I've previously posted about a 1991 proposal that called for the reverse design of each circulating United States ("US") coin to be gradually redesigned, with the first coin selected for the change to be devoted to a design that commemorated the 200th Anniversary "of the ratification of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution." (Read it here:
What If? 1993 Bill Of Rights Circulating Coinage.)
The 1991 effort had a precursor in 1990, it was a proposed amendment to a bill seeking 1992-dated coins in commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America.
The amendment to a House-approved Columbus coin bill was introduced in the US Senate by Alan Cranston (D-CA) in October 1990, and called for "the redesign of the reverse side of a circulating coin to commemorate the bicentennial of the ratification of the Bill of Rights and to provide for the redesign of all circulating coins other than the dollar."
The Secretary of the Treasury was authorized to select either the Half Dollar, Quarter Dollar, 10-Cent coin ("Dime"), 5-cent coin ("Nickel") or 1-Cent coin as the platform for the Bill of Rights design. The design was to be circulated no later than June 30, 1991, and be issued for a two-year period. (After the two-year period, the coin would be eligible for re-design.)
Regarding the proposed general redesign of
US coinage, the amendment included a list of several US Constitution concepts as potential design themes for the coins:
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of the press
- The right to due process of law
- The right to a trial by jury
- The right to equal protection under the law
- The right to vote
- The separation of powers, including the independence of the judiciary
The obverse of each coin was also to be redesigned, but was to maintain the likeness of the individual already in use (e.g., Lincoln was to remain on the Cent but in a new depiction).
The amendment stipulated that the Secretary of the Treasury was required to notify Congress of any proposed new designs, and that Congress needed to authorize the changes before the coins could be struck. The US Commission of Fine Arts was to be consulted regarding all proposed design choices.
The Senate approved the amendment along with the core bill to which it was added. The House did not act on the amended bill, however, and, as a result, no related coinage redesign took place. Design change for several of the denominations was on the horizon, however.
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Bill of Rights stories, see: [b]
Commems Collection
Posted Today 7H 19M ago
