There have been quite a number of proposals in Congress over the years to honor the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing and/or the Apollo program in general. The 25th Anniversary of this seminal event of the 20th Century was no exception.
During the First Session of the 103rd Congress, companion bills were introduced in the House of Representatives ("House") and Senate that called for the striking of coins "in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing." The House bill was introduced by Constance A. Morella (R-MD); the Senate bill by Connie Mack III (FL) - the grandson of Connie Mack the long-time manager of the Philadelphia Athletics (Major League Baseball). The bills were introduced in November 1993.
The bills called for coins of just one denomination - Silver Dollars - with a mintage of up to 500,000 coins.
The bills did not include a "Findings" section, but Representative Morella provided historical background and rationale for the proposed coin at the time of introduction:
I rise today to introduce legislation...authorizing the minting of a silver dollar to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon - an epoch journey and one of the greatest achievements of mankind.
In the decade prior to the lunar landing, the U.S. space program captured the imagination of all Americans, especially our Nation's youth.
First, the Mercury Program, then Gemini and the Thundering Apollo missions atop the Saturn V rockets. And then finally, on that special evening of July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission brought Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin - the first humans - to the Moon.
The Apollo 11 lunar landing had been only a dream a decade before, and it was a victory celebrated in many ways. It was a triumph and a wave of reassurance for a nation ill at ease on the battlefield of the cold war. It was also a culmination of President John F. Kennedy's vision.
[...]
July 20, 1994, marks the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. The commemorative silver dollar that this legislation authorizes is a tribute to the thousands of people involved in the space program who made the lunar landing possible. It will serve as a reminder of what can be achieved as a nation when working together for a common goal. The designs for the Silver Dollar were to be "emblematic of America's great achievement 25 years ago when humans first landed on the Moon." The inclusion of the date "1994" was also specified as were the standard inscriptions for
US coins .
The final designs were to be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury after consulting with the Commission of Fine Arts and after they were reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee ("CCCAC").
The coins were to be issued beginning on July 20, 1994 and continuing for a period of one year (July 19, 1995); Proof and Uncirculated versions were authorized, with only one version being allowed to be struck by a given, single US Mint facility.
A $10 per coin surcharge was specified, with collected surcharges to be paid to the Aerospace Education Alliance "for the purpose of developing and implementing a program to enhance the math and science skills of America's teachers in grades kindergarten through grade 8, as part of the national strategy to improve mathematics and science education."
The House bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs with a further referral to its Subcommittee on Consumer Credit and Insurance; the Senate bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking. The respective Committees were the last stop for each of the bills, however. As a result, a major accomplishment and historical milestone was passed by. Some solace can be taken from the reverse design of the then-soon-to-be-released (1971)
Eisenhower dollar, as its reverse design was a tribute to the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Note: I'll leave it to others to post images of their 1971 Eisenhower Dollar coins.I think this one would have been popular with collectors and non-collectors alike - there are many space buffs who are not also coin collectors!
I'm not an avid "space" collector, but I do have a 25th Anniversary of Apollo 11 medal in my collection - I like its designs!
1969 Apollo 11 25th Anniversary Medal
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories about Apollo coin proposals, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 09/19/2025 2:15 pm
