Another January 1973 Bicentennial coin proposal...Early in the First Session of the 93rd Congress (January 1973), Richard Crawford White (D-TX) introduced a coin bill that called for "the coinage of 50-cent pieces and $1 pieces in commemoration of the bicentennial of the American Revolution." The bill duplicated the legislation White had introduced during the 92nd Congress (recall that Delbert Schwengel (R-IA) introduced identical legislation in the same Congress). (See,
What If? 1972 American Revolution Bicentennial - Dollars & Half Dollars to review.)
As with the previous bills, the legislation addressed circulation coinage and did not include provisions for collector versions of either proposed denomination.
The Secretary of the Treasury ("Secretary") was tasked with selecting the designs for the coins, and for determining appropriate mintage levels for each.
Washington Crossing the Delaware River (December 1776) - Print of Painting by Emanuel Leutze (Circa 1851)
(Image Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division. Public Domain.)The Secretary was to strike the coins per standard
US coinage specifications (i.e., standard size, weight and composition) for each denomination. At the time, this meant Copper-Nickel ("CuNi") Clad coins with Copper cores; the Half Dollar would have been 30.6 mm in diameter with a weight of 11.34 grams, the Dollar would have been 38.1 mm in diameter with a weight of 22.68 grams.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking and Currency - it did not proceed further.
An interesting aspect of this coin bill (and of the related coin bills that preceded it) is the fact that it does not make any reference to an issue date for the circulating commemorative coins - such a specification was left out completely. Had the bill progressed unchanged, it's plausible to imagine the first Bicentennial coins appearing in 1973 or 1974 vs. the 1975 release with which collectors are familiar.
In any case, it appeared that a framework for Bicentennial numismatic commemoration might have been coalescing!
Still more Bicentennial coin proposals to review! Stay tuned!For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more "What If?" stories, see:
Commems Collection 
Posted 03/29/2026 09:40 am
