2015 National 4-H Commemorative Coin
mikeellis
Posts: 26
Exciting News for all 4-H’ers and Numismatists Nationwide!
Throughout the nation 4-H members, 4-H alumni and International 4-H Youth Exchange
alumni are spearheading an effort asking members of Congress to sponsor and support
legislation authorizing commemorative coins to honor the centennial in 2015 of 4-H
becoming a national program.
Additionally, the governing board of the American Numismatic Association (the largest
coin collecting organization in the United States) unanimously endorsed the 4-H
Commemorative Coin Act on Aug. 13.
The legislation, which is expected to be introduced in mid September (probably Sept. 13)
when members of the House and the Senate return from their August recess, authorizes
the U.S. Mint to produce special collector versions of up to 500,000 silver dollars and up
to 750,000 copper-nickel half dollars with designs emblematic of 4-H and its role in the
diffusion of knowledge, development of young leaders and good citizens, and leading
the vision of peace through understanding in our global community.
“Commemorative coins are a wonderful way of focusing attention on the role 4-H has
played in the lives of millions of young people,” said Michael Ellis of Georgia, a nationally
known coin expert and member of the Georgia Master 4-H Club who initiated the idea for
the coinage program. “These commemorative coins are legal tender (real coins) though
they are worth more than their face value and are normally sold to collectors” Ellis
added. He noted that up to $7.1 million could be generated in surcharges that will
directly benefit national and state 4-H programs.
“This is a non-partisan proposal that we believe every member of Congress can
embrace. Four-H is exemplary of learning by doing and striving every day to make the
best better” Ellis said.
Today 4-H comprises a community of 6 million young people across the United States
learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. Four-H Clubs can be found in every
county in every state, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and more than 80
countries around the world. The 4-H community in the United States alone includes
3,500 staff, 518,000 volunteers and 60 million alumni. Four-H members participate in
hands-on learning activities supported by the latest research of the land-grant
universities.
“A U.S. commemorative silver dollar was issued this year honoring the Boy Scouts of
America and the Girl Scouts of America will be honored with a commemorative silver
dollar in 2013. Year after year there are more active 4-H’ers in the United States than
there are members in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts combined! Additionally, 4-H is
uniquely American, while both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were founded out of the
United States! If the Scouts have commemorative coins, we should, too!” Ellis
exclaimed.
Commemorative coins honor people, places, events and significant anniversaries and
are manufactured by the U.S. Mint. All commemorative coins must be authorized by
legislation approved by Congress and signed into law by the president. No more than
two commemorative coin programs may be authorized each year. The U.S. Mint sells
the coins directly to the public.
“Though it appears we will have the support of Congress we are trying to get this
legislation signed into law before the end of this month (September). Therefore, all active
4-H members and supporters are encouraged to contact their Representatives and
Senators to ask for their support for the act. The more who contact their legislators, the
more we can be certain they will vote in favor of the bill” says Ellis. Following are
guidelines to help you with this task.
_______________________________
IMPORTANT INFO to know when communicating with your Representative and
Senators in the U.S. Congress.
1. Approval of a 4-H commemorative coin program honoring the centennial in 2015 of 4-
H becoming a national program is being sought through legislation that will be
introduced when Congress reconvenes in September. Please urge your representative
and senators to sign on as co-sponsors.
2. Only two commemorative coin programs can be authorized each year. Although 2015
is five years away, it is urgent to gain approval now so that the 4-H commemorative coin
program can be one of the two programs authorized for 2015.
3. Your member’s co-sponsorship is critical because special rules in the committees of
jurisdiction (House Financial Services and Senate Banking) require a commemorative
coin bill to have 292 co-sponsors in the House and 67 co-sponsors in the Senate before
any action is taken by the committees to advance the bills through the legislative
process.
4. Seek an opportunity to speak directly with your representative and senators or
with his or her staff. In person is always best. Phone calls are great. Another great way
of communicating with your representatives is via their web sites. If you do not know who
your representatives or senators are, go to www.congress.org . It is a non-partisan site
with listings. It also has a feature that helps you compose and send a letter from the site.
THOMAS is the Library of Congress web site that has information and listings of
members of Congress. Go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and you will find in the left column
“House of Representatives” and “Senate.” Click on either and it will take you to an
alphabetical listing. Click on the name and that will take you directly to the member’s
web site, where you can send a letter electronically.
