Obverse. Photo © United States Mint
  • 1/2 Dollar 2017, KM# 659, United States of America (USA), Boys Town Centennial
  • 1/2 Dollar 2017, KM# 659, United States of America (USA), Boys Town Centennial
  • 1/2 Dollar 2017, KM# 659, United States of America (USA), Boys Town Centennial, Box with a certificate of authenticity
Description

Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for its children and families, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska.

Boys Town was founded on December 12, 1917, as an orphanage for boys, then called the "City of Little Men". It was founded by Edward J. Flanagan, a Roman Catholic priest working in Omaha, Nebraska at that time. The City of Little Men pioneered and developed new juvenile care methods in twentieth-century America, emphasizing social preparation as a model for public boys' homes worldwide."

In 1943, Boys Town adopted as its image and logo a picture of a boy carrying a younger boy on his back, captioned "He ain't heavy, Father, he's my brother." They felt it epitomized the importance of their residents caring for each other and having someone care about them.

Obverse

Depicts an older brother holding the hand of his younger brother in 1917. They walk toward Father Flanagan’s Boys Home and the 1940s Pylon representing what would become Boys Town. Inscriptions include “BOYS TOWN,” “1917,” “2017,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “LIBERTY,” and “Saving Children.”

Engravers: Chris Costello, Renata Gordon

BOYS TOWN
1917 2017
IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY
S
CTC Saving Children RG

Reverse

Depicts a present–day Boys Town neighborhood of homes where children are schooled and nurtured by caring families. Out of these homes come young adults who graduate from high school and the Boys Town program. Inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “Healing Families,” and “HALF DOLLAR.”

E pluribus unum—Latin for "Out of many, one"— is a 13-letter traditional motto of the United States of America, appearing on the Great Seal. Never codified by law, E Pluribus Unum was considered a de facto motto of the United States until 1956 when the United States Congress passed an act, adopting "In God We Trust" as the official motto.

Engravers: Chris Costello, Phebe Hemphill

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
E PLURIBUS UNUM
Healing Families
CTC HALF DOLLAR PH

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Copper Nickel Clad Copper
Weight 11.34 g
Diameter 30.61 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Denver Mint (D)
San Francisco Mint (S)

Related coins

Boys Town Centennial

Silver, 26.73 g, ⌀ 38.1 mm

Boys Town Centennial

Gold, 8.359 g, ⌀ 21.6 mm