Commems Collection Modern: 2015 US Marshals Service 225th Anniversary - Part I - Success In Congress

The 2015 three-coin - Gold Half Eagle, Silver Dollar and Copper-Nickel (CuNi) Clad Half Dollar - US Marshals Service 225th Anniversary commemorative program with which collectors of the modern series of United States ("US") commemorative coins are likely familiar was authorized and approved during the First Session of the 112th Congress. The bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives ("House") by Steve Womack (R-AR) in March 2011. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Mark Pryor (D-AR), also in March 2011.

Note: Representative Womack and Senator Pryor took up Congressional sponsorship of the Marshal Service coin bills as previous sponsors had a change of status: Senator Lincoln was not elected to the 112th Congress, and Representative Boozman switched chambers after being elected as a US Senator from Arkansas to the 112th Congress.

The new bills sought "coins in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation's first Federal law enforcement agency, the United States Marshals Service."

I've previously discussed the Act's precursor bills of the 111th Congress:

- What If? 2014 US Marshals Service 225th Anniversary - Part I
- What If? 2014 US Marshals Service 225th Anniversary - Part II

As in the previous US Marshals Service bills, the bills of the 112th Congress included a "Findings" section to provide context and background for the coin request (it was revised from the previous bills):

"The Congress hereby finds as follows:

(1) The United States Marshals, the first Federal law enforcement officers in America, were established under section 27 of the Act of Congress entitled "Chapter XX.—An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States" and enacted on September 24, 1789 (commonly referred to as the "Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789"), during the 1st Session of the 1st Congress, and signed into law by the 1st President of the United States, George Washington.

(2) George Washington had carefully considered the appointments to the Judicial Branch long before the enactment of the Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789, and nominated the first 11 United States Marshals on September 24, and the remaining two Marshals on September 25, 1789. The Senate confirmed all 13 on September 26, 1789, 2 days after the Judiciary Act was signed into law.

(3) In 1969, by order of the Department of Justice, the United States Marshals Service was created, and achieved Bureau status in 1974. The United States Marshals Service has had major significance in the history of the United States, and has directly contributed to the safety and preservation of this Nation, by serving as an instrument of civil authority used by all 3 branches of the United States Government.

(4) One of the original 13 United States Marshals, Robert Forsyth of Georgia, a 40-year-old veteran of the Revolutionary War, was the first civilian official of the United States Government, and the first of many United States Marshals and deputies, to be killed in the line of duty when he was shot on January 11, 1794, while trying to serve civil process.

(5) The United States Marshals Service Commemorative Coin will be the first commemorative coin to honor the United States Marshals Service.

(6) The United States should pay tribute to the Nation's oldest Federal law enforcement agency, the United States Marshals Service, by minting and issuing commemorative coins, as provided in this Act.

(7) A commemorative coin will bring national and international attention to the lasting legacy of this Nation's oldest Federal law enforcement agency.

(8) The proceeds from a surcharge on the sale of such commemorative coins will assist the financing of national museums and charitable organizations."

From the start, the new bills called for a three-coin commemorative program - Gold Half Eagle (up to 100,000), Silver Dollar (up to 500,000) and Copper-Nickel Clad Half Dollar (up to 750,000).

The bills included design specifications for each of the coins:

Gold Half Eagle

Obverse: "shall bear an image of the United States Marshals Service Star (aka, "America's Star").

Reverse: "shall bear a design emblematic of the sacrifice and service of the men and women of the United States Marshals Service who lost their lives in the line of duty and include the Marshals Service motto "Justice, Integrity, Service."

Note: The Edge Lettering and High-Relief provisions for the Gold Half Eagle, as found in the pre-cursor bills, was dropped here.

Silver Dollar

Obverse: "shall bear an image of the United States Marshals Service Star (aka, the "America's Star")."

Reverse: "shall bear an image emblematic of the United States Marshals legendary status in America's cultural landscape. The image should depict Marshals as the lawmen of our frontiers, including their geographic, political, or cultural history, and shall include the Marshals Service motto 'Justice, Integrity, Service'."

Clad Half Dollar

Obverse: "shall bear an image emblematic of the United States Marshals Service and its history."

Reverse: "shall bear an image consistent with the role that the United States Marshals played in a changing nation, as they were involved in some of the most pivotal social issues in American history. The image should show the ties that the Marshals have to the United States Constitution, with themes including--

(I) the Whiskey Rebellion and the rule of law;
(II) slavery and the legacy of inequality; and
(III) the struggle between labor and capital."

The new bills included the realism and historical accuracy specification found in the previous bills.

The Issue Price of each coin was to include a surcharge amount, as follows:

- $35 per Gold Half Eagle
- $10 per Silver Dollar
- $3 per Clad Half Dollar

The surcharge distribution model mimicked the percentage-based model of the previous Senate bill:

"- The first $5,000,000 available for distribution under this section, to the U.S. Marshals Museum, Inc., also known as the United States Marshals Museum, for the preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents."

For collected amounts in excess of the baseline $5 million:

">>> Thirty-three and one-third percent shall be distributed to The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

>>> Thirty-three and one-third percent shall be distributed to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in support of the National Law Enforcement Museum and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

>>> Thirty-three and one-third percent shall be distributed to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation."

The bills provided for each of the coins to be struck in Proof and Uncirculated versions, but they no longer included a provision for bronze duplicates of the Gold Half Eagle. IMO, the bronze duplicate medal would have been a popular option among collectors who couldn't afford the Gold Half Eagle, and/or medal collectors; it would have opened the opportunity for an inexpensive "Coin and Medal Set" to be produced.

The House bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, with a further referral to its Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology. Before the bill could be reported by the Subcommittee/Committee, however, it was called up for consideration on the House floor by Walter Beaman Jones, Jr. (R-NC).

The bill was considered/debated, but was not voted on due to a lack of quorum in the chamber. A couple of days later, when a quroum was present, the bill was again considered and, this time, was passed and sent on to the Senate for its consideration.

In the Senate, newly-transitioned -from-the-House Senator John Boozman (R-AR) proposed an amendment to the bill that would ensure the coins would be struck at no cost to the Federal Government; the amendment passed. The amended bill was sent to the House where it was considered/debated and passed. US President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on April 2, 2012.

In Part II of this success story, I'll explore the approved coin program more closely and discuss the coins themselves.


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more modern commemorative stories, see: Commems Collection