5. Once you have talked with your Senator, ask him or her to contact Senator Saxby
Chambliss of Georgia’s office requesting to be a co-sponsor. A second senator will be
announced soon. If you have talked with your Representative, ask him or her to contact
either Representative Frank Lucas of Oklahoma or Representative Collin Peterson of
Minnesota requesting to be a co-sponsor.
6. Your help is vital to spreading the word about this grassroots effort. Enlist your
friends and network with other 4-H members and alumni. We have a very short
window (less than 4 weeks) to accomplish our goal! (Use your personal e-mail
and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to spread the word.)
7. 4-H members, 4-H advisers, 4-H alumni and IFYE alumni are spearheading this
project, but everyone – family, friends, numismatists and the general public – are
welcomed and encouraged to join this campaign!
This is very important. Because they are government employees, all Extension
staff are prohibited by law from lobbying members of Congress. Also, no mailings
(newsletters) or printed items (letterhead) using government funds can be used in
this effort or in lobbying or contacting a member of Congress.
Use personal phone, fax, e-mail, and post at social networks such as Facebook
and Twitter to spread the word.
For questions and/or a copy of the draft of the bill email me at mikeellis2001@yahoo.com
Mike Ellis
0
Comments
Commemorative coins should be limited to events and people of outstanding national character and service, and there should be no fund raising aspect. (Frankly, that's a cheap and tawdry way of saying that the thing is not good enough for public funding.)
Circulating coins should be emblematic of American ideals, and never again feature specific individuals.
<< <i>Circulating coins should be emblematic of American ideals, and never again feature specific individuals. >>
I could not agree more with this statement ..
Is it the Mints intent to do a commem for every organization in the US? It's starting to look like a government subsidy program. Did we run out of events to commemorate?
4H is a great program for kids and has been around a long time, but how does it rise to the level of a national treasure or historically significent event? How about all the other organizations and activities - Little League, Chautauqua, etc., etc.
"Commemorative coins should be limited to events and people of outstanding national character and service, and there should be no fund raising aspect. (Frankly, that's a cheap and tawdry way of saying that the thing is not good enough for public funding.)
"Circulating coins should be emblematic of American ideals, and never again feature specific individuals."
<< <i>The profits from the sale of commemorative coins was often used to fund a specific project. Commemorative coins were a money raising mechanism that provided an alternative to raising taxes. >>
Additionally, the ANA has given this coin strong support:
<< <i> the governing board of the American Numismatic Association (the largest coin collecting organization in the United States) unanimously endorsed the 4-H Commemorative Coin Act on Aug. 13. >>
If Congress were to be convinced commemoratives should no longer be used as fund raising projects, what would be the best way to do it? Does the ANA need to be convinced? How about the CCAC? Are there any other groups?
* They are run by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the USDA
* Their name and emblem are protected under the Code and Laws of the United States of America 18 USC Section 707
* Their website is run by the USDA and they have a .gov government domain name http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/
Good on ya, mate!
<< <i>Is it the Mints intent to do a commem for every organization in the US? >>
<< <i>This is another special interest attempt to get Congress to dictate a commemorative. The mint has little say in the matter, so don't blame them. >>
RWB, yeah my comment sounded a little harsh against the Mint. I realize congress pulls the strings and the Mint is only a tool in the process, and I should have worded it as such. They catch a lot of heat unfairly, and I should not add to that misconception.
I'm not knocking the 4H either, I'm sure it has a wonderful history and does great things. I'm from a rural area myself, was never a member, but my school had a 4H club. I'm just a bit tired of these uninspired "fund raiser" coins per se. Why does the US coin collector bear the brunt of these projects? There is nothing stopping the 4H from making a medallion and selling them at every state fair across the country. The government knows the coin collector will want to keep their collections complete, so it seem to fall to us. The BSA coin is a good example, it should have sold out in a matter of hours considering the number of present and former scouts.
The Disabled Vet commem is another tragic example, it's still available. I bought a few of each of this years commems. I happen to be a former scout and a disabled veteran, but that isn't why I bought (good causes aside). I bought because of my hobby. There will be some supporters that buy, but I feel it's the coin collector that makes or breaks these programs.
Congress could just as easily have the Mint make medals (silver and/or bronze) for the 4H, sell them for a premium and utilize the mints advertising and distribution system to boot. Why monetize it? Because then they know the coin collector will shell out for it, not just the org. supporter. IMO that targets the coin collector for the bulk of the funding and since there are only two commems a year, nixes the potential for something that might appeal more broadly to the coin collecting public.
