In 2005, during the 109th Congress, bills were introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate that called for a large commemorative silver dollar program that would have stretched 14 years! The program was proposed in the National Parks Anniversaries-Great American Spaces Commemorative Coin Act.
The bill was first introduced in the House by Representative Don Young (R-AK) on behalf of himself and Peter King (R-NY), Carolyn Bosher Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Cannon (R-UT) in February 2005; it was immediately referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, and then to its Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.
The preamble to the bill outlined factors driving the commemorative coin proposal:
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The National Park Foundation 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 National Park and Yosemite National Park, and to manage battlefields such as Gettysburg National Military Park 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 descendants than it is for us''.
(6) National Parks established under the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, such as Grand Canyon National Park and Devils Tower National Monument, are the embodiment of that ideal.The bill called for the issuing of 11 silver dollars between 2007 and 2020 to commemorate a milestone anniversary to be celebrated by the US' earliest Nationals Parks/Monuments/Military Parks/Memorials. For each, 300,000 silver dollars of standard specifications were to be issued, with Proof and Uncirculated versions to be produced (one Mint per finish).
The sties to be commemorated:
Year 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 design for each coin was to " be emblematic of the National Park being commemorated on each coin" and developed in consultation with the National Park Foundation (NPF). The sales price of each coin was to include a surcharge of $10, with 50% of collected surcharges to be given to the NPF for its use in supporting all National Parks, and 50% going to the NPF to be used to benefit the specific Parks/Sites listed in the Act.
With 11 designs and 22 total coins, the program would have rivaled the 1995-96 Atlanta Olympics Commemorative Coin Program which featured 16 designs - across three denominations - and 32 total coins.
Related bills were introduced in the Senate in April and September; they were referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
None of the bills was reported by its respective Committee and thus was never considered/acted upon.
Note: The centennial of the National Park Service (2016) was included on this bill's list. Though it did not gain a coin here, it did later receive a standalone three-coin commemorative program to mark its milestone anniversary.For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories from the Classic and Modern eras, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 06/14/2023 1:41 pm
