Commems Collection Classic: Quick Bits #95 - Coins To Medals - Part II

For the first part of this Coins-to-Medals story, see:

- Commemorative Coins to Medals - Part I

Here, in Part II of this topic, I take a look at unsuccessful medal proposals.


Failed Attempts at Converting a Coin Bill to a Medal Bill

Oregon Trail Memorial
In a move similar to that implemented with the 1925 Norse-American Centennial request, an attempt was made to get the Oregon Trail Memorial Association to accept a commemorative medal vs. a commemorative half dollar. Unlike the Norse-American Centennial sponsor, the Oregon Trail folks stood their ground and pushed back for their coin request. In the end, the Oregon Trail Memorial Association won and their long-running program became a reality (and burden upon the hobby).

- What If? 1926 Oregon Trail Memorial Medal


Coin AND Medal Bill Failures

Here are a few cases in which both the coin and medal proposals for a person/place/event failed to gain approval in Congress.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The American poet Henry W. Longfellow was the subject of a commemorative one-cent coin proposal in 1926. The request for a one-cent commemorative piece with specifications matching the obsolete Large Cent was immediately objected to by the Treasury Department and led to the introduction of a commemorative medal bill as a replacement. Neither the coin nor medal proposal was passed by Congress.

- What If? 1926 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- What If? 1926 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Medal


American War Mothers
The American War Mothers Association developed after World War I. It was started by a group of mothers who had sons and/or daughters serve in WWI (a child's death during war service was not a prerequisite for a mother's membership.) Two coins bills were first to be introduced; after their failure to gain traction, multiple medal bills were introduced for the Association.

- What If? 1926 American Women Patriots
- What If? 1926 American Women Patriots - Medal


Mammoth Cave National Park
US President Calvin Coolidge signed into law a bill that created the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on May 25, 1926. To mark the event and provide financial support to the Park via the Mammoth Cave National Park Association, coin and medal bills were introduced in Congress in May 1928; the coin bill was introduced first. Neither of the bills were passed by Congress, and so never presented to the President for review and potential approval.

- What If? 1928 Mammoth Cave National Park


Lewis & Clark Expedition - 125th Anniversary
In a case of bad timing, bills were introduced in 1930 that called for the striking of half dollars to mark the 125th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark and their 1804-05 "Corps of Discovery" expedition through the Louisiana Territory and beyond. While there was support for the coinage in Congress, President Herbert Hoover's recent veto of the Gadsden Purchase coin bill put the breaks on it authorizing the Lewis and Clark coin. Instead, a commemorative medal was proposed. It was passed by the House, but not acted upon in the Senate.

- What If? 1930 Lewis And Clark Expedition 125th
- What If? 1930 Lewis And Clark Expedition 125th - Part 2


Chicago, IL Centennial
The 100th Anniversary of the establishment of Chicago, IL was the subject of a commemorative coin bill in 1937; the coin was sponsored by the Chicago Charter Jubilee Committee. Bowing to pressure exerted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and the US Treasury Department, a medal bill was introduced as a replacement for the coin bill. Somewhat surprisingly, the medal bill did not gain full traction and was never presented to FDR for his approval/signature.

- What If? 1937 Chicago, IL 100th Anniversary


Springield, MA
Parallel/competing bills were introduced in the House of Representatives in 1952 for a circulating commemorative half dollar and silver commemorative medal. Neither of the proposals succeeded, however, and Springfield was left to explore other commemorative opportunities.

- What If? 1952 Springfield, Massachusetts Centennial
- What If? 1952 Springfield, Massachusetts Centennial - Medal


Booker T. Washington Birth Centennial
in 1956, Sidney J. Phillips, the man behind the 1946-51 Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial and 1951-54 George Washington Carver - Booker T. Washington National Monuments half dollars, went to the well a third time and requested Congress to authorize the striking of half dollars to mark the 100th anniversary of Booker T. Washington's birth. Though multiple coin bills were introduced, they all failed. A medal bill was subsequently introduced, but failed as well.

- What If? 1956 Booker T Washington Coin #3
- 1956 Booker T. Washington Medal


I have a few other coin-medal "special cases" that I will post separately. Stay tuned!