I'll be buying my 4H commem as will many of you (to keep my set current) in 2015, can't wait to see the designs (cow milking, hog raising?). Meanwhile the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania (Americans on board, catalyst for US entry into WWI), the millionth Ford Model T rolling off the assembly line (yes America was proudly industrialized at one time), or Babe Ruth's first career home-run (not that that warrants a coin, just saying) will go unnoticed. I suppose everyone can't be happy. End rant.
<< <i>Why does the US coin collector bear the brunt of these projects? [...] The government knows the coin collector will want to keep their collections complete, so it seem to fall to us. >>
As with any coin or series, I'm sure there are a healthy mix of collectors that are more and are less interested. I think the key for the US coin collector that is not interested in a particular coin or series is to not buy them. Collect what you like as they say. Don't be a slave to your hobby.
<< <i>Meanwhile the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania (Americans on board, catalyst for US entry into WWI), the millionth Ford Model T rolling off the assembly line (yes America was proudly industrialized at one time), or Babe Ruth's first career home-run (not that that warrants a coin, just saying) will go unnoticed. I suppose everyone can't be happy. >>
If these are important to you, why not try generate some effort to get these through, like Mike has done for the 4-H coin? Perhaps you can reach out to him and get some tips on how to get a commemorative through. Perhaps you could even get the Ford Company to help lobby for a Model T coin, possibly juxtaposed with a Fusion Hybrid.
<< <i>Additionally, the ANA has given this coin strong support: >>
Serious question, perhaps someone knows: Has the ANA ever opposed a coin?
<< <i>I'm not sure if this makes a difference to how people view this coin, but 4-H is a US government program that is protected by the US Code. The event being commemorated is the centennial of the 4-H as a US government program. >>
Does that mean we can look forward to Social Security, Medicare, and welfare coins in the future? Again I'm not knocking the 4H, just questioning the wisdom of heading down this path. Will collectors tire of the blatant collection plate? The 2001 silver buff was a great example of raising money without advertising it on the coin itself.
<< <i>I have to applaud Mike Ellis for his work coming up with this commem idea. It's very rare when an actual numismatist has a hand in such a proposed bill.
Good on ya, mate! >>
That is the silver lining to this and I concur. Let's hope the final design lives up to the idea. I hope it is a great success, I just wish I could be more excited about it. Perhaps that will come, after all they have 5 years to get it right.
<< <i>
<< <i>Additionally, the ANA has given this coin strong support: >>
Serious question, perhaps someone knows: Has the ANA ever opposed a coin? >>
I'm sure there are coins where they did not give unanimous support.
<< <i>
<< <i>I'm not sure if this makes a difference to how people view this coin, but 4-H is a US government program that is protected by the US Code. The event being commemorated is the centennial of the 4-H as a US government program. >>
Does that mean we can look forward to Social Security, Medicare, and welfare coins in the future? >>
If we look to the past, we can see coins for the SF Mint (fund raising), Marine Corps (fund raising), Library of Congress (fund raising), etc. Are you seeing a pattern? I'm sure you know that this is up to Congress and the people that care enough to talk to their Congressmen. Do you care enough?
<< <i>
<< <i>Why does the US coin collector bear the brunt of these projects? [...] The government knows the coin collector will want to keep their collections complete, so it seem to fall to us. >>
As with any coin or series, I'm sure there are a healthy mix of collectors that are more and are less interested. I think the key for the US coin collector that is not interested in a particular coin or series is to not buy them. Collect what you like as they say. Don't be a slave to your hobby. >>
Lol, not so much a slave as to not wanting a hole in the set. I'm sure many collectors can relate to that. Of course people should collect what they like. I would hate to see interest decline overall though due to over commercialism. Collecting commems is slightly different, as the designs change and personal interest in a selected topic is not guaranteed. Unless one only picks certain coins (plenty of folks do, I'm sure), continuity is part of the fun.
