Jul 2, 2012 | currency, education, exonumia, medals, tokens
Although the dominant area of numismatics is the collection and study of legal tender coins, numismatics is more than just coins. Numismatic is the collecting and study of items used in the exchange for goods, resolve debts, and objects used to represent something of monetary value. This opens up numismatic collecting to a wide range of items and topics that could make “the hunt” to put together the collection as much fun as having the collection.
Exonumia
Exonumia is the study and collection of tokens, medals, or other coin-like objects that are not considered legal tender. Exonumia opens numismatics to a wide variety of topics that could not be satisfied by collecting coins alone. An example of exonumia is the collection of transportation tokens. You may be familiar with transportation tokens from your local bus or subway company who used to sell tokens to place into fare boxes. Others may have used tokens to more easily pay in the express lanes at bridges and tunnels. A person who collects transportation tokens is called a Vecturist. For more information on being a Vecturist, visit the website for the American Vecturist Association.
Token collecting can be the ultimate local numismatic collection. Aside from transportation tokens, some states and localities issued tax tokens in order to collect fractions of a cent in sales taxes to allow those trying to get by in during down economic times to stretch their money further. Some communities issued trade tokens that allowed those who used them to use them as cash at selected merchants. Some merchants issued trade tokens that were an early form of coupons that were traded as coupons are traded today.
While tokens are items used to represent monetary value, medals are used to honor, commemorate, or advertize. The U.S. Mint produces medals that honor people, presidents, and events. Medals produced by the U.S. Mint are those authorized by law as a national commemoration including the medal remembering the attacks of 9/11.
Commemorative medals are not limited to those produced by the U.S. Mint. State and local governments have also authorized the producing medals on their behalf that were produced by private mints. Many organizations also have created medals honoring members or people that have influenced the organization. Companies have produced medals to honor their place in the community or something about the company and their community.
Many medals have designs that can be more beautiful than on coins since they are not limited to governmental mandated details and their smaller production runs allows for more details to be added. Medals can be larger and thicker than coins and made in a higher relief than something that could be manufactured by a government mint.
Exonumia collecting also involves elongated and encased coins. You may have seen the machines in many areas where you pay 50-cents, give it one of your cents, turn the wheel and the cent comes out elongated with a pattern pressed into the coin. Elongated coins have been used as advertisements, calling cards, and as a souvenir.
Encased coins are coin encircled with a ring that has mostly been used as an advertisement. One side will call the coin a lucky coin or provide sage advice with the other side advertising a business. Another form of encased coins are encased stamps. Encased stamps were popular in the second half of the 19th century and used for trade during times when there were coin shortages.
Other exonumia includes badges, counter stamped coins, wooden money, credit cards, and casino tokens. Counter stamped coins are coins that have been circulated in foreign markets that were used in payment for goods. When the coin was accepted in the foreign market, the merchant would examine the coin and impress a counter stamp on the coin proclaiming the coin to be genuine based on their examination. Although coins were counter stamped in many areas of the world, it was prevalent in China where the coins were stamped with the Chinese characters representing the person who examined the coin. These Chinese symbols are commonly referred to as “chop marks.”
One type of counter stamped coins are stickered coins. Stickered coins were popular in the first half of the 20th century; they were used as an advertisement. Merchants would purchase stickers and apply them to their change so that as the coins circulated, the advertising would reach more people. Some stickered coins acted as a coupon to entice the holder to bring the coin into the shop and buy the merchandise.
Remember the saying, “Don’t take any wooden nickels?” If you are a wooden money collector, you want to find the wooden nickels and other wooden denominations. Wooden nickels found popularity in the 1930s as a currency replacement to offer money off for purchases or as advertisement. Wooden nickels are still being produced today mostly as an advertising mechanism.
We cannot end the discussion of exonumia without mentioning Love Tokens and Hobo Nickels. Love Tokens became popular in the late 19th century when someone, usually a man, would carve one side of a coin, turn it into a charm for a bracelet or necklace, and give it to his loved one. The designed are as varied as the artists who created them. Hobo Nickels are similar in that hobo artists would carve a design into a Buffalo Nickel to sell them as souvenirs. While there are contemporary Love Tokens and Hobo Nickels, collectors have an affection for the classic design that shows the emotion of the period.
