In December 1993, a multi-program commemorative coin bill was passed by the US Congress and signed into law by US President William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton. The bill authorized the 1993 Thomas Jefferson Silver Dollar, the 1994 Prisoner of War Silver Dollar, the 1994 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Silver Dollar, the 1994 US Capitol Bicentennial Silver Dollar and the 1994 Women in Military Service Silver Dollar.
The bill, however, was not the first time coins to honor Women in Military Service were proposed. In August 1992, during the 102nd US Congress, Representative Mary Rose Oaker (D-OH) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that called for a Gold Half Eagle ($5), a Silver Dollar and a Copper-Nickel (CuNi) Clad Half Dollar "in commemoration of women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States." In September 1992, Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
The House 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 Senate bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking.
The bills called for up to 300,000 Gold Half Eagles, up to 1,000,000 Silver Dollars and a maximum of 2,000,000 Half Dollars. The designs on the coins were to "be symbolic of women's service in the Armed Forces of the United States" and be struck (and dated) in 1993. The designs were to be selected in consultation with the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation (the coin's sponsor/beneficiary) and the Commission of Fine Arts.
The surcharges to be collected were: $35 for each Gold Half Eagle sold, $8 for each Silver Dollar and $2 for each Half Dollar. Surcharge funds were to be distributed to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation ("Foundation"), and "used to create, to endow, and to dedicate the Women in the Armed Forces Memorial." Had it been a sell-out, the coin program would have contributed $13,050,000 in surcharge funds toward the Memorial project. (I'll discuss the Memorial in a separate post about the 1994 Women in Military Service Silver Dollar.)
I found it interesting that the bills provided for the Treasury Department/US Mint to maintain ultimate authority over the promotional efforts of the Foundation in regards to the coins. The bills stated: "the Secretary shall determine the role such Foundation shall have in the promotion, advertising, or marketing of the coins authorized under this Act." It continued, "The Secretary shall enter into a contract involving the promotion, advertising, or marketing of such coins with the Foundation if the Secretary decides such a contract would be beneficial in the sale of the coins." Such language makes me wonder about how restrictive the Treasury/Mint would have been had the coins been approved and struck.
Neither three-coin bill was reported out of its respective Committee, and so neither progressed to authorization and approval. Of course, we know the story doesn't end there as a restructured coin bill for Women in Military Service did succeed. (More about it later.)
For more of my stories about commemorative coins and medals, including more modern series What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 07/31/2024 09:27 am
