If two U.S. senators have their way, in a few years you may be giving your mother a silver coin for Mother’s Day rather than the traditional card, flowers or candy. They propose a commemorative silver dollar to celebrate the event.
Senator Jay Rockefeller [D-WV] and Senator Robert C. Byrd [WV], the longest serving senator in history at age 90, introduced a new bill on April 17, 2008 that seeks the creation of a commemorative silver dollar to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mother’s Day.
The bill, S. 2883, is entitled the Mother’s Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act and calls for 400,000 silver $1 coins to be minted in 2014 — six years into the future.
Although it is normal to introduce coin legislation year’s prior to the coin’s intended release date given the limit by law of two commemorative coins per year, this proposed legislation is more aggressive than most with its early introduction.
The bill has currently been read twice in the Senate and it is now awaiting consideration by the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mother’s Day History
The two senators proposing the commemorative coin are from West Virginia, as was Anna Jarvis who is considered the founder of Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis was born in the small town of Webster in Taylor County in 1864 and later moved with her family to Grafton, West Virginia. Soon after the 1905 death of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, Anna campaigned for a national Mother’s Day holiday.
The Matthews Methodist Episcopal Church of Grafton officially celebrated Mother’s Day in 1908. West Virginia Governor, William Glasscock, issued the first Mother’s Day Proclamation encouraging all West Virginians to attend church and wear white carnations in 1910.
Mother’s Day became a national holiday in 1914when the Sixty-Third Congress approved H.J. Res. 263 and President Woodrow Wilson issued Presidential Proclamation.
In an interesting turn, later in life Anna Jarvis became discouraged with the commercialism of Mother’s Day. It is said she regretted its creation due to that fact. She campaigned against Mother’s Day and went as far as filing suite regarding its celebration in New York.
Anna Jarvis was blind and penniless when she died in 1948.
Surcharges for the Mother’s Day commemorative coin
While Anna Jarvis disliked the commercialism of Mother’s Day and some can argue the creation and buying of a commemorative Mother’s Day coin would add to her disdain, S. 2883 would at least turn some profits of coins sales toward positive causes.
Every Mother’s Day coin would have $10 surcharge added with eventual payments going to:
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(1) 1/2 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the purpose of furthering research funded by the organization.
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(2) 1/2 to the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research funded by the Foundation.
The text of S. 2883: Mother’s Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2883
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 17, 2008
Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself and Mr. BYRD) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the establishment of Mother’s Day.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the `Mother’s Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
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The Congress hereby finds as follows:
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(1) Anna Jarvis, who is considered to be the founder of the modern Mother’s Day, was born in Webster, West Virginia on May 1, 1864.
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(2) A resident of Grafton, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis dedicated much of her adult life to honoring her mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis, who passed on May 9, 1905.
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(3) In 1908, the Matthews Methodist Episcopal Church of Grafton, West Virginia, officially proclaimed the third anniversary of Anna Reeves Jarvis’ death to be Mother’s Day.
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(4) In 1910, West Virginia Governor, William Glasscock, issued the first Mother’s Day Proclamation encouraging all West Virginians to attend church and wear white carnations.
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(5) On May 8, 1914, the Sixty-Third Congress approved H.J. Res. 263 designating the second Sunday in May to be observed as Mother’s Day and encouraging all Americans to display the American flag at their homes as a public expression of the love and reverence for the mothers of our Nation.
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(6) On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a Presidential Proclamation directing government officials to display the American flag on all government buildings and inviting the American people to display the flag at their homes on the second Sunday of May as a public expression of the love and reverence for the mothers of our Nation.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
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(a) Denominations- The Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the `Secretary’) shall mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins, each of which shall–
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(1) weigh 26.73 grams;
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(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
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(3) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
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(b) Legal Tender- The coins minted under this Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.
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(c) Numismatic Items- For purposes of section 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
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(a) Design Requirements- The design of the coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 100th anniversary of President Wilson’s proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
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(b) Designation and Inscriptions- On each coin minted under this Act, there shall be–
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(1) a designation of the value of the coin;
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(2) an inscription of the year `2014′; and
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(3) inscriptions of the words `Liberty’, `In God We Trust’, `United States of America’, and `E Pluribus Unum’.
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(c) Selection- The design for the coins minted under this Act shall be–
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(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts; and
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(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee established under section 5135 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
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(a) Quality of Coins- Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
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(b) Commencement of Issuance- The Secretary may issue coins minted under this Act beginning January 1, 2014, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date.
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(c) Termination of Minting Authority- No coins shall be minted under this Act after December 31, 2014.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
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(a) Sale Price- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the coins issued under this Act shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of the face value of the coins, the surcharge required under section 7(a) for the coins, and the cost of designing and issuing such coins (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, and marketing).
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(b) Bulk Sales- The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.
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(c) Prepaid Orders at a Discount-
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(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of such coins.
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(2) DISCOUNT- Sale prices with respect to prepaid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount.
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
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(a) Surcharge Required- All sales shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.
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(b) Distribution- Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code, all surcharges which are received by the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by the Secretary as follows:
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(1) 1/2 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the purpose of furthering research funded by the organization.
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(2) 1/2 to the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research funded by the Foundation.
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(c) Audits- The Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Osteoporosis Foundation shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts received by the respective organizations under subsection (b).
