Why does the US Mint now issue $1 sized commemorative coins instead of the historical 50 cent size that we saw from the late 1890s forward? Do the groups being commemorated get a piece of the sale price? If so, how much? Thanks.
The old thing of more is better than less, and the bigger the better. It's not always true, but it works enough of the time when it comes to merchandising.
The silver dollar gives a larger canvas for the artwork. And there have also been some modern commemorative half dollars as well. For each commemorative series there has been a group that get a portion of the sale price, typically $35 for each gold coin, $10 for each silver dollar, and either $5 or $8, I forget which, for each half dollar. Each of these groups also half to raise matching funds before they can receive the surcharge money. There have been a few times in the past where the group has been allowed to have part of the money before they raise the matching funds. There have been times when the group has tried to get the matching fund requirement waived but so far they haven't succeeded as far as I know. There has been one case where the group was unable to raise the funds so the government gave it to a different group than they told the buyers it was going to go to. And there has been one case where the group was able to raise the money but other legislation skimmed the first million dollars in surcharges and gave it to another group that had already had their own commemorative coin. (Jackie Robinson commems, the first million in surcharges were skimmed off and given to the National Botanical Garden. The Botanical Garden coins earlier in the year raised $4,649,800 in surcharges and they got all of it. The Jackie Robinson commem raised $2,156,320 and a million of it was turned over to the Botanical Gardens. In my opinion this was despicable. This coin, in part, celebrated Robinson's triumph over un fair discrimination. The money from the surcharges were to be paid into the Jackie Robinson Foundation and used for scholarships for disadvantaged children. To have nearly half of the money taken away was shameful. Even worse was the wife of the legislator who introduced the bill to take that million away and give it to the Botanical Gardens, was the chairperson of the board of the Botanical Gardens. Influence?)
Great answer to the question about the revenue question. As to the other question, I am in charge of the educational program in my coin club. I am exploring this as a possible educational topic. I noticed that the main commemorative for the first 80 years was the half dollar. I also noticed that the main modern commemorative, other than circulating coins like the state quarters series, are $1. My question is why?
Half dollar coins, in the classical sense, would be well recieved. The "canvas' was large enough initially. I can not for the life of me see why it wouldn't be so today. Just wish they'd mint the dang things in "coin silver" instead of the blasted "clad". After all, they are commems......
The answer is because the price of silver is quoted in ounces and an ounce coin is better to use than a half dollar. In a nutshell, they can charge more money.
I get the part about, "They can charge more", for a larger coin - but, the silver dollar isn't an ounce.
Simple answer for the early coins is that the half dollar was the largest regular circulating coin. Silver dollars were made at the time of the Columbian exposition and during the early twenty's period of the commemorative halves, but they didn't circulate. There were no silver dollars minted during the 1918 - 20 period or during them major commemorative half dollar period of 1936 and later. This would seem to make the half dollar the logical choice. As for why the moderns use silver dollars it probably comes more from the collectors interest in silver dollars, real silver dollars, combined with the lack of circulation of the half dollars.
