Commems Collection Modern: What If? 1987 100th Congress

The achievement of the "100th" of most things is viewed as a positive milestone, and one worthy of celebration at some level. In January 1987, the US Congress opened the First Session of its 100th meeting. Ronald Reagan, a Republican, was President and the House of Representatives and Senate each had a Democrat majority.

In September 1986, during the 99th Congress, Dante B. Fascell (D-FL) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that called for Gold Half Eagles and Silver Dollars to mark the 100th US Congress. Representative Fascell was not bashful with his coin request - he sought 1 million Gold Half Eagles and 10 million Silver Dollars! The designs of the coins were to be "emblematic of the 100th Congress."

The issue price of each coin was to include a surcharge - $35.00 for the Gold Half Eagles and $7.00 for the Silver Dollars. The collected surcharges were to be deposited in the General Fund of the US Treasury and go toward reducing the national debt - a complete sell-out would have reduced the debt by $105 million.

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, with a further referral to its Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage. The bill was not reported out, however, and died for lack of action when the 99th Congress adjourned in October 1986.

Representative Fasell tried again when the 100th Congress convened in January 1987. Once again, the bill did not make it out of Committee.

Later in the session, Fascell made additional attempts to mark Congress' milestone, but from a different angle. Instead of seeking coins to commemorate the 100th US Congress, his new bills sought coins in recognition of the Bicentennial of the US Congress. Essentially the same thing, but the new approach was apparently more palatable and Congress ultimately authorized the Bicentennial bill.

For more on the 1989 US Congress Bicentennial program, see:

- 1989 US Congress Bicentennial


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories from the classic and modern eras of US commemorative coins, see: Commems Collection.