Currency collecting, formally called notaphily, is the study and collection of banknotes or legally authorized paper money. Notes can be collected by topic, date or time period, country, paper type, serial number, and even replacement or Star Notes (specific to the United States). Some consider collecting checks part of notaphily. Collectors of older cancelled checks are usually interested in collecting them based on the issuing bank, time period, and the signature. For the history of currency and their collecting possibilities, see my previous article, “History of Currency and Collecting”.
Scripophily is the study and collection of stock and bond certificates. This is an interesting subset of numismatics because of the wide variety of items to collect. You can collect in the category of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, cumulative preferred stocks, bonds, zero-coupon bonds, and long term bonds. Scripophily can be collected by industry (telecom, automobile, aviation, etc.); autographs of the officers; or the type of vignettes that appear on the bonds.
Militaria: Honorable Collectibles
Collecting of military-related items may be considered part of exonumia but deserves its own mention. It is popular to collect military medals and awards given to members since the medals themselves are works of art. Families will save medals awarded to relatives and even create museum-like displays to honor or memorialize the loved one.
Militaria includes numismatic-related items that represent the various services. One of the growing areas of collectibles is Challenge Coins. A challenge coin is a small medal, usually no larger than 2-inches in diameter, with the insignia or emblem of the organization. Two-sided challenge coins may have the emblem of the service on the front and the back has the emblem of the division or other representative service. Challenge coins are traditionally given by a commander in recognition of special achievement or can be exchange as recognition for visiting an organization.
Over the last few years, civilian government agencies and non-government organizations (NGO) have started to create and issue challenge coins. Most of those agencies have ties to the military, but not all. Like their military counterparts, a manager or director can give challenge coins in recognition of special achievement or for visiting an organization.
Another area of military collectibles is Military Payment Certificates (MPC). MPC was a form of currency that was used to pay military personnel in foreign countries. MPC were first issued to troops in Europe after World War II in 1946 to provide a stable currency to help with commerce. MPC evolve from Allied Military Currency (AMC) to control the amounts of U.S. dollars circulating in the war zone and to prevent enemy forces from capturing dollars for their own gain. Prior to World War II, troops were paid in the currency of the country where they were based. With the ever moving fronts and the allies need to control the economies to defeat the Axis powers, AMC was issued to allow the military to control their value.
After the war, MPC replaced APC in order to control the currency and prevent the locals from hoarding U.S. dollars preventing the building of their own economies. When military officials discovered that too many notes were in the circulation, being hoarded, and thriving on the black market, series were demonetized and reissued to military personnel. Those holding MPC notes not in the military received nothing and were encouraged to circulate their own currency.
MPC were printed using lithography in various colors that changed for each series. From the end of World War II to the end of the Vietnam War there were 15 series printed with only 13 issued. Although the two unissued series were destroyed, some examples have been found in the collections of those involved with the MPC system. Amongst the 13 series that were issues, there are 94 recognized notes available for collectors. Most notes are very affordable and accessible to the interested collector.
Jan 18, 2012 | medals
While working on the second part to “How Are Coins Priced,” I wanted to let my readers know that not only am I still here, but still collecting. How can I stop? There are so many interesting things out there that even as I try to decide how to cut back, I am having a difficult time determining what to sell and keep!
But I found two keepers: challenge coins.
Officially, I am not a collector of challenge coins but have a few that were given to me as part of my work. The first one I received was from US-VISIT after giving a talk about privacy concerns to their employees. It was a great and unexpected gesture and the collector side of me appreciated receiving the challenge coin.
Last year, I participated in a company-internal conference on information security. My presentation discussed different aspect of web tracking technologies. It was based on research I performed for one of our clients trying to understand what was being said in the technical media so they could set policies to assure the public that the government was not tracking them. Although many of the technologies were known by my colleagues, it was one of the few times many of them have seen it discussed on one place. My talk was well received. Recently, the department that sponsored the conference sent certificates of appreciation and included a challenge coin in the envelope (pictured here). Because of my hobby, I was happier to receive the challenge coin than the certificate!
