Q. David Bowers
Commemoratives of Modern Times
Collectors came to believe that commemoratives might never be issued again. The very nature of commemorative coins was controversial, and there was no wide-spread congressional support for them. Coins for the observation of the American Bicentennial, consisting of quarters, half dollars, and dollars dated 1776-1976, were produced in large quantities, plus some smaller numbers in special format for collectors, but these are not generally considered commemoratives, as nearly all of the pieces were intended to be placed into circulation for face value. (Somewhat related is the situation of the 1932 Washington quarter dollars, originally considered as commemoratives but eventually released as regular issues.)
New commemoratives were not produced until 1982, when a half dollar was struck to observe the 250th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. By this time Donna Pope had been named to the office of Mint director. Unlike the majority of her recent predecessors, Mrs. Pope viewed collectors as friends, not nuisances or enemies. Under her administration the Bureau of the Mint (later renamed the U.S. Mint) established a fine rapport with the numismatic community. Eventually this brought millions of dollars to Treasury coffers in one of the few government programs to bring a consistent profit to tax-payers. Still, few in Congress were willing to credit the Mint for the remarkably fine job it did. Mint-baiting, it seems, has always been a popular pastime for congressional committees.
Since 1982 the government has issued copper-nickel clad alloy, silver, and gold commemoratives to observe the 1984 Olympic games, the centennial of the Statue of Liberty, and other anniversaries. Modem commemoratives have been fodder for the printing presses of Numismatic News and Coin World and have provided collectors with the possibility of reading a running commentary from the inception of a program idea, to the designs of the coins, to their final distribution.
Although there were hints of a scandal involving at first the method of distribution and later the use of funds from the 1984 Olympic coins (these problems had nothing to do with the Bureau of the Mint), other modem issues have been produced without significant controversy regarding financial aspects or ethics. However, comments pro and con concerning the designs have been plentiful.
The Mint Organization Whereas at the turn of the 20th century the artists on the Mint engraving staff (comprising Charles E. Barber, George T. Morgan, and others) could do mostly as they pleased, without suggestions or interference from the outside except on a few occasions, by the 1980s the situation was vastly different. Members of Congress, especially those on committees discussing or authorizing coinage, often took strong positions on coinage designs and Mint practices. The secretary of the Treasury had his own opinions and often made the final choice of designs to be chosen for coinage. Members of the Commission of Fine Arts (which as a body had acted in an advisory capacity on coin designs since 1915) reviewed suggested motifs and offered comments, often quite negative.
The Mint itself had developed into a large organization by this time. Policy for the various coining mints (Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point) was made at headquarters in Washington, where marketing plans for commemoratives were finalized as were selections for coin designs. The director of the Mint (in recent years Donna Pope) and her staff drew upon their experience and personal preferences to make comments on various aspects of coin designs. Often competitions were staged, and up to a dozen or more artists submitted ideas for commemorative motifs for a typical program consisting of just one, two, or three coin denominations. Of the many ideas submitted, only a few were needed, and only a few were chosen. Naturally, there were many disappointed contestants, not to overlook the feelings of those on the Mint staff when the work of outside artists received high acclaim.
All of this produced an atmosphere that often engendered controversy. During the course of interviews with Mint personnel past and present, and in the reading of commentaries printed in numismatic periodicals, it became dramatically evident that the typical employee of the Engraving Department at the Mint felt that he or she had too many bosses. There was no single person to whom to answer. Rather, many people and organizations got into the act. The typical commemorative design, even in its final stages, was apt to be reviewed and criticized by members of Congress, the director of the Mint, members of the Commission of Fine Arts, representatives of special interests who had promoted the original legislation in Congress, staff members at Mint Headquarters in Washington, and others including the secretary of the Treasury, who made the final choice of designs to be chosen for coinage.
This system was very difficult for certain artists to work under, and several talented individuals who were formerly with the Engraving Department of the Mint told me that this was among the reasons for their leaving. At the same time, Mint Director Donna Pope had her hands full trying to manage the mints at widely separated locations, trying to meet deadlines (often given by Congress at unrealistically short notice) for new commemorative programs, and trying to please her own set of bosses (including the secretary of the Treasury and Congress) and, in the outside world, millions of coin collectors, readers of numismatic periodicals, and more. The situation has not been easy for anyone, and the columns of numismatic periodicals have been filled with the laments of those who have felt that they have been offended or neglected. However, the coins go on and, as in the past, will outlive any controversies associated with their origin.
Despite problems in creating designs, the end results have been favorable. Many beautiful motifs have been created, and commemorative coin sales of the 1982 and later period far outpaced anything seen in earlier years.
Mint Director Pope Comments
In an interview with the author, (February 11, 1991.) Mint Director Donna Pope gave her opinion of several modem commemoratives: "The silver Statue of Liberty silver dollar is one of my favorites. This is the one with the full Statue of Liberty shown on the obverse. I also like the 1988 'Nike' Olympic $5 gold coin. Another of my favorites is the 1987 Constitution Bicentennial $5 gold. Of course, I like a number of the other coins as well, such as the gold and silver' eagles.'"
In reply to the question, "Have you ever considered opening a commemorative design competition to the general public or to the collecting fraternity?" Mrs. Pope commented: "I talked with Barry Frere of our staff, who remembers the situation, and he said that there was a public design competition for the [regular issue] 1776-1976 Bicentennial coins. This caused all sorts of problems, as it was difficult to evaluate so many designs. If we had unlimited time to choose designs, such a competition would be okay for commemoratives; but, as it is, we need every day we can get, to meet our deadlines. If Congress ever passes legislation that says the secretary of the Treasury can submit ideas on a five year plan in advance, many beneficial things will happen to the designs, marketing programs, and other aspects."