC)
 * The convention is that complete sentences take quotes after the period, and partial sentences don't. I'll review to ensure I'm consistent.--Wehwalt (talk) 08:20, 12 January 2021 (UTC)
 * It's consistent now, after review of the article and one of the sources.--Wehwalt (talk) 08:29, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Alright that seems to be it, there's little to say here, though I tried to give you something. Good work!
 * Was doing a source review but am now seeing Ceoil checked through them above. Well I can also confirm that there are no issues in formatting or reliability. Aza24 (talk) 04:11, 8 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the review. Everything's done but need clarification on one.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:10, 11 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Have responded above. Aza24 (talk) 07:41, 12 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Okay, happy to support this one Aza24 (talk) 20:16, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

TRM

 * What is the difference between the publisher/source of ref 18 and ref 23 to justify the different format?
 * Merged. Good catch.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:48, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * United States Government Printing Office seems to be United States Government Publishing Office, is there a reason to not use the official name?
 * That's what it was called until 2014.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:31, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * The edge is noted in the infobox but not in the prose, and Reeding is not accessible to a non-expert.
 * Our article says ridged, or milled. Reeded is the usual technical term, and it's explicitly used in Yeoman for every commemorative half dollar.
 * It's a term non-experts would need to click on to understand. The Rambling Man (Stay alert! Control the virus! Save lives!&#33;!&#33;) 15:11, 12 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've added a footnote with a brief explanation.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:22, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Does thickness need two citations?
 * Yes, one to show that the coins were to have the dimensions of the standard half dollar (the legislation) and one to show what the dimensions were. I don't have a source that says it all in one go.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:44, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * "approved by the CFA, and they also met the approval" feels repetitive.
 * Massaged.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:53, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * "For the first 24 hours of sales, the coins were available only to residents of the city and could only be purchased by mail order." I am mildly confused how this worked for mail order, did people all pre-order and those that arrived in the first 24 hours of the date of the sale opening got one?
 * I've clarified after looking at this and other sources. It looks like they filled orders locally and then did mail orders, so there was some sort of in-person operation for local residents.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:31, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

The Rambling Man (Stay alert! Control the virus! Save lives!&#33;!&#33;) 11:28, 12 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I think I've gotten it all. Thanks for the review.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:53, 12 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Hi TRM, are you feeling able to support or oppose yet? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:33, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Gog the Mild (talk) 14:43, 26 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Nudge. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:16, 24 January 2021 (UTC)