 Sculptor Chester Beach made the plaster models for the coins from sketches by Juliette May Fraser . Beach had some trouble gaining approval for his designs , as there were issues raised by the Mint and by Victor Stewart Kaleoaloha Houston , Hawaii Territory 's delegate to Congress . These concerns were eventually addressed , and the coin went into production . Although the issue price , at $ 2 , was the highest for a commemorative half dollar to that point , the coins sold out quickly and have risen in value to over a thousand dollars . 
