Commems Collection Modern: What If? 2020 75th Anniversary Of The End Of WWII

Many countries around the world, including the United States ("US"), marked the 50th Anniversary of World War II ("WWII") with a commemorative coin program. Some marked the overall WWII period, others the end of the War. The US was in the former category, issuing a three-coin program in 1993 that was meant to cover the 1941-1945 period of involvement of the US.

1993 50th Anniversary of World War II - Gold Half Eagle


A similar coin program was proposed for the 75th Anniversary of the end of WWII. It was introduced in the Senate by John Kennedy (R-LA) in August 2017 during the 115th Congress. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

Kennedy's bill called for a three-coin commemorative program - up to 50,000 Gold Half Eagles, up to 500,000 Silver Dollars and up to 750,000 Copper-Nickel (CuNi) Clad Half Dollars - with each coin to be struck in Proof and Uncirculated versions.

The bill included an informative timeline summary of the US' involvement in World War II:

Congress finds that--

(1) the United States entered World War II as a result of the surprise Japanese attack against our fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, which killed 2,403 people of the United States;

(2) the United States joined the wartime Allied cause against the militarist, fascist, and racist dictatorships of Germany, Japan, and Italy (the Axis), fighting for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" (freedom of speech, of worship, from want, and from fear);

(3) the United States placed no more than 16,000,000 of its citizens into uniform in the course of the struggle, enduring a string of early defeats, recovering to conduct a total war on land, sea, and air, and eventually establishing total dominance over its enemies;

(4) the war took the lives of 405,399 United States military personnel, fellow citizens who made the supreme sacrifice in a perilous moment in the history of the United States, giving their lives for the cause of democracy and peace;

(5) the conflict led to a comprehensive transformation of the home front from a civilian economy dedicated to peacetime production into the mightiest engine of military might in human history (labeled the "Arsenal of Democracy"), demanding the participation of the entire citizenry and thus leading to increased opportunities for racial minorities and women;

(6) the war ended on September 2, 1945, after the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, and a total victory for the United States and the Allies;

(7) Allied victory in World War II transformed the United States into the leader of the "free world," a community of countries dedicated to democratic principles and to resisting all forms of tyranny, including authoritarian, militarist, or communist, and an international order founded on open societies, liberal economies, and the peaceful resolution of disputes;

(8) participation in the wartime struggle emboldened women, African Americans and other previously marginalized groups to seek equal rights, encouraged the growth of the civil rights movement, and thus contributed to the development of "a more perfect union," guaranteeing freedom, justice, and equality for all;

(9) the generation of United States citizens who fought World War II is passing away with the march of time, and that therefore the urgent need to give honor to those who served is all the more critical; and

(10) the period from May 8, 2020, to September 2, 2020, will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the involvement of the United States in World War II and the surrender of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, respectively.

As is often the case for most modern commemorative issues, the bill provided a general guideline for the designs to be used. It stated that the coin designs were to "be emblematic of the great sacrifices made by millions of people of the United States 75 years ago to bring a victorious end to World War II." The bill also specified that the coins were to include the standard inscriptions: "Liberty", "In God We Trust", "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum".

The Kennedy bill went one step further, however, by also stating that each coin was to include "a representation of the World War II Victory Medal, awarded to all 16 million United States military personnel who served from December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946." While such a requiremnt had the potential to make any design "crowded," it would not have surprised me to see the obverse or reverse design of the small Gold Half Eagle (at a minimum) avoid the overcrowding by featuring only a depiction of the medal. I could envision it being incorporated into a scene on the other two coins vs. being a standalone design element, however.

The designs were to be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with The National WWII Museum and the Commission of Fine Arts. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee was to serve its standard design review role.

The coins were to be struck only in Calendar Year 2020, and were to feature the "2020" date.

The Issue Price of each coin was to include a surcharge:

- $35 per Gold Half Eagle
- $10 per Silver Dollar
- $5 per Clad Half Dollar

Kennedy's bill appears to have included a "copy-and-paste" error as it also references a surcharge of $50 per coin for an additional Silver $1 coin that it did not identify - possibly an inadvertent carryover from the provision for the five-ounce Silver Dollar of the Apollo 11 commemorative coin bill?

The collected surcharge funds were to be paid to The National WWII Museum Inc. "to fund its educational mission of telling the story of the United States experience in World War II."

The bill did not move beyond its Committee reference. A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives ("House") by Steve Scalise (R-LA) in October 2007; it was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. The bill mirrored Kennedy's bill except for cleaning up the surcharge listing for the "phantom" Silver $1 coin. As with the Senate bill, Scalise's House bill stalled in Committee and received no further consideration.

Representative Scalise re-introduced his bill during the 116th Congress in June 2019. Though it secured 224 co-sponsors, the bill languished in the Financial Services Committee and was never reported out for further consideration.

Though none of the bills got approved, the 2024 "Greatest Generation" commemorative coin program - Gold, Silver and Clad coins - paid tribute to World War II veterans and their legacy, thus directly addressing "Finding 9" of the 75th Anniversary bills and, by extension, the 75th Anniversary of US participation in WWII overall.

2024 Greatest Generation Silver Dollar



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