Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar

Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page. 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/March 31, 2017 by — Chris Woodrich (talk) 03:01, 13 March 2017 (UTC)



The Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar was a commemorative coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. Produced with the stated purpose of commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Cincinnati as a center of music, it was conceived by Thomas G. Melish, a coin enthusiast whose group bought the entire issue from the government, and who resold them at high prices. Melish had hired sculptor Constance Ortmayer to design the coin, but the Commission of Fine Arts objected to Stephen Foster being on the obverse, finding no connection between Foster, who died in 1864, and the supposed anniversary. Nevertheless, 5,000 sets from the three mints were issued and sold to Melish's group. Prices for the set spiked, rising to over five times the issue price and the coins are valuable today. Melish has been assailed by numismatic writers for greed.
 * Most recent similar article(s):
 * Main editors: Wehwalt
 * Promoted: 2015
 * Reasons for nomination: Anniversary of authorization
 * Support as nominator. Wehwalt (talk) 04:49, 26 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Support as anniversary date nomination. — Maile (talk) 22:19, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Support, good date, good quality, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:03, 7 March 2017 (UTC)