House Passes National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act

Commemorative coins celebrating the National Baseball Hall of Fame are one step closer to becoming reality.

Introduced on July 14 by Rep. Richard L. Hanna, R-N.Y., the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act in an overwhelming vote of 463 to 3.

The commemorative coin Act, numbered H.R. 2527, instructs the United States Mint to produce up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 silver dollars and 750,000 50C half-dollars to commemorate the National Baseball Hall of Fame soon after its 75th anniversary in 2014. The coins would be produced and issued for calendar year 2015.

"As the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2014, the Coin Act will connect every generation in commemorating the impact Cooperstown has had on the national landscape, honoring our baseball heroes while educating future generations on the historical significance of the game and its lore," Jeff Idelson, President, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum said in an earlier media release about the legislation. "We are thankful to the House for acknowledging the impact of our institutional mission across generations. The Coin Act will allow every fan to join the milestone anniversary and help support future educational outreach for an American shrine."

Surcharges for each commemorative coin the United States Mint sold would go to the not-for-profit National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cooperstown, N.Y., "to help finance its operations." Before that can happen, however, the Act must pass in the U.S. Senate and then get signed by the President. Surcharges would include $35 for each $5 gold coin, $10 per silver dollar and $5 for each clad half dollar.

The bill includes some unique provisions not normally found within commemorative coin legislation, including a judged competition for the coins’ designs and instructions for the coins to have concave and convex shapes to resemble a baseball.