Next year the United States Mint will introduce America’s first curved coinage with the 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins in denominations of $5 gold, $1 silver and 50c clad.
Design selections are proceeding quickly for the commemoratives. Reverse (tails side) designs depicting a baseball officially made an appearance during Induction Weekend at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. And after looking at 16 finalists, committees responsible for reviewing American coin designs support an obverse (heads side) depicting a glove.
Reverse Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Design Selected
Created and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart, reverse designs for the three commemorative coins depict a baseball similar to those used in Major League Baseball®. Images of them follow.
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Inscriptions surrounding the design read UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Depending on the coin’s denomination, additional inscriptions include FIVE DOLLARS on the gold coin, ONE DOLLAR on the silver dollar and HALF DOLLAR on the clad coin.
Curved Shape for Both Sides of Baseball Coin
To more resemble a baseball, the three reverses will feature a convex shape and the three obverses will be concave in shape. A depiction of the curved shape was created by the U.S. Mint in an animation shown below.
Obverse Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Design Recommended
A national competition drew 178 design prospects for each of the coins’ obverses and these were narrowed down to 16 finalists. All sixteen were reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) on July 18, 2013 and by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) on July 23, 2013. The committees unanimously agreed that a design depicting a 1960’s style glove best paired with reverses showing a baseball. A larger image of the recommended design is immediately below.
It appears that there will be a slight change to the glove since both committees suggested that the pair of wheat sheaves be removed. Inscriptions within the glove design read LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and 2014 for the year of release. The winning designer will also have his initials placed on the coin.
Shown here is an image with all 16 design finalists, including the one recommended.
Going forward, acting U.S. Mint Director Richard A. Peterson will make a final recommendation to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. The Secretary of the Treasury has the task of making ultimate coin design decisions, like he already did for the reverses. An announcement on his decision is expected on September 10, 2013. Since both committees recommended the glove design and it has the support of Hall of Fame officials, its selection is virtually guaranteed.
As outlined by the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 112-152), the U.S. Mint can produce and sell up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins and 400,000 half-dollar clad coins. Eventual prices will include surcharges that are forwarded to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.
Obviously not made for stacking. Also, is that Pablo Sandovar’s empty glove I see after another error?
I like the designs. They are simple and will work well with the convex shape. This will make an awesome gold commemorative!!
Great idea.
Awesome coin design to inspire another favorite pass time,coin collecting.
For the first time since 2006 the US Mint will be making a commemorative coin that is actually good and collectable and has a high chance of selling out and being worth something. Excellent! Hallelujah!
Gee – If they would just colorize it too… NOT
More of a token then a coin but then again I challange the coin certification bunch to grade this one. Hahaha
Of course they will find a way to encapsulate this one. How about in the shape of a baseball. Just an extra $100…
A sellout in baseball terms, “It could go all the way!”
At least the Mint is trying something new. Maybe they’ll hit a home run with this coin instead of striking out.
I think for once they’ve made some good decisions with this coin. But then again they included some Hall Of Fame baseball players in the decision cycle so some level headed thinking to influence the regular committees.
A sell out almost guaranteed and those complaining about rarity will probably be happy about this one because of the anticipated high demand. I’ll bet the mint will limit sales to one per household at least to start.
Looks just like a Worth Co. Liberty glove. I bet the people at Worth are going to love this selection. With all the designs that were submitted they decided on a baseball glove? For this they needed a contest?
The contest was to drum up interest and sales. And if they hadn’t had a contest they mightn’t have had a design as simple and relevant as a glove. Sometimes artists over think and over embellish a design that really needs to be plain and simple. Like putting wheat sheaves on the glove – what was that?
I hope they keep simplicity in mind and do just a replica badge (like the baseball on the obverse side of the baseball coin) for the Marshall’s Service commemorative coin in 2015.
It will be a cool coin but it opens the door to commercialism. Next the Mint will have colorized motor cycle and space ship shaped token coins. We already have the rest of the world to issue that. The US has issued quality coins for many years. We just need a return to designs similar to the “Golden Age” of coins. The US had forgotten how to make a stylish car and we lost our way. The big 3 has now done what has not been done in 20 years. They have all increased market share. Why? Quality and style.… Read more »
Coins that had the look of Seated Liberty, Standing Liberty, Indian Liberty, Capped Bust, Draped Bust, Flowing Hair Liberty – these are the really neat looking coins.
Kevin, Ironic your statement, isn’t the mint always “striking” and “out” come the coins ?!
Wonder if it’s a Rawlings or a Wilson?