A few months ago I purchased the next challenge coin from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) European Field Office. I have not worked with NCIS nor have been investigated by them, but with the popularity of the show on CBS and the flags on the reverse, I thought it was an interesting coin. After trying to find out more information about the coin, I spoke with an NCIS investigator who worked in the Europe and Africa Field Office. I was told that the challenge coin was at least 15 years old since it has been that long since the NCIS reorganized offices and combined Europe and Africa into one office. My contact said that the reverse of the challenge coin was redesigned to remove the flags—which at the time represented where the support offices were located with the main field office in Italy. I learned a lot about NCIS from this person that does not make the television show that in their honor, I will add this challenge coin to my collection.
When I started working for this company 11 years ago, I did not think that one of the perks would be adding to my collection in this manner. Since I plan to continue to work there for a while, I hope to be honored to receive more challenge coins.
May 2, 2011 | commemorative, medals, news
We learned from President Barack Obama that the Joint Special Operations Command found Osama Bin Laden in a compound outside of Islamabad, Pakistan and killed him during a raid. A grateful nation thanks the members of JSOC for your successful operation and we are glad that none of your members were injured in the process.
With the death of Osama Bin Laden nearly ten years after the attacks on September 11, 2001, we should remember all of those that died in those attacks on U.S. soil at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We should also honor the sacrifices made by the members of the United States military and their families who gave of themselves and lives in the war on terrorism.
As numismatists, we can show our support in many ways. One way is to remember that later this year, the U.S. Mint will issue a silver commemorative medal whose surcharge of $10 per medal will be paid to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center to support the operations and maintenance. The bill, National September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act of 2010, was signed into law on August 6, 2010 (Public Law No. 111-221 [Text] [PDF]) authorizes the production of 2 million one-ounce proof silver medals.
According to the law, the “design of the medals struck under this Act shall be emblematic of the courage, sacrifice, and strength of those individuals who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the bravery of those who risked their lives to save others that day, and the endurance, resilience, and hope of those who survived.” Each medal must include the inscription of the years “2001-2011” and “Always Remember.” Medals can only be struck at the U.S. Mint facility at West Point and at Philadelphia.
At last report, the images in this post are those that have been recommended by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. The U.S. Mint has not announced the whether they accepted the recommendations or when the medals will be available for purchase. Although I am not a medal collector, this is one medal I will purchase!
As for my feelings, I think the great jurist Clarence Darrow summed it up best: “I never wanted to see anybody die, but there are a few obituary notices I have read with pleasure.”
Mar 4, 2011 | books, medals, review
It is difficult to live in the Washington, DC area without being interested in politics. Some statistics have shown that 60-65 percent of all people either work for the Federal Government, a contractor to the federal government, or working in a job that supports the people, contractors, and governments. For those of us whose daily habits includes watching cable news, the Sunday morning shows, and reads Politico on a daily basis, it should be no surprise that a coin collector would be interested in political exonumia.
So I was ordering CDs from Krause Publishing and found myself short of the $49 needed for free shipping. While looking for something interesting to fill out the order, I found Warman’s Political Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide. I did not know why this was with their numismatics books, but it looked interesting and added it to my order. Satisfied my order would ship for free, I placed my order.
When it arrived, I flipped through the color pages and glanced at a number of interesting pages, but did not think twice. It was interesting but I had other things to do. This past weekend, I picked up the book and from Chapter 1, I found why this book would be of interest to exonumia collectors: “Medals, ‘Coins,’ Badges, & Plaques.” It is an entire chapter on tokens, medals, woods, and ribbons of politics from years past.
For most of the 19th Century through the early 20th Century, it was common to see medals and ribbons on the campaign trail. Hard Times Tokens with pithy statements on the political issue of the day were as common as money was not. Many of the medals shown in the book have holes so that they can be worn as jewelry. And the book shows quite a few ribbons that are real interesting and had me looking at the archives of online auctions to see who has listed these items.
Warman’s Political Collectibles is a full-color book printed on heavy glossy paper. The images are fantastic and the information appears to be solid. While the price ranges are based on the author’s research at the time the book was published (2004), there should not be a big difference between the published prices and what you should expect to spend today.
It would be impossible to catalog every political collectible that ever existed, but this book highlights some of the more interesting items and potential prices ranges for each. The one chapter about political exonumia was a pleasant surprise and worth purchasing if you have an interest in political collectibles.
