The 1935 Hudson half dollar commemorates the small city in Upstate New York whose 150th anniversary is honored on this coin designed by Chester Beach. The Hudson half dollar is a coin wrapped in controversies -- the types that led to the demise of the entire program in the 1950s.

One story suggests that a some individual, perhaps a dealer, bought some 7,500 examples of the coin, issued for $1, at a discounted price of 95 cents each. This individual held about 75% of the coin's entire mintage while collectors, having great difficulty in locating the coin, assumed the Hudson half dollar was scarce. Aftermarket prices approached $10 before the hoarder began distributing the coins at an incredible profit. Today, most Hudson halves are encountered in the grades of MS62-65, with MS66s proving quite scarce and examples in MS67 or higher rare.