Modern Commems Honor Current Events
U.S. commemoratives have long celebrated the past, but new proposals may mark a shift toward coins reflecting current events.
Commemorative coins can be struck for circulation and collectors. Non-circulating legal tender commemoratives tend to attract a different group of collectors than those meant to circulate. These two entities have different functions: the first is to strictly mark an event or a person, and the latter has propaganda value as well; if there is a message it is meant to generate.
The one thing that U.S. commemorative coins have in common is that they recognize people and events from the past. None of them addresses the present. This mindset may be changing. At the moment this commentary is being written, there are two proposals for commemoratives that address current events. The first is the recent assassination of political activist and media personality Charlie Kirk. HR 5580, through which a commemorative silver dollar would be issued, has 22 House of Representatives cosponsors.
The second is more controversial: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence silver dollar. Although the signing of the Declaration may not be a current event, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach has unveiled a design with current U.S. President Donald J. Trump as the major design element. At the time this is being written, there is no congressional proposal for this coin. Congress is supposed to approve it, not the Treasury.
Technically, it is illegal to put a living person on U.S. currency. There have been several instances of this law being ignored in the past. Should the current president appear on such a coin, his image would be the current event that overshadows the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration. Whether either of these coins becomes a reality or not, it appears we may finally be looking at current rather than past events as coinage subjects.
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