Cover image complements of Krause Publications.
Feb 8, 2011 | medals, video
Super Bowl XLV is now history. The Champion Green Bay Packers are taking to Lambeau Field for a celebration with their fans. But as a numismatist, I was left with questions: Who made the “coin” used for the coin toss and what happens to it after the game?
Finding out who made the coin was easy. The Highland Mint of Melbourne, Florida designed and struck the official coin. This is the 20th consecutive Super Bowl that has used a coin specially produced by The Highland Mint. Of course The Highland Mint is selling numbered replicas of the coin with Certificates of Authenticity. In fact, the following video shows them making the coin including the gentleman near the end punching the numbers into the metal:
But where does the coin that newly elected Hall of Fame player Dieon Sanders tossed before the game go after the game? According to the NFL, the coin is taken to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They have the coins used to open every Super Bowl.
Oct 15, 2010 | CFA, coin design, medals, national park quarters
If you are going to be in Washington, DC on October 21, you can attend the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts meeting. The meeting starts at 9:00 A.M. in Suite 312 of the National Building Museum: 401 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2728. The CFA is the third leg of the coin design system that includes the U.S. Mint’s engravers and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
On the is their review for the final designs for:
- New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal to honor: Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, and John H. Glenn, Jr. The design will be for the gold medal that will be presented and the bronze duplicates that will be sold by the U.S. Mint.
- Design for the Congressional Gold Medal to be presented to Arnold Palmer and the bronze duplicates.
- Reverse designs of the 2012 America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Program. In 2012, the program will honor Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Maine, Hawaii, and Alaska.
The CFA was formed in 1910 to advise the government on the architectural development in Washington. While most of its work is on architectural development, the CFA is also involved in the designs of statues and memorials around Washington—except for the Capitol building and Library of Congress which is controlled by the Arcitect of the Capitol. Their review of coin designs are the only matters not related to the architectural development.
Mar 10, 2010 | CCAC, medals
Over the last week, it was announced that Heidi Wastweet of Seattle, Washington was appointed to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee as a specialist in medallic sculpture. Wastweet is an accomplished artist whose credits include the design of many medals, the founder of the Seattle Sculpture Guild, and a member of FIDEM.
There have been other articles about Wastweet’s biography. I want to focus on her work. To visit her website gallery it is clear that she can be best described as an awesome artist! From bonze sculptures to commissioned medals, I click on every image and am just in awe of her work. Wastweet created a fantasy piece of what could be my favorite allegedly non-coin, the 1964-D Peace Dollar (seen here).
Of Wastweet’s sculptures, I was most intrigued by the her “Tribute to Auguste Rodin,” a study of Rodin’s Gates of Hell created for a private collector. Having only read about Rodin’s sculpture in Paris, I am intrigued by her work and the imagery that Wastweet used to create her work.
After visiting her virtual gallery with mouth agape, I can only say that Wastweet may be on the wrong side of the table. Maybe she should be creating the artwork instead of judging them. I see Wastweet’s addition as a good move for the CCAC and hope she can provide valuable input to the designs of US coins.
Mar 1, 2010 | Canada, history, medals
Tonight, I watched the last medal event of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I love hockey and being a crass American, I was rooting for Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres), Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils), and Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) to lead the USA team to the gold. There was also Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators) of the Suter family that seemed to dominate the NHL in the 1980s and into the 1990s whose dad, Bob, played for the 1980 Miracle on Ice team in Lake Placid. But Team Canada played well and won the gold when the Pittsburgh Penguin’s Sidney Crosby shot it past Ryan Miller for the game winning goal in overtime. It was a thrilling game and fitting for the Olympic Hockey finals.
Hockey is to Canada as basketball is to the United States. Hockey was invented in Canada and they consider it their birthright to win. In the United States we had that same feeling about basketball. Those of us who were around for the 1972 Munich clock controversy remembers how it felt when the Soviet Union was given the break to win the game. The US Basketball Federation protested the game to FIBA, international basketball’s governing body. The protest was denied when the representatives from the communist nations out voted the non-communist nations 3-2.
