Posted on 12/14/2005 5:04:09 AM PST by billorites
WASHINGTON (AP) -- New dollar coins featuring all 37 of the nation's dead presidents will begin rolling out of the U.S. Mint in 2007 under a bill Congress is sending to President Bush.
Lawmakers hope the coins - and an accompanying $10 gold piece for collectors featuring former first ladies - will be a big money raiser for the government like the 50-state quarter program. They also hope the dollar pieces will rev up interest in the Sacagawea dollars, which have been little-used.
The quarter program had raked in roughly $4 billion in revenues by its midpoint, said Becky Bailey, a U.S. Mint spokeswoman.
"The dollar coin is a valuable educational tool - much like the 50-state quarter series - that will help inspire interest in the history of the leaders of our country," Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., the sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement. It passed the House 291-113.
The front of the coins would depict former presidents, but not those who are living or have been dead for less than two years, and the backs would show the Statue of Liberty. Four coins a year would be issued, beginning in 2007, in the presidents' order of service. The treasury secretary would have authority over the designs.
As of now, there would be 38 coins issued for the 37 presidents - Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms and would be on two coins.
The bill also would create a companion gold bullion coin program bearing images of former first ladies and emblems of their causes on $10 coins. Companion coins for those presidents who had no spouse would show images of liberty and themes of the presidents' tenures. The coins would be 99.99 percent pure gold.
The Sacagawea coin, named for the Indian woman who helped Meriwether Lewis and William Clark find their way to the Pacific Ocean, was introduced in 2000 but never caught on with the public. One-third of dollar coins issued would still be Sacagawea golden dollars.
Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., who was a main advocate of the 50-state quarter program, sponsored similar legislation in the House that passed in April but did not include the one-third requirement.
"I find that to be very cumbersome," said Castle, who still supported the Senate bill. "We made allowances for returning" to issuing Sacagawea coins after the presidential program ends.
North Dakota's delegation, Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Democratic Rep. Earl Pomeroy, was concerned the presidents would replace Sacagawea, who is considered by many to be North Dakotan. The senators came on board only when the one-third requirement was included as a compromise.
The bill, which passed the Senate last month by voice vote, requires the Federal Reserve System and treasury secretary to consult with vending machine operators, transit officials and car wash operators, among others, to make sure the coin is easily distributed.
Well that is kind of cool
I just wish Reagan was on one but with that two year requirement i am not sure if that will happen.
i have all the state quarters released thus far yes i know i am a geek
Once again the Senate is busy on the CRITICAL issues of our time..
And Frist doesn't have time for tax relief, Alito, etc.
Is Bill Clinton going to be on the two dollar or three dollar bill?
Either way, won't be able to stop him from humping the Susan B. Anthony coin.
Our paper, The Virginian Pilot, (a fourth rate editorial staff apparently still in high school judging from its writing) leads the story thus:
"Sacagawea, make room for dead presidents"
No agenda there, no siree. What a stupid headline.
If Ronaldus Maximus were on the dollar coin, I would use it. Chances are, the clowns who brought us the Susan B. Anthony flop will opt for LBJ instead. Clueless.
Although I like the idea of getting a little creative with the currency, I hate the idea that we're going to "honor" each and every past president. Why do we have to treat them all equally? They are not all worthy of such honor. To me, it diminishes the honor to put Reagan on the same plateau as, say, William Henry Harrison.
But then again, I'm a crank.
Jefferson is already on the two
His coin will be of tin with little horns on the edge.
I doubt the $10 gold coin will retail for $10. Ten bucks of gold is not very big.
This gives Bill a dilemma- how badly does he want to get on that coin?
It's like a $38 tax on collectors.... :-)
They have an almost even number of Republicans and Democrats. A couple of Presidents are hard to assign--Tyler was elected as a Whig Vice President but was more of a Democrat, and Andrew Johnson was elected with Lincoln in 1864 but was more of a Democrat.
Other Democrats: Jackson, Van Buren, Polk, Pierce, Buchanan, Cleveland (twice), Wilson, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ.
Republicans: Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, B. Harrison, McKinley, T. Roosevelt, Taft, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan.
This would be fine if they could be just a bit larger in diameter or thicker so folks won't mistake them for quarters.
Sure Reagan would get a coin, they're doing four presidents a year not all at once, we'd see his in like 2015 or so.
Man there's a dilemma for Bill Clinton, huh -- how badly does he want to be memorialized in a coin. Well he has like eleven years (or would it be nine) to think about it.
oops
Cool i would love to get some Reagan coins then give them to Liberals at Christmas he he
Hillary on a coin! Avert your eyes!!
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