Commems Collection Modern: What If? 2015 T Roosevelt & Pan-Pac Exposition

The last of the three categories of Theodore Roosevelt themed commemorative coin proposals I referenced previously concerns Roosevelt, his ties to the Panama Canal and his efforts being a subsequent catalyst for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

Theodore Roosevelt

(Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.)

Back in October 2024, I posted about the two companion bills for Roosevelt and the Panama-Pacific Exposition, so I won't repeat the details in this story. You can read the original post here: What If? 2015 Panama-Pacific International Exposition And Panama Canal.

This time out, I'm adding details about the intended designs for the three coins of the proposed program (Gold Half Eagle, Silver Dollar and Copper-Nickel (CuNi)Clad Half Dollar):

(2) SPECIFIC DESIGN REQUIREMENTS--

(A) $5 GOLD COINS--The $5 octagonal gold coins minted under this Act and the $5 round gold coins minted under this Act shall be a close likeness of the octagonal Panama-Pacific Exposition $50 gold coin and the round Panama-Pacific Exposition $50 gold coin, respectively. Such coins--

(i) shall have an obverse depicting the head of the goddess Minerva, with a Corinthian-style helmet, enclosed in a ring of beads;

(ii) with a reverse--

(I) depicting an owl perched on a pine bough complete with four pine cones and multiple sprigs of pine needles surrounded by the same ring of beads depicted on the obverse; and

(II) depicting, outside this ring, the inscriptions "PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION" and "SAN FRANCISCO" in a single line of text circling the entire rim, with the words separated by dots; and

(iii) with respect to the octagonal coin, such coin shall also have an obverse and reverse that depicts, in the eight angles of the vertices, eight stylized dolphins that form an outer circle.

Note: All of this detail was to fit on a Half Eagle-sized coin - 0.850" in diameter! Get your magnifying glass out!

(B) $1 SILVER COINS--The $1 silver coins minted under this Act shall be designed--

(i) to be a close likeness, in the form of a coin, of the Roosevelt Medal--

(I) awarded to every United States citizen who worked for a continuous 2-year period on the construction of the Panama Canal;

(II) issued as a result of an Executive order dated June 23, 1907, by President Theodore Roosevelt;

(III) designed by artist F.D. Millet; and

(IV) struck by the United States Mint in Philadelphia;

(ii) with an obverse depicting the image of President Theodore Roosevelt; and

(iii) with a reverse--

(I) depicting the Culebra Cut, a 9-mile, 272-foot-deep excavation through the Cordillera Mountains;

(II) displaying the Canal Zone motto "THE LAND DIVIDED, THE WORLD UNITED" inscribed on the horizon; and

(III) displaying the legend "PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" around the border, except that the Secretary may, after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, choose to omit such legend.

(C) HALF DOLLAR CLAD COINS--The half dollar clad coins minted under this Act shall be designed--

(i) to be a close likeness of the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition half dollar coin;

(ii) with an obverse depicting Columbia scattering flowers from a cornucopia held by a small child towards a sunset on the Golden Gate (prior to the construction of the now famous bridge), which was designed by the Mint's then-Chief Engraver, Charles Barber; and

(iii) with a reverse depicting an eagle resting on the union shield with an oak branch to its left, for stability and strength, and an olive branch to its right, for peace, credited to Barber's assistant George T. Morgan, designer of the Morgan dollar.

(3) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS--On each coin minted under this Act there shall be--

(A) a designation of the value of the coin;

(B) an inscription of the year--

(i) depicted in Roman numerals ("MMXV"), in the case of the $5 and half dollar coins; and

(ii) "2015", in the case of the $1 coins; and

(C) inscriptions of the words "Liberty", "In God We Trust", "United States of America", and "E Pluribus Unum".

Now that's a level of details not often seen in US commemorative coin legislation!

My "Final Thoughts" expressed in my previous post:

"I'm not generally a fan of re-using previous coin designs, but the Silver Dollar and its use of the Roosevelt/Panama Canal presentation medal's design is likely something I would have enjoyed."

continue to reflect how I feel about this commemorative program - at least as outlined in the proposed legislation.


Note: Images of the Panama Canal Medal referenced above can be seen in my previous post: What If? 2015 Panama-Pacific International Exposition And Panama Canal.


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

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