As much as the Olympic committee wants to keep politics out of the games it will play a role as long as the athletes wear country designations. The 1972 Munich summer games included the killing 17 members of the Israeli Olympic team by Palestinian terrorists. Israel withdrew its remaining members while the Soviet Union, most of the eastern bloc under the control of the Soviet Union, North Korea, and ten Arab nations refused to allow their flags to fly at half-staff for the rest of the games. With the Cold War becoming its chilliest, the loss in basketball was not only a national tragedy but fueled a nationwide hatred against the Soviets.
This is not to say hockey does not have its place in the United States. We celebrate the 1980 Miracle on Ice when the United States sent true amateurs against the world, especially those countries from the eastern bloc whose players were technically in the army but played hockey all of the time. The Soviet Union were the prohibitive favorites but hated by Americans for being professionals and for being Soviets. There was a lot of Cold War hatred between the countries. But nobody gave the U.S. team a chance except for Coach Herb Brooks. That 4-3 win against the Soviet team continues to raise emotion not only because how the team won, but for the political attitudes at the time. Democracy and fair play prevailed over the communists and cheaters. Even USA Basketball took great pride in watching the hockey team stick it to the Soviets.
What people forget is that the game against the Soviets was not the gold medal game. The US team had to play one more game against Finland in order to win the gold. It was a tight game which the US won 4-2 allowing the US to stand atop of the hockey medal stand. One of my memories was that after the game Ken Morrow joined the roster of the New York Islanders (my favorite team) and won a Stanley Cup making him the first player to win a gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year.
We should not forget about what is being called the Forgotten Miracle of the 1960 US Hockey team. The winter games that were held in Squaw Valley, California featured the powerhouse Soviet team and the Canadians who were also considered favorites for a gold or a silver medal. But the US team of “nobodys” beat Sweden, Germany, Canada, Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia in the round-robin series to be the only undefeated team in the final round. The team celebrated while the news made front page news but the celebration did not rise to the levels of the 1980 team. While the Cold War was ongoing, it was ongoing (remember Duck and Cover?) it was not considered at the same level as in 1980. The level of rhetoric had not started to climb. Tensions would begin to increase in October 1960 when Soviet Union Prime Minister Nikita Khruschev banged his shoe on a table in protest during a meeting at the United Nations while denouncing “American Imperialism.” This was two years before the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The actual medals that the Olympians receive are the physical reward for winning. In years past medals used to made of the metal they represented (e.g., the gold medal was made of gold), nowadays the price to create solid gold, silver, and bronze medals are prohibitive. Medals are made of less expensive alloys with plating of the precious metal. Although Royal Canadian Mint does not publish the makeup of the metals on their website, the fact that they are the largest and heaviest medals ever produced allows us to make a logical assumption that the medals are made of base metals plated with the precious metals. Regardless, the medals created by the RCM are the most uniqued in the history of the Olympic games. The wavy medals feature a unique design where no two are alike that are based on four designs that are imprinted randomly on each medal. While the medals received by the 1960 and 1980 hockey teams can be considered traditional in their design, the 2010 medals have a unique artistic quality that will make them memorable for years to come.
In the future, the 2010 US Hockey team will be prouder of their silver medal accomplishment than they feel tonight. But tonight belongs to the Canadians. They played a good game and deserve their gold medals.
Congratulations also goes to Vancouver, the province of British Columbia, and the people of Canada for helping make these two weeks one of the most memorable in Olympic history.
P.S., I love visiting the west coast of Canada. If you can go to Vancouver and even Vancouver Island (take the ferry, it’s a great trip), it will be a very enjoyable vacation. I look forward to my next visit!
Oct 25, 2009 | medals
I had the opportunity to give a talk on privacy issues to the wonderful people at United States Visitor & Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program. US-VISIT is part of the Department of Homeland Security that provides visa-issuing posts and ports of entry with the biometric technology that enables the U.S. government to establish and verify your identity when you visit the United States. In short, US-VISIT are a dedicated group of people trying to do a difficult job to help make the U.S. safer.
After spending an hour discussing privacy from a different perspective, the manager of the group sponsoring my talk handed me a token of their appreciation. The token is a Challenge Coin made specially for US-VISIT.
