 Zerbe 's proposal led to the appointment of a committee to transmit the proposal to Congress and urge its adoption . According to numismatic historian Walter Breen , " Apparently , this was the first time that a coin collector ever wielded enough political clout to influence not only the Bureau of the Mint , but Congress as well . " The committee included noted coin collector and Congressman William A. Ashbrook ( Democrat – Ohio ) , who had chaired the House Committee on Coinage , Weights , and Measures until the Republicans gained control following the 1918 elections . 
