I've previously discussed the Norfolk medal vs. Norfolk coin snafu - You can read it here: -
1936 Norfolk Bicentennial / Tricentennial - Medal Vs. Coin.) - but thought I would return to the story to fill in a few details of what transpired between sessions of Congress.
Quick Recap: The Senate passed a Norfolk medal bill, the House of Representatives ("House") passed a commemorative coin bill, but - unfortunately for the Norfolk Advertising Board ("Board") - rather than getting the two versions in sync, the Senate ("medal") version was presented to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ("FDR") for review and approval instead of the House bill. FDR signed the medal bill into law.
The Norfolk Advertising Board - the sponsor of the Norfolk commemorative half dollar - was not interested in having a commemorative medal struck, it wanted a coin!
Multiple attempts were made to get the Treasury Department to ignore the medal bill's approval and to unilaterally authorize the striking of a commemorative half dollar instead. Senator Carter Glass, a former Secretary of the Treasury - he served in the position from December 16, 1918 to January 31, 1920 - met with Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. in an attempt to persuade him to authorize a half dollar but was unsuccessful - Morgenthau was firm regarding the Treasury's interpretation of the legality of the medal bill vs. coin bill.
Secretary Morgenthau sent Senator Glass a formal letter regarding the medal vs. coin situation in which he stated that the medal bill "approved by the President on June 26, 1936 authorized the striking of 25,000 commemorative medals. When this bill was originally introduced by you it provided for the coining of 50-cent pieces. However, the bill as passed by the Senate was amended to provide for the striking of medals rather than coins. On the same day the Senate bill was passed by the House but by mistake the bill read to the House was the original rather than the amended Senate bill, referring to coins rather than medals. The enrolled bill which was signed by the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate and approved by the President, was in the form passed by the Senate."
The letter continued, "Under a ruling of the Supreme Court in 1891, in the case of Field vs. Clark...the bill which was signed by the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate in open session and approved by the President, has become law."
Someone on the Treasury Department's legal team definitely knew how to search the US Statute records! Morgenthau had the law on his side and he wasn't going to compromise his position.
On August 6, 1936, Secretary Morgenthau held a press conference and communicated the above to attendees. He commented that, per the approved legislation, the Mint would be happy to strike commemorative medals for the Norfolk Advertising Board, but that it would not strike a commemorative coin.
Franis Turnin, head of the Norfolk Advertising Board, reiterated the Board's position in response to the Morgenthau press conference - the Board was not interested in a medal.
Within weeks of Morgenthau's press conference, Glass and the Board had prepared a revised Norfolk celebration plan, including Glass' intention to re-introduce the Norfolk coin bill when the next session of Congress convened. Glass introduced the coin bill as promised in January 1937, and it was properly authorized without major issue (as summarized in
1936 Norfolk Bicentennial / Tricentennial - Medal Vs. Coin. and here
1936 Norfolk Medal Vs. Coin - A Technical Misstep). "Good-bye!" medal, "Hello!" coin.
1936 Norfolk, VA Bicentennial/Tricentennial Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Norfolk coin stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 07/05/2025 3:37 pm