This beautiful challenge coin is 42mm in diameter with US-VIST logo on the obverse where the agency name is enameled in blue and red. The reverse is a great interpretation of the of the Department of Homeland Security’s logo. I was handed the challenge coin in a ringed Air-Tite holder.
The manager told me that US-VISIT restricts the distribution of these challenge coins. They are given to visitors and dignitaries as a sign of appreciation. US-VISIT also gives them to retirees. Very few have been made and even fewer have been distributed.
It was an honor to talk about privacy issues to the members of the US-VISIT program and it is really an honor to have received one of their Challenge Coins. I appreciate both opportunities.
Apr 11, 2009 | legislative, medals
Last week, I caught up with the commemorative legislation that has been submitted for consideration. This week, with congress on their spring break, I want to run down the Gold Medals that congress proposes to award.
The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is the highest and most distinguished civilian award in the United States. Since first awarding the Gold Medal of Honor to General George Washington in 1776, there have been over 250 recipients, both individuals and groups. There have been two two-time winners: Major General Winfield Scott and John Horn, Jr.; and three-time winner Major General Zachary Taylor.
In order to award the Congressional Gold Medal, a member has to introduce a bill to gain congress’s consent. The introduction to the bill, what I call the “where as” section, describes why the person or group is deserving of the honor. Included in the bill is an authorization to the US Mint to strike bronze duplicates of the medal. Similarly, the design of the medal must go through the same design approval process as coins, involving the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
Before one of these bills to be considered, the House Committee on Financial Services requires that Gold Medal legislation be co-sponsored by 75-percent of the members, the same as for commemorative coins. Currently none of the legislation that has been introduces has reached that threshold. As with commemorative legislation, there are no similar rules in the Senate.
Unlike bills for commemorative coins, proceeds from the sale of the duplicate bronze medals are paid into the US Mint Public Enterprise Fund where all seignorage from the US Mint is deposited. These bills also allow the Mint to withdraw funds to support the design and creation of the gold medal and bronze duplicates.
Here is a list of the legislation introduced to award the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in the 111th congress:
H.R. 289: To authorize the President to posthumously award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to the seven members of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia in recognition of their outstanding and enduring contributions to the Nation. Introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) on January 8, 2009, with no current co-sponsors.
H.R. 304: To award a congressional gold medal to Joseph Barnett Kirsner, M.D., Ph.D., in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the Nation. Introduced by Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL) on January 8, 2009, with one co-sponsor.
H.R. 347: To grant the congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Introduced by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-CA) on January 8, 2009, currently with 225 co-sponsors.
H.R. 406: To award a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of Alice Paul’s role in the women’s suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Introduced by Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) on January 9, 2009, currently with 107 co-sponsors.
H.R. 1235: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Ray Charles in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation. Introduced by Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) on February 26, 2009. This bill currently has no co-sponsors.
H.R. 1243: To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Arnold Palmer in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship in golf. Introduced by Rep. Joe Baca (R-CA) on March 2, 2009. With 302 co-sponsors, this is short of the 324 to be placed on the committee’s calendar.
H.R. 1244: To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to Tiger Woods, in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship, and in breaking barriers with grace and dignity by showing that golf is a sport for all people. Apparently, Rep. Joe Baca (R-CA) is a golf fan because he introduced this bill on March 2, 2009, right after he introduced H.R. 1243 (see above). There are currently no co-sponsors for this bill.
H.R. 1278: To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Shirley Chisholm. Introduced by Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) on March 3, 2009. Rangel represents New York’s 15th District that includes all of upper Manhattan and is very identified with the Harlem community. This bill has no co-sponsors.
H.R. 1484: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Arthur Schneier in recognition of his pioneering role in promoting religious freedom and human rights throughout the world, for close to half a century. Introduced by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) on March 12, 2009. Maloney represents New York’s 14th District where Rabbi Schneier is the spiritual leader of the Park East Synagogue.
S. 614: A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (“WASP”). Introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) on March 17, 2009. This bill currently has 35 co-sponsors.
S. 768: A bill to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the soldiers from the United States who were prisoners of war at Bataan during World War II. Introduced by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) on April 1, 2009, with 7 co-sponsors.
Just like commemorative coins bills, all bills introduced in the House of Representatives have been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. Those introduced in the Senate are referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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