NNP

In 2014, a Congressional gold medal was posthumously award to Martin Luther King and Corretta Scott King. King was assassinated April 4, 1968, and the numismatic recognition was overdue. It was not for lack of trying. The front page of Coin World, April 24, 1968, noted that William S. Moorhead (D-PA) introduced a bill (H.R. 16532) authorizing a gold medal for King’s widow. A similar bill (H.R. 16533) was raised the same day by Thomas L. Ashley (D-OH). Neither became law, this would wait until the 2014 authorization for the King gold medal (Public Law 108-368). 

Coin World, on May 8, 1968, further reported a congressional proposal to issue one million commemorative half dollars as a tribute to King. This too went nowhere, although the 2014 Civil Right Act silver dollar depicts intertwined flames that reflect the freedom of education, the right to vote, and the freedom to control one’s destiny, themes drawn from Martin Luther King’s activism.

Link to “Congressional Gold Medal for the Kings,” E-Sylum, 6/29/2014: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/periodical/17530
Link to Newman Portal search results for “Martin Luther King”: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/searchwithterms?searchterm=martin%20luther%20king