Commems Collection Classic: What If? Phantom 1946 Booker T. Washington Medal (Vs. Coin)

In July 1946, the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency held a Hearing to discuss the proposed Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Half Dollar. Among those present to testify was Leland Howard, Assistant Director, Bureau of the US Mint.

Mr. Howard did his best to present the reasons behind the Treasury Department's general objections to commemorative coin bills - he was regularly interrupted by some Committee members who didn't share the Treasury's opinions, however - he persevered and eventually presented what he intended.

At the conclusion of his testimony, Mr. Howard requested, and was given, permission to enter into the record a proposed commemorative medal bill for BTW - drafted by the Treasury Department - that would replace the pending coin bill and have the Treasury's full support. The bill called for "the striking of an appropriate medal to commemorate the life and perpetuate the ideals of Booker T. Washington." This title was nearly identical to the that of the coin bill which called for "50-cent pieces to commemorate the life and perpetuate the ideals and teachings of Booker T. Washington."

As with the coin bill, the medal bill authorized the Mint to strike up to five million (!) commemorative pieces for the Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial of Franklin County, Virginia - the difference being medals rather than half dollars. In both cases, the Memorial group had to pre-pay for the commemorative pieces ordered/delivered. A significant difference between the bills was the lack of expiration in the medal's authority - the coin bill specified a five-year limit for orders, while the medal bill was open-ended. (The coin bill's five-year limit led directly to the authorization for the George Washington Carver - Booker T. Washington half dollars of 1951-54. Read more at: Carver vs. Carver-Washington/)

Allowing Howard to present the draft medal bill appears to have been a simple matter of courtesy, however, as immediately following its presentation the Committee voted to report out the coin bill with a recommendation for it to pass. The medal bill was not discussed nor was it ever formally introduced in Congress.

You can't blame the Treasury from continuing to try!

1946 Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Half Dollar



For more of my stories about commemorative coins and medals, including other BTW half dollar, What If? and What If? Phantom stories, see: Commems Collection.