In 1997, the US Mint released a Gold Half Eagle ($5) and a Silver Dollar to help mark "the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball (MLB) by making the major league team of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League and playing in his first game in 1947." With Robinson, the integration of Major League Baseball (MLB) had begun.
1997 Jackie Robinson Silver Dollar
Fast forward to July 2018 and the introduction of companion bills calling for three coins - up to 50,000 Gold Half Eagle coins, up to 500,000 Silver Dollars and up to 750,000 Copper-Nickel (CuNi) Clad Half Dollars - to recognize the 75th anniversary of the integration of baseball in 2022.
Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the coin bill in the Senate (it was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Currency, and Urban Affairs); Roger Williams (R-TX) introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives (it was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services).
The bills included a "Findings" section that provided a brief background on the drivers behind the coin program proposal:
"The Congress finds the following:
"(1) On April 15, 1947, future Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson changed the landscape of the National Pastime and the Nation itself when he stepped onto the grass at Ebbets Field as the starting first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era.
"(2) On July 5, 1947, future Hall of Famer Larry Doby took his first at-bat for the Cleveland Indians, ending the color barrier in the American League forever.
"(3) The integration of Major League Baseball in 1947 is recognized today as a seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement and American history.
"(4) The integration of Major League Baseball preceded the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education by seven years and the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by seventeen years.
"(5) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Jackie Robinson Foundation are dedicated to telling the story of baseball's unique role in helping to end racial segregation and advancing civil rights in the United States of America."The bills did not specify an obverse design for each of the coins, but did specify that "the common reverse of the coins minted under this Act shall depict a baseball diamond similar to those used by Major League Baseball." (The specification of "similar" seems strange to me, as the bases within a "baseball diamond" are set according to specific, rigid dimensions/specifications.)
It seems - at least to me - that leading design candidates/themes for the three obverses would have included Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and the Civil Rights movement (based on the bills' "Findings".)
The three coins were to feature the date "2022" and only be issued during that year.
The Issue Price of each of the coins was to include the following surcharge amounts:
1) $50 per Gold Half Eagle
2) $10 per Silver Dollar
3) $5 per CuNi Clad Half Dollar
Collected surcharges were to be paid to the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame "with the understanding that the Hall of Fame shall work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation, so that the two organizations may develop and operate education programs about the integration of baseball, and preserve artifacts related to the integration of baseball."
Note: The Jackie Robinson Foundation was the sponsor/beneficiary of the 1997 Jackie Robinson coin program.Both of the bills stalled in their respective Committee, and thus were not acted upon before the adjournment of the 115th Congress in January 2019.
Each of the bills was re-introduced in the 116th Congress. The Senate version had the same Congressional sponsor (Tim Scott (R-SC)); the House bill had a new Congressional sponsor (Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA)), As procedure dictated, the Senate bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the House bill to the House Committee on Financial Services.
The bills duplicated the provisions of the bills introduced in the previous Congress.
Each of the bills stalled in Committee and failed to be considered further. Thus, the bills went 0 for 4 between the 115th and 116th Congresses - not a good day at the plate in any league!
Though the bills did have some support, especially in the House, they were supplanted by the Negro Leagues Centennial Commemorative Coin bills (House and Senate companion bills) introduced, as well, during the 116th Congress. The Negro Leagues bill was approved by Congress in 2020, and included a pivot to a sponsor/beneficiary of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum "for educational and outreach programs and exhibits." (Neither the National Baseball Hall of Fame nor the Jackie Robinson Foundation got the chance to "double dip" in the US commemorative coin program!)
Note: The groundbreaking contributions of Jackie Robinson were honored with a silver US Mint medal and sold as part of a Coin and Medal Set - the medal was a silver re-issue of the Jackie Robinson Congressional Medal awarded in 2003.I've been to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri - I enjoyed my visit and am glad it was supported via the coin program. From what I understand, the Museum has continued to enhance its exhibits since my visit to add depth and facilitate better understanding. Learn more about the museum here:
-
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories about commemorative coins of the classic and modern eras, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 03/27/2025 1:58 pm
