Bills were introduced in the 104th and 105th Congresses that called for "the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the birth of Thomas Alva Edison, to redesign the half dollar circulating coin for 1997 to commemorate Thomas Edison, and for other purposes."
Note: The Thomas Edison Commemorative Coin Act was also introduced in the 105th Congress. It originally included a provision for a circulating commemorative half dollar, but such provision was dropped during the bill's Congressional journey. The bill became law on October 31, 1988 and authorized the 2004 Thomas Edison Silver Dollar. I've discussed the coin's story here: 2004 Thomas Alva Edison - 125th Anniversary Of Light Bulb.The House bill in the 104th Congress was introduced by Paul E. Gillmor (R-OH) in February 1995; the Senate bill was introduced by Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) in October 1996.
Similar to the future Marian Anderson commemorative coin proposal - introduced in the House of Representatives in February 1997 - the Edison bills called for precious metal collector coins (Silver Dollar and Silver Half Dollar) plus a standard composition circulating half dollar. (Read more about the Marian Anderson coin proposal here:
What If? 1997 Marian Anderson Birth Centennial,
The bills included a brief "Findings" section that provided background on and context for the coin proposal:
The Congress hereby finds the following:
(1) Thomas Alva Edison, one of America's greatest inventors, was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio.
(2) Thomas A. Edison's inexhaustible energy and genius produced more than 1,300 inventions in his lifetime, including the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph.
(3) In 1928, Thomas A. Edison received the Congressional gold medal "for development and application of inventions that have revolutionized civilization in the last century''.
(4) 1997 will mark the sesquicentennial of Thomas A. Edison's birth.On the referenced collector coin side, the bills called for the minting of up to 350,000 Silver Dollars along with the striking of (up to 350,000) Silver Half Dollars. A bit unusual for the two mintage limits to match; the Half Dollar typically has a higher authorization!
Regarding the circulating half dollars, the coins would have been authorized to be struck in calendar year 1997, replace the Kennedy Half Dollar in circulation and be mandated vs. at the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury. The circulating coins were to "have the same likeness of Thomas Alva Edison" as depicted on the Silver Half Dollar - a nice "tie together" - and be struck to meet demand.
Neither the House nor Senate bill was successful, however, with each stalling in their respective Committee: House Committee on Banking and Financial Services/ Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy and Senate Committee on Banking.
The failure of these two bills was not a major road block for an Edison commemorative piece, however. On February 11, 1997, during the 105th Congress, new bills were introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives. As introduced, both bills called for Silver Dollars and Silver Half Dollars, plus - at the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury - a base metal half dollar for circulation - just as with the 104th Congress bills described above.
The two bills took different paths in the months that followed. The Senate bill stalled in the Senate Committee on Banking, while the House bill was amended (to remove the Silver Half Dollar and Base Metal Circulation Half Dollar, change the anniversary to be commemorated and issue date for the coin), passed by the House, passed by the Senate and signed into law by US President William "Bill" Clinton. The 2004 Thomas Edison commemorative Silver Dollar celebrating the inventor and marking the 125th Anniversary of his light bulb was born!
Note: I referenced this Act in the Note above.2004 Thomas Edison Silver Dollar
For more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other modern US commemorative What If? coin stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 06/21/2025 4:00 pm
