Huguenot-Walloon Items from the Collection
by Elizabeth F. Gay, Director, The Huguenot Society of South Carolina
Today we share an interesting trio of items from the collection. The pictured stamps, coin and coffee mug all relate to the celebration in 1924 of the Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary. Stamps and coins have long been a great source for learning history, and we find grade school groups particularly enjoy exhibits such as this which allow for handling the items.
The Stamps
According to the Mystic Stamp Company…
On May 1, 1924, the US Post Office issued a set of three stamps honoring (Huguenot) history. They selected this date to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the Nieu Nederland Walloons. The stamps also honor that first settlement of French Huguenots in Florida.
The 1¢ stamp: U.S. #614
Huguenot-Walloon Issue 1924 1¢ Ship Nieu Nederland
The 1¢ stamp in the set pictures the ship Nieu Nederland. It usually paid the one-cent card rate or was used with other denominations to cover heavier mail and letters going to foreign destinations.
The 1¢ stamp: U.S. #614
Huguenot-Walloon Issue 1924 1¢ Ship Nieu Nederland
The 2¢ stamp: U.S. #615
Huguenot-Walloon Issue 1924, Landing at Fort Orange
The 2¢ stamp shows the landing at Fort Orange (Albany). The stamp marks the 300th anniversary of Walloon immigration but also salutes the Huguenots who followed the Walloons in settling New England. It was mostly used to pay the first-class domestic rate but was also used on heavy and foreign mail.
The 2¢ stamp: U.S. #615
Huguenot-Walloon Issue 1924, Landing at Fort Orange
The 5¢ stamp: U.S. #616
Huguenot-Walloon Issue 1924, Monument at Mayport, Florida
The monument on the 5¢ stamp is located in Mayport, Florida, and marks another area where the Huguenots settled. The monument is called the Jean Ribaut Monument. Ribaut had helped organize early Huguenot settlements, but the colony settled in 1564 near Mayport, Florida, was too close to Spanish shipping lanes. The settlers were wiped out by the Spanish in 1565. The 5¢ stamp was based on a sketch of the and like the other stamps, it was usually used on heavy and foreign mail.
The 5¢ stamp: U.S. #616
Huguenot-Walloon Issue 1924, Monument at Mayport, Florida
The Coin
The Huguenot-Walloon half dollar, or Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary half dollar, is a commemorative coin issued by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1924. It also marks the 300th anniversary of the voyage of the Nieuw Nederlandt. A total of 142,080 Huguenot-Walloon half dollars were struck at the Philadelphia Mint between February and April of 1924.
The US Mint’s Chief Engraver, George T Morgan, designed conjoined busts of de Coligny and William the Silent for the obverse. Surrounding them are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” at the top periphery, their names underneath the busts, “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right and “HUGUENOT HALF DOLLAR” on the lower periphery.
The reverse depicts the vessel that brought the Huguenots and Walloons to the New World, the “Nieuw Nederland.” Above the ship on the top periphery is “HUGUENOT WALLOON TERCENTENARY” then the dates “1624 1924” and the bottom periphery of the coin bears the legend “FOUNDING OF NEW * NETHERLAND”.
The Mug
The coffee mug was purchased at the Broad Street branch of the United States Post office in Charleston, SC for about $5 when post offices were offering retail items for sale in their lobbies. It seems to have been a short-lived experiment in offering retail items as the The Cincinnati Enquirer reports in November of 1991 that the Postal Service ordered its offices to stop selling retail items after being “stung by Congressional and public criticism.” Sales ended February 1, 1992.
The mug was a recent donation made to the Society by our Director, Elizabeth Gay, who had received it from her mother, Mrs. Melvin F. Gay (Frances) years ago. The reverse side of the mug features the 2¢ stamp.
Exploring the Collection
The Society is grateful for the donations to its collection over the years and is always pleased to share items with its members, visitors and in educational programs. Contact us at headquarters to inquire further.