Commems Collection Modern: What If? 1976 US Bicentennial Gold Coinage

Between May 12, 1975 and July 24, 1975, no fewer than eight bills (six in the House of Representatives, two in the Senate) were introduced that called for "gold commemorative coins bearing the seal or symbol of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration."

Emblem of American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA)


The coin bills were essentially duplicates of each other, and, representative of the time, were all reasonably simple and brief. They did not feature a "Findings" section, a complicated surcharge model or detailed discussion of "emblematic" design requirements - the coin's design was required, however, to include "the seal or symbol of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration."

The bills were, in fact, fairly open-ended, leaving it to the Secretary of the Treasury to decide the size and weight of the coin, its designs and its mintage. The Secretary was also to decide the composition to be used for the coin's planchet, with the caveat that they "shall contain at least two-thirds gold by weight." It's possible that the Secretary may have decided to issue more than one coin (e.g., a one-ounce coin and a half-ounce coin).

The gold coins were intended to be sold to the public, but not placed into circulation in the same manner as regular coinage. That said, the coins were specified to be legal tender for debts/obligations, public and private. The bills lacked details regarding how the coins were to priced for sale, but a model based on the then-current spot price of gold seems logical.

The House bills were introduced, in chronological order, by:

- John M. Ashbrook (R-OH)
- Tennyson Guyer (R-OH)
- John H.Dent (D-PA)
- William S. Broomfield (R-MI)
- Donald D. Clancy (R-OH)
- John M. Ashbrook (R-OH) - a repeat bill

Upon its introduction, each bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Currency and Housing.

The Senate bills were introduced, chronologically, by:

- Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR)
- Charles Mcurdy Mathias, Jr. (R-MD)

Upon their introduction, the Senate bills were referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

None of the bills was reported by its respective Committee or considered further. As a result, there would be no gold coins to commemorate the US Bicentennial - several gold medals were struck, however - a good subject for a future post.


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