Commems Collection Modern: What If? 2004 America's National Parks Founding

In 2016, the Centennial of the United States ("US") National Park Service was celebrated with a three-coin commemorative program - Gold Half Eagle, Silver Dollar and Copper-Nickel Clad Half Dollar - but it was far from the first time that United States National Parks were the focus of US commemorative coin initiatives.

I've previously posted about a few proposed commemorative coin programs:

- What If? 1928 Mammoth Cave National Park
- hat If? 1959 Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
- What If? 2010 Glacier National Park Centennial

Along with the successful 1999 Yellowstone National Park Silver Dollar:

- 1999 Yellowstone National Park

During the 108th and 109th Congresses, five coin bills were introduced, requesting the Secretary of the Treasury to strike Silver Dollars to commemorate "the founding of America's National Parks."

The first was proposed by Don Young (R-AK), it was introduced in September 2004, 108th Congress); the bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, with a further referral to its Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.

Though seemingly "standard" on its surface, the bill actually called for the striking of up to 300,000 each of 11 different Silver Dollars. Each coin was to honor an upcoming milestone anniversary for some of America's most popular National Parks and.or Sites:

    Year
of Issuance  National Park or Park Service      Anniversary

    2007     Devils Tower National Monument        100th
    2008     Grand Canyon National Park            100th
    2010     Glacier National Park                 100th
    2011     Lincoln Memorial                      100th
    2014     Yosemite National Park                150th
    2015     Rocky Mountain National Park          100th
    2016     National Park Service                 100th
    2017     Denali National Park                  100th
    2018     Acadia National Park                  100th
    2019     Zion National Park                    100th
    2020     Gettysburg National Military Park     125th

The program had the potential to include an overall total of 3.3 million Silver Dollars!

The bill included a "Findings" section that provided background and context for the coin proposal:

The Congress finds the following:

(1) The National Park Foundation (NPF) is the congressionally-chartered nonprofit partner of America's National Parks.

(2) The mission of the National Park Foundation is to strengthen the enduring connection between the American people and their National Parks by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness of National Parks.

(3) The Parks represented in this program represent some of the most beloved, and treasured National Parks in America.

(4) The National Park Service was established in 1916 to preserve and protect great scenic parks such as Grand Canyon and Yosemite is a time honored tradition while also managing battlefields such as Gettysburg and historical sites such as the Lincoln Memorial.

(5) Theodore Roosevelt said that nothing short of defending this country in wartime "compares in importance with the great task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendents [sic] than it is for us .".

(6) Parks established under Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, such as Grand Canyon and Devils Tower, are the embodiment of this ideal.

The designs for each coin were to "be emblematic of the National Park being commemorated on each coin" and be developed in consultation with the National Park Foundation. The Secretary of the Treasury was also to consult with the Commission of Fine Arts before selecting the final designs. The bill stated that the Citizens Advisory Committee was to serve in a review capacity - I think it meant to state that the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee ("CCAC") would fill the review role. (The CCAC was established by Congress in 2003.)

The Silver Dollars were to be struck in Proof and Uncirculated versions, with the Issue Price of each coin including a $10 surcharge.

Collected surcharge funds were to be paid to the National Park Foundation ("NPF"), which was to use 50% of the funds to support all National Parks, with the remaining 50% to be used to specifically benefit the National Parks included in the coin program.

The bill did not move past Committee, however, and received no further consideration in Congress.

A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Ted Stevens (R-AK) in November 2004. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. As with the House bill, the Senate bill stalled in Committee.

Senator Stevens (twice) and Representative Young tried again in the 109th Congress, but did not find success there either. Each of the three bills introduced was referred to its respective Committee and stalled without being reported.

If this program had been authorized, I think the 2016 National Park Service coin program would have struggled to be approved, if for no other reason than its Centennial was already included in this program proposal (see above) and "double-dipping" in such close proximity would have presented support challenges.

A few years after these bills were considered by Congress, the America the Beautiful (" ATB") Quarter Program launched and celebrated Parks/Sites across the US. So, while the NPF did not directly financially benefit (i.e., receive surcharges) from the ATB Quarter Program, attention was certainly brought to the Parks/Sites it supports.


For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? commemorative coin stories, see: Commems Collection.