Commems Collection Modern: What If? 1995 George C. Marshall WWII Service - Part I

I've written before about a pair of United States ("US") commemorative coin proposals designed to honor the Marshall Plan (architected by General George C. Marshall) - see: What If? 1997 Marshall Plan Commemoratives. Earlier in 2026, I presented a quick recap of a pair of precursor bills, see: What If? 1995 George C. Marshall WWII Service.

This time out I've decided to dig a bit deeper into the story and discuss more fully the pair of coin proposals that were introduced to commemorate the man more directly.


The initial efforts to secure a commemorative coin to honor General George C. Marshall began in the House of Representatives ("House") during the First Session of the 103rd Congress when Austin J.Murphy (D-PA) introduced a bill in November 1993. The bill called for a coin in commemoration of "the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II and General George C. Marshall's service therein."

Murphy's bill called for up to 500,000 Silver Dollars to be struck in honor of General Marshall, with his "likeness" on the coin's obverse. The Silver Dollar was to adhere to standard United States ("US") coinage specifications and feature all mandated inscriptions. The coin was to be available in Proof and Uncirculated qualities during Calendar Year 1995 (and bear the date "1995").

General George Catlett Marshall - Circa 1940


Th Secretary of the Treasury was to select the final designs for the coin, after consulting with the Friends of George C. Marshall and the Commission of Fine Arts; the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee was to serve in a design review capacity.

The Issue Price of each Silver Dollar was to include a surcharge of $7, with collected surcharge funds paid to the Friends of George C. Marshall ("Friends") for the construction of the George C. Marshall Memorial and Visitor Center in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Note: The Friends of George C. Marshall organization referenced by the proposed legislation does not currently exist in the US, though there is a group operating in Germany by the name (with a different purpose).

Note 2: It does not appear that the George C. Marshall Memorial and Visitor Center was ever constructed by the Friends in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. There is a George C. Marshall Memorial Plaza in Uniontown (near Marshall's birthplace), it was dedicated in 2003 and funded by local contributions/private donations and targeted fundraising. The fund raising was not driven by the Friends. The core of the landscaped Plaza features a statue of Marshall, multiple narrative plaques regarding Marshall and his service to the nation plus flags of the WWII Allied nations.

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 Credit and Insurance. The bill stalled in Committee.


See Part II for the next attempt at a Marshall coin, this time during the Second Session of the 103rd Congress.


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see: Commems Collection