Designs for the upcoming 2013 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Program were unveiled by the United States Mint late Thursday, October 18, 2012.
The six designs are featured on three new coins to be issued as part of the commemorative program, including a $5 gold coin, a silver dollar and a half-dollar clad coin. All three will be struck to both proof and uncirculated qualities — finishes appealing to collectors. Maximum mintages are set at 100,000 gold coins, 500,000 silver dollars and 750,000 clad half-dollar coins.
The release of the six commemoratives marks the 132nd anniversary of the CGSC. Individuals honored on the coins include United States Army 5-star Generals Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall, Henry "Hap" Arnold, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar N. Bradley. The generals either attended or taught at the CGSC.
Congress authorized the collectible pieces with the passage of the 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 111-262). It was signed into law on October 8, 2010 by President Barack Obama.
"These men served their country in unforgettable ways," stated Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas who introduced the Act. "We can never fully show our gratitude for their service, but we can honor them by continuing to support the Command and General Staff College’s tradition of training the world’s finest military officers."
An official release date for the commemorative coins has not yet been announced by the Mint.
2013 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coins Designs
As mentioned, three different coins will be released by the U.S. Mint as part of the 2013 5-Star General Commemorative Coin Program. This includes a gold coin with a face value of five dollars, a silver coin with a face value of one dollar and a clad half-dollar coin. Design details, including images, follow.
5-Star General Commemorative Gold Coin Designs
Shown on the obverse of the $5 gold commemorative coin is a portrait of General Douglas MacArthur with a 5-star insignia to the right. It was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Associate Designer Ronald D. Sanders and will be sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudiso.
The reverse of the $5 coin depicts the Leavenworth Lamp, which serves as the symbol of the CGSC. AIP Master Designer Barbara Fox was responsible for the design with execution to be completed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna.
5-Star General Commemorative Silver Coin Designs
The obverse of the silver dollar commemorative coin offers portraits of Generals George C. Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower with a striped background and the 5-star insignia above. AIP Master Designer Richard Masters designed this image with sculpting duties to be completed by Joseph Menna.
Offered again on the reverse of the silver dollar is a depiction of the Leavenworth Lamp. Barbara Fox designed the reverse with Joseph Menna in charge of execution.
5-Star General Commemorative Half-Dollar Coin Designs
Generals Henry "Hap" Arnold and Omar N. Bradley are featured on the obverse of the half-dollar commemorative coin along with the 5-star insignia. U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill designed the obverse and will also sculpt it.
The heraldic crest of Fort Leavenworth is shown on the reverse of the clad coin. Hemphill is also responsible for this design and will execute it as well.
Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting Display
Artistic representations of the new commemorative coin imagery will be on display October 22-24 at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. They may be found at the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) Foundation’s booth #1653.
Surcharges
Surcharges will be collected on sales of each coin and forwarded to the Secretary to the Command and General Staff College Foundation to help finance its support of the Command and General Staff College. These surcharges include $35 for each gold coin sold, $10 for each silver dollar and $5 for each clad half dollar.
There must be something history doesn’t tell me, or I am missing something that was in the underlying legislation that created the coins. Why does MacArthur go solo, while the others share? Only one of them usually gets the historic credit for the strategy that won the war and later became President. Why Ft. Leavenworth, that seems like a stretch. Aren’t there are other military institutions that have these Generals in common, such as West Point? How about Ft. Knox, where our gold is supposedly stored? Or is there a foundation of some sort there in Kansas that gets the… Read more »
The coins are commemorating the 132 anniversary of the Command and General Staff School (graduate school for officers) which is located in Ft Leavenworth.
Ok that makes sense. It’s a stretch for me to accept though. Blatant attempt to commercialize. The 5 star generals certainly deserve recognition but the designs could have been much better.
Each general could have had his own obverse. And in my opinion each should have had equal coinage status, all gold or all silver, equal denominations and status. Putting a historically disgraced figure on the gold and a revered former president on the silver is a travesty. Or why not a matching gold/silver for each?
This commem series is half-baked at best.
I’ve ranted many times about how today’s designers seem to have no imagination when designing coins. But remember they don’t have the final say in the matter so they may be doing brilliant work but it’s not being approved and moved onto coins for all to see. The law requires gold, silver, and clad. But I agree, 5 different silvers or golds would have worked out better. Like they did with the Franklin $1. Blame Congress for not thinking it out – 5 people, 3 coins – but they couldn’t make up their minds who should be on which so… Read more »
I remember when I use to carry the Morgans in my pocket when they were still used as legal tender, when you got them as change at a store where you did business. The diversity was not what we have today. I’m glad that congress is active in supporting and expanding the numismatic content through our Government mints. I’m very pleased with the designs, perhaps not as gaudy as some would like, full of scroll and filigree as in years past, but that’s what made those unique, and collectable. Right now the Mint has commissioned a company to do a… Read more »
Too bad it’s restricted to 5 Star Generals. Poor George Patton, who should have been 5 Star, is left out again. Here is a General that will slowly fade from significance, a General that had as much to do with winning WWll than any of these others. He graduated from CGSC before all of them. He and his men carried the war machine to the Germans. He was undoubtably feared by Germany more than any General. Maybe he will be on a commemorative issue someday.
Yes the thought of General Patton’s name being allowed to slip into history had crossed my mind as well. Among the other lower ranking general officers, Mark Clark also. Without General Clark’s successful allied invasion of Sicily and Italy, there probably wouldn’t have been a stage for Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, and the others to successfully liberate France and assault Germany itself.
Maybe a new quarter series after they run out of national parks and forests. We can call it the Great Military Leaders Quarter Set (GMLQS).
Definitely Patton, and how about Audie Murphy, what about a series on the fighter pilot top Aces.
Boz – Please no, not another quarter series! Mike – Have not received any survey, I think you mean 10th anniversary. They gave up on the fractional buffalo coins after one year. Who can afford a set at today’s prices? That’s $3700+ I would definitely vote against it. I would prefer they stay with the tried and true and rather than spending money on a survey instead be spending it on web ordering process improvements. Audie Murphy was covered in the Medal of Honor commemoratives last year or the recent multitude of Army/miitary commemoratives. You know him from the movies… Read more »
Jim- The survey came via this: http://www.naquest.com/Qx22_832.asp?respid=124036133&pswrd=gold9906 It Is the 100th anniversary of the original “design” not the Gold coin. Certainly a set would be too expensive for me too. Therefore why not the fractional’. You’re right the medal of honor coin covered Murphy by category and it would probably open a flood gate of mothers crying why not my son. One thing for sure they don’t seem to be running out of product i.e. 50z quarters.
Mike – One can only do the survey once and you’ve already done it. They did a silver $1 replica of the buffalo nickel in 2