Commems Collection Classic: What If? 1939 Washington Statehood 50th Anniversary

In November, 1937, Representative Warren Grant Magnuson (D-WA) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives calling for a 50-cent coin "in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the admission of the State of Washington to the Union." As was standard procedure for new coin proposals, the bill was immediately referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.

The Washington Territory, a precursor to attaining statehood, was incorporated by the US Congress in 1853; the Territory was originally part of the Oregon Territory. Its growing population, however, advocated for separation as local residents did not believe they were being properly represented by the Oregon Territory Government in distant Oregon City, OR. In addition to present-day Washington, the Washington Territory originally included the northern section of Idaho, and parts of western Montana and Wyoming.

In February 1889, the US Congress passed the Enabling Act of 1889. The Act established North Dakota (39th), South Dakota (40th), Montana (41st) and Washington (42nd) as new states in the Union. The statehood order: North and South Dakota - November 2, 1889, Montana - November 8, 1889 and Washington - November 11, 1889 - was determined by the order in which the states ratified their state constitution.

The bill called for up to 50,000 coins to be struck at a single US Mint facility (designated by the Director of the Mint). The sponsor of the half dollar was the Washington State Progress Commission.

Other provisions of the bill included a minimum order size of 25,000 coins (i.e., half of the maximum mintage at a time), the commemorative coin was to carry the date "1939" regardless of when struck or issued and minting authority was to expire one year after the bill's enactment. Clearly, the House had learned form the work of the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency! (See my House vs. Senate Series for more information.)

The bill was never reported out of Committee, and thus died for lack of action. A decade and a half later, however, a privately-struck historical art medal was issued and sold by local organizations in Spokane, WA.

You can read about the 1953 Washington Territorial Centennial medal here:

- 1953 Washington Territorial Centennial Medal

You can check out other of my posts about commemorative coins and medal here: Commems Collection.