<< <i>
<< <i>Meanwhile the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania (Americans on board, catalyst for US entry into WWI), the millionth Ford Model T rolling off the assembly line (yes America was proudly industrialized at one time), or Babe Ruth's first career home-run (not that that warrants a coin, just saying) will go unnoticed. I suppose everyone can't be happy. >>
If these are important to you, why not try generate some effort to get these through, like Mike has done for the 4-H coin? Perhaps you can reach out to him and get some tips on how to get a commemorative through. Perhaps you could even get the Ford Company to help lobby for a Model T coin, possibly juxtaposed with a Fusion Hybrid. >>
Zcoins you make a valid point, to be sure. It's fair to say if one is not part of the solution they are part of the problem. I admire the efforts folks like Mike have taken, I do not wish to diminish their efforts at all. I wish I had the fortitude to do something like that. I'll have to be content to be part of the collecting masses. I do praise what I feel is good, as well as critique (my 2 cents anyway). But I never want an idea to fail when it comes to coins. Sometimes the execution just doesn't live up to the idea.
The events I through out for 1915 were just examples of things I find more interesting than the 4H that also have centennials that year. I may be in the minority on that, and I'm not suggesting a coin for them either. Do we have to commemorate every thing's centennial? I would say no. The Ford idea would probably really catch heck as far a marketing goes! 150 years of the Civil War ending, seems appropriate and lots of collectors seem to enjoy this theme.
Anyway,thanks for your thoughtful responses.
<< <i>If we look to the past, we can see coins for the SF Mint (fund raising), Marine Corps (fund raising), Library of Congress (fund raising), etc. Are you seeing a pattern? I'm sure you know that this is up to Congress and the people that care enough to talk to their Congressmen. Do you care enough? >>
Sure, every commem, past and present, makes money for an organization or cause. I don't have an issue with that (sorry if that is what my comments suggested to you). Some are just superior in their execution (I gave the 2001 buff as example, 2008 Bald Eagle is another, one would have to read the COA to see were the cash went). Some, more obvious, still had good designs, and others IMO were just poor over all. I'm sure the idea's were well intentioned.
Talking to a congressman as far a I know never in modern times produced a coin design, it may have pushed an idea. So do I care? Sure, but I care more about the finished product than the formation of the idea. How many times have you written your congressman and it ended with a bill exactly as you envisioned it? Frankly, I'd rather see less Congressional involvement in our coinage.
BTW I did just get a return letter from my congressman on a solution I sent him concerning recent issues at Arlington National Cemetery, asking for more details. Am I confident my suggestion will be acted upon? Well let's say I won't hold my breath. Cheers.
<< <i>Sure, every commem, past and present, makes money for an organization or cause. I don't have an issue with that (sorry if that is what my comments suggested to you). Some are just superior in their execution (I gave the 2001 buff as example, 2008 Bald Eagle is another, one would have to read the COA to see were the cash went). Some, more obvious, still had good designs, and others IMO were just poor over all. I'm sure the idea's were well intentioned.
Talking to a congressman as far a I know never in modern times produced a coin design, it may have pushed an idea. So do I care? Sure, but I care more about the finished product than the formation of the idea. How many times have you written your congressman and it ended with a bill exactly as you envisioned it? Frankly, I'd rather see less Congressional involvement in our coinage. >>
To be sure, some Congressmen care about coinage more than others. Congressman Castle was instrumental in the SHQs. This letter on www.castle.house.gov may outline one of the primary reasons he cares. To promote coins, he's done a lot of press announcements and photo ops with coin programs. He also consults with coin collectors when working on coin related bills.
As for coin designs and execution, you should check out the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, a government committee "established in 2003 by Congress under Public Law 108-15 to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the themes and designs of all US coins and medals." Perhaps the CCAC and Congress can be influenced with regards to Roger's goal:
<< <i>"Circulating coins should be emblematic of American ideals, and never again feature specific individuals." >>
A few people have actually taken action on this in the recent past with actual proposals including Frank Gasparro, Ron Landis, and Daniel Carr. The desire to move back to coins on American ideals can possibly be assisted by getting more proposals and getting more people behind the proposals. I don't know where the ANA and CCAC stand on this but it would be good to find out.
<< <i>Good info Zoins. Thanks. >>
NP. I understand where you're coming from. I just wanted to let you and everyone know that there are lots of ways to make suggestions on our coinage and there are many senators and representatives that are interested. I think it's great when a forum member like Mike takes initiative and makes a direct impact on our coinage. Pretty incredible actually.
BTW, Daniel Carr is also a member here. He designed the New York and Rhode Island State Quarters and his design was also a finalist for the Sacagawea golden dollar.
One of the strengths of these forums is that people involved in coins issued by the Mint do post here. Are there other forum members have been instrumental in modern coins issued by the Mint?