Having a look at an alternate approach for the 1983-84 Los Angeles Olympic coins...The First Session of the 97th Congress saw the introduction of two 1984 Los Angeles Olympics coin proposals; they were both introduced in the House of Representatives ("House") in June 1981.
The first was introduced by Frank Annunzio (D-IL), the second by Jerry M. Patterson (D-CA) - the two bills were vastly different. Each bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, with further referral to the House Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage.
Note: The Patterson bill was introduced with 42 co-sponsors. The Annunzio bill proposed a modest commemorative coin program (in terms of design types) for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics: a Copper-Nickel ("CuNi") Clad Dollar coin of standard United States ("US") specifications (i.e., a diameter of 1.5 inches and a weight of 26.73 grams). Up to 25 million of the coin were authorized.
The coin was to feature designs "emblematic of the 1984 Summer Olympic games which are to be held in Los Angeles, California" along with the mandated inscriptions for US coins - 'Liberty', 'In God We Trust', 'United States of America', and 'E Pluribus Unum' plus the date "1984". As the
Eisenhower dollar coin was no longer being struck/issued, the new coin would not have been so much a replacement for the 'Ike' dollar as a successor.
The coins were to be sold to the public, not issued as a regular circulation piece. The Secretary of the Treasury was to set the issue price based on covering the total costs of production and distribution plus a surcharge of at least 25%. One half of the collected surcharges was to be paid to the United States Olympic Committee ("USOC"), to be used "to train United States athletes for participation in the Olympic games."
The other half of the collected surcharges was to be deposited in the General Fund of the US Treasury and be used for "the sole purpose of reducing the national debt."
Though
all coins were to be dated "1984" to coincide with the year of the Los Angeles Olympic Games being commemorated, the bill allowed the coins to be struck through December 31, 1985; this would have made possible the striking of these coins in 1983, 1984 and 1985 - potentially similar to the scenario by which the Mint produced 1975 and 1976 strikes of the "1776-1976" dated US Bicentennial coinage.
Annunzio's proposal was a far cry from Senator Cranston's proposal. IMO, it would have been accessible to more interested collectors than the Cranston-proposed coin program, but likely would not have raised as much money for the Olympic Games.
In September 1981, Annunzio addressed the House regarding his coin proposal while making comparisons to the competing bills. He argued for the Government management of an Olympic commemorative coin, and pointed out that:
"A subsidiary of one of the two firms that would be given exclusive marketing rights to the 1984 Olympic coins...has been accused of improprieties in obtaining the rights to market 1982 European games coins in Greece. Accusations of this type undermine the integrity of the sale. Distrust and suspicion generated by accusations of special treatment fall on the Government or agency involved.[...]
"The administration and I are in agreement that private marketing is inappropriate for [US] commemorative coins. The Treasury Department has the capability and experience to conduct a successful sale. For 45 years the Bureau of the Mint has sold a wide variety of numismatic items to the public. This spring it sold over 4 million proof sets, all from orders received in about a 6-week period. The Mint is held in high regard by millions of customers. A sale conducted by the Mint will be a success and avoid the pitfalls inherent in private marketing."Annunzio, the Chairman of House Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage, was a bulldog. He was opposed to private marketers taking control of US commemorative coins, and was determined to do everything he could to stop the practice before it became a regular part of the modern US series. This is not the last time we'll hear from him, however!
The Patterson bill was a companion to the Cranston bill introduced in the Senate. It proposed the same CuNi Clad - Silver - Gold coin program with 29 designs and 53 total coins for the benefit of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee ("LAOOC") and a privately managed marketing and distribution model.
As noted above, the Patterson bill had many co-sponsors when it was introduced and added more over time. It did not replace the Senate bill, however, in terms of consideration/enactment.
Neither of the 1981 House Olympic coin bills progressed past its Committee referral, but 1982 is where things really change for the better!
See
1983-84 Los Angeles Olympics - 1982 House Alternatives to continue the story of the Olympic Coin Act for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more modern commemorative coin stories, see:
Commems Collection 
Posted 05/01/2026 7:00 pm
