March 1991 (102nd Congress) saw the introduction of two different bills - one in the Senate, one in the House of Representatives ("House") - that called for the Secretary of the Treasury to strike coins related to the United States' engagement in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The Senate bill sought to commemorate Desert Shield and Desert Storm, while the House bill focused on Desert Storm.
The Senate bill was sponsored by Steven Douglas Symms (R-ID), and the House bill was introduced by William "Bill" H. Zeliff, Jr. (R-NH).
The Senate bill - introduced first - called for the minting of Silver Dollars in a quantity to be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. The designs for the Silver Dollar were to "be emblematic of the United States military's participation in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm." (Another case of a coin bill giving potential artists fairly wide latitude for artistic interpretation of the theme.)
The coins were to be produced in Proof and Uncirculated versions, with the Issue Price of each version incorporating a surcharge of $3. Surcharge funds were to be paid into the Defense Cooperation Account "to defray the costs of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm."
Considering that Desert Shield/Desert Storm cost the US (direct + indirect costs) well over $50 Billion (with a "B") with allies contributing an additional $50+ Billion. Supporters of the coin proposal needed to accept that a) Coin sales would have had to set an unimaginable record to make a meaningful impact on the US' Gulf War expenses (for example, it would have taken sales of roughly 20 billion coins to potentially cover US costs), and b) The most likely successful sales scenario would have generated just $1-$5 million in surcharge funds on sales of 350,000 to 1.7 million coins - very much a "drop in the bucket."
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, but never reported out.
The House coin bill fell into what I call the "mega-proposal" category. It called for a two-coin program - Gold Eagle / $10 (up to 2 million coins) and Silver Dollar (up to 50 million coins). Wow! That's a lot of coins!
Proof and uncirculated versions of each denomination were to be struck, with each featuring designs "emblematic of Operation Desert Storm, the allied military operation that freed Kuwait from Iraqi occupation."
In an unusual twist, the coins were to be struck for a period of two years, beginning six months after the enactment of the bill and continuing until 30 months after. Depending on when the bill would have been signed into law, this provision would have meant that two or three dates might have appeared on each of the coins - a multi-year program reminiscent of the classic era of US commemorative coins.
The Gold Eagle coins were to carry a surcharge of $50 per coin, and the surcharge on the Silver Dollar was to be $10 per coin. The collected surcharges were to be split 50/50 between the United Services Organization (USO) to maintain its services and facilities, and the Federal Treasury to help reduce the national debt.
The bill followed the model of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics program, and sought the inclusion of an outside marketing organization to manage coin sales external to the US and its overseas bases/facilities (the US Mint was to handle domestic sales) . A coin program of such size would need strong sales beyond the US to achieve its full potential as domestic sales alone would not likely generate a sell out and/or maximize surcharge amounts collected. An organization that was familiar with international coin marketing was a good plan.
Upon its introduction, 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.
So, neither the Senate bill nor the House bill made it past Committee, nor was either considered in its respective chamber. A Congressional medal for Persian Gulf War Veterans was approved in the 102nd Congress, however, with bronze duplicate sales specified to generate debt reduction funds. You can read about the medal here:
Persian Gulf National Medal Options.
Persian Gulf War Veterans Medal: Bronze
For other of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 08/13/2025 10:40 am
