March 2019 Numismatic Legislation Review
When it comes to numismatic-related legislation, proposing commemorative coin programs can look like a pastime to the members of Congress. At the prompting of constituent groups, members will submit bills that have everyone excited but does not deliver on its promise.
For now, the only commemorative coin program that has become law is the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
In March, members of Congress have introduced bills to create five more commemorative coin programs. All have merit but the reality is that most of these bills will not pass Congress.
For the 116th Congress, there have been 16 numismatic-related bills submitted covering 13 different commemoratives (some are introduced in both the House and Senate to increase its chance of passage). One bill, Route 66 Centennial Commission Act (H.R. 66), was added to the watch list because the bill recommends a possible commemorative coin for the celebration.
Maybe there will be something more exciting to report next month.
S. 639: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
H.R. 1805: To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
H.R. 1830: To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
H.R. 1865: To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin in commemoration of the opening of the National Law Enforcement Museum in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1923: To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue quarter dollars in commemoration of the Nineteenth Amendment, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1982: To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition and celebration of the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Wanna Be On Television?
On the Coin Collecting News Blog, A.C. Dwyer wrote that he received an email from ABC-TV looking for a families who are coin collectors to be involved with the show Wife Swap. Read the note here.
If you decide to apply and mention me and I will share the referral fee with A.C. Also, let’s talk after the show and I will post our discussion to extend your fifteen minutes of fame!
Presidential Dollar Tour
Last week, the US Mint announced that they will be traveling to ten cities to promote the Presidential $1 Coin program. This is the announcement that I wrote about earlier about the program being held in Houston and Chicago. The ten announced tour dates were announced as follows:
- Chicago, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 24: Thompson Center, Noon – 3 p.m., 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601
- Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 24, The Galleria, 1-4 p.m., 5085 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77056
- Detroit, Mich. Thursday, Jan. 25, Compuware Corporation, Noon – 3 p.m., One Campus Martius, Detroit, MI 48226
- Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 25, NorthPark Center, 1-4 p.m., 8687 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75225
- Boston, Mass., Monday, Jan. 29, The Hall at Paris,1-3 p.m., Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Quincy Market Building, 2nd Floor,Boston, MA 02110
- Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday, Jan. 29, Westfield Citrus Park, 1-5 p.m., 8021 Citrus Park Town Center Mall,Tampa, FL 33625
- Hartford, Conn., Tuesday, Jan. 30, Westfield Meriden, 1-4 p.m., 470 Lewis Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451
- Atlanta, Ga.,Wed, Jan. 31,Underground Atlanta, 1-4 p.m., 50 Upper Alabama Street, Ste 007, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Pittsburgh, Pa., Thursday, Feb. 1, Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, 1-3 p.m., 590 Pittsburgh Mills Cir., Tarentum, PA 15084
- Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Feb. 2, South Park Mall, 1-5 p.m., 4400 Sharon Road,Charlotte, NC 28211
Little Rock Central High Commem Design
Last week, the US Mint presented the design for the Little Rock Central High School Desegregation Silver Dollar. The coin commemorates the first challenge by a state to the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Topeka, Kansas Board of Education ordering the desegregation of public schools. The nine students at the center of the showdown at Little Rock Central High School is being honored on this commemorative.
The obverse “features a simple, yet powerful design depicting students, accompanied by an armed United States soldier, walking to school.’ The soldier was a member of the 101st Airborne Division. The “Screaming Eagles” was called in by President Dwight Eisenhower to protect the students when Governor Orval Faubus refused to allow the Arkansas National Guard to provide protection in defiance of the federal order. The obverse design includes nine stars representing the nine students known as the Little Rock Nine trying to attend Central High School.
The reverse depicts the Little Rock Central High School as it looked in 1957. Little Rock Central High School was designated a National Historic Site in 1998 and continues to operate as a high school in the Little Rock public school system.
The obverse of this coin was designed by Richard Masters, a Master Designer with the Artistic Infusion Program. US Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers sculpted the design. The reverse was designed and sculpted by US Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart. It is a powerful design that is fitting for this anniversary. It may be one of the few commemoratives I may buy.
Images are from the United State Mint. Click any image to enlarge.
Houston and Chicago To See New $1 Coin First
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Federal Reserve is set to distribute the first coin of the Presidential $1 Coin Program featuring George Washington in Houston and Chicago. As part of the initiation of the program, George Washington reenactor Carl Closs will visit a Houston elementary school to introduce the coin and George Washington to the students.
The image is from the Houston Chronicle and is an example of the real coin.
American Banknote Company Archive Auction Sale
An area of numismatics that some find interesting is scripophily and notaphily. Scripophily is the collection of study of stock and bond certificates. Notaphilly is the collection of paper money or bank notes. Checks, while commonly classified as scripophilly is actually a part of notaphilly. Both areas spotlight the beauty of the engraving and the originality of the vignettes that adorn these paper items.
Just like other areas of numismatics, there is no “correct way” to collect scripophilly. Collectors look for items based on theme, age, historical significance, signatures, printer of the paper, paper quality, type of engraving, the beauty of the engraving, and so on. Themes can be developed for any collector to appreciate. For example, I own examples of the Monopoly railroad stock set. Other popular themes are automobile companies, high tech companies, popular food service companies, beverage companies, and more.
I was introduced to other areas of notaphilly when someone gave me US Military payment certificates (MPC) that would be used in the on-base post exchanges (PX). While historically interesting, I was intrigued by seeing a check signed by then New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt to pay a bill from an Albany-area merchant.
A common theme of these paper examples were the use of fine engraving to better secure the documents. The fine engraving attempted to discourage hand copying and be too fine for the evolving technology of photography from being able to image this paper. The idea was why create mundane designs when they can be made beautiful. This resulted in people wanting to collect these items for their beauty, history, and the function they represent.
The American Banknote Company is this country’s oldest security printing company. Tracing its history back over 200 years, ABN produced the country’s first postage stamp, US and world banknotes, and stock certificates for many companies. Some of the most beautiful and interesting security printing was created by ABN. ABN has maintained an archive of the items they have printed over the years. Now with the advent of new technologies, including digital printing services, ABN has been selling its archive in public auctions.
This week, H.R. Harmer, the auctioneer who sold Franklin D. Roosevelt’s stamp collection, announced they will be auctioning the final lots from the ABN archive. The auction will consist of over 1,400 lots of stock certificates and samples from world bank notes that will include examples from many well know companies.
The auction will be held January 31, February 1 and 2 in West Caldwell, New Jersey and as a live auction on eBay. You can view the items for auction on eBay or via H.R. Harmer’s catalog website. This should be fun!
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