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- The Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar or Cincinnati Music Center half dollar is a commemorative 50-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. Produced with the stated purpose of commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a center of music, it was conceived by Thomas G. Melish, a coin enthusiast who controlled the group which was allowed to buy the entire issue from the government, and who resold the pieces at high prices. Congress approved legislation for the coin on March 31, 1936, authorizing 15,000 pieces to be struck at the three mints then in operation. Melish had hired sculptor Constance Ortmayer to design the coin, but the Commission of Fine Arts refused to recommend the designs. Members objected to the depiction of Stephen Foster on the obverse, finding no connection between Foster, who died in 1864, and the supposed anniversary. Nevertheless, the designs were approved by the Bureau of the Mint, and 5,000 sets from the three mints were issued and sold to Melish's group, the only authorized purchaser. Melish likely held back much of the issue for later resale, and with few pieces available, prices for the set spiked, rising to over five times the issue price. The value dropped somewhat when the boom in commemorative coins burst in late 1936, but quickly recovered and the coins are valuable today. Melish has been assailed by numismatic writers for greed. (en)
- 辛辛那提音乐中心半美元（英語：Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar或Cincinnati Music Center half dollar）是美国铸币局于1936年铸造的一种银质，旨在纪念俄亥俄州辛辛那提成为美国音乐中心50周年。这一构想由该市钱币收藏家托马斯·梅里什提出，他领导的辛辛那提音乐中心纪念币协会获政府授权以面值买下所有硬币，然后向公众高价转售。 国会于1936年3月31日批准法案，授权当时的全部三家铸币局生产共计1万5000枚银币。梅里什聘请雕塑家康斯坦斯·奥特梅尔设计硬币，但美术委员会对设计方案提出异议，称银元正面描绘的史蒂芬·福斯特于1864年去世，与这个周年纪念没有足够关联。但财政部还是批准设计方案，三家铸币局各生产5000枚纪念币，只有梅里什领导的协会获法案授权，可以按面值买下所有硬币。 梅里什很可能把大部分纪念币留作后期转手，使得在售硬币很少，套装价格飞涨，一度超过发行价五倍。1936年末，套装价格一度回落，但很快又恢复上涨，如今已是非常有价值的收藏品。多位钱币学作家为此批评梅里什过分贪婪。 (zh)
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