Commemorative coins honoring the National Baseball Hall of Fame are coming in 2014.
Introduced on July 14, 2011 by Rep. Richard L. Hanna [R-NY24], the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act passed in the House on October 26, 2011 and an amended version was just approved in the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2012. After reconciling, the last major step before the Act becomes law is winning the signature of the President. That is expected in a matter of weeks.
Numbered H.R. 2527, the Act instructs the Treasury Secretary and thereby the U.S. Mint to strike up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 silver dollars and 750,000 clad half-dollars to commemorate the National Baseball Hall of Fame during its 75th anniversary in 2014. The senate amended the original version’s 2015 issue year to 2014. Collector proof and uncirculated qualities are authorized.
Two unique provisions are within the legislation. H.R. 2527 calls for a judged competition to select proposed obverse designs for the commemorative coins and it also states that the $5 gold coin and silver dollar should have concave and convex shapes to resemble a baseball.
The shape would be similar to the 2009 International Year of Astronomy coins issued by Monnaie de Paris, the French Mint.
Obverse designs must be emblematic of the game of baseball while reverses must depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Designs created will get reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee (CCAC). The Treasury Secretary is charged with selecting from the final proposals after consulting with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA).
As is standard for modern American commemorative coins, the bill includes surcharge language. In this case, sales of each coin offered by the U.S. Mint would include surcharges in the amounts of $35 for each $5 gold coin, $10 per silver dollar and $5 for each clad half-dollar. Collected funds would be paid to the nonprofit National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cooperstown, N.Y., to help finance its operations.
Like the convex/concave concept for the baseball commemorative. Don’t know if the mint can pull it off, though. Sure hope all design submissions have a baseball image that fills the convex side and nothing stylish about it – otherwise they’re blowing the opportunity (why else the convex/concave shape?)
Arn’t there more historical events we can honor with a commerative coin?
The mint doesn’t make these choices, congress does. Write to your congressman and give suggestions if you’re not happy with what they’ve been voting into law. I’m waiting for “Mom And Apple Pie” to show up since nothing is as American as MAAP.
I am surprised congress hasn’t voted on a ‘hookers and blow’ coin. Because that is what congressmen do, as well as baseball players. Why else do you think they are so twitchy?
Please, everyone – it’s “commemorative”, not “commerative”.
Why is Congress honoring a multi-billion dollar coporation? Dosen’t this industryhave enough money to spport their hall of fame? I would rather see a national park honored and the surplus go to improve the facilities instead of giving money to guys that play with a ball for a living.
Why do we give so much credit to these people that are paid HUGE sums of money for entetainment and our Park rangers are on food stamps?
Cincinnatus,
Check out the ATB America The Beautiful US quarter series:
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/atb/?action=factSheet
Each year, the public will see five new national site designs depicted on the reverse (tails side) of America the Beautiful Quarters. The United States Mint will issue these quarters in the order in which the honored site was first established as a national site.
RonnieBGood,
True but the surplus doesn’t go to the Parks – it is just added to the treasury.
My point is that we are producing a coin to fund the Hall of Fame for a corporation that makes BILLIONS of dollars. What is next a Microsoft or Google commemerative coin?
The Hall of Fame is a for profit business – a National park is not.
and now that you’ve gone this far, can a NASCAR coin be that far away?
and then there is FOOTBALL! Woooooo! The O.J. Simpson coin collection will be a hoot! #32 with a Buffalo on the first, A Hertz rent-a-car coin with OJ leaping over a gate, a NBC commentator on another and a White SUV on the final one.
How come nobody likes sports. It would be the same as buying baseball cards. What do they do with that money?
Cincinnatus,
I agree that the Parks are a great use of Public Monies but….
Let’s not knock the only Government Branch that makes money, the US Mint. The only other one that comes close is the Judicial Department and this is mostly from Fines, Tickets and Court Fees. And we all love these, right.
The additional Fees for this coin are going to fund a Museum, a Nonprofit Museum. It is to mark the 75th ann. and has crossover appeal to the sports market. I get it… but as the man says, if you don’t like, don’t buy it.
A+ RonnieBGood
Bill, I like the O.J. idea, but I would go with O.J. selling holiday turkeys on a coin. Maybe a special Christmas Commemorative.
what other options will come out aside from individual option for baseball hall of fame commemorative coins?. anyone?. example like young collector set.
Great idea! If it does not appeal to you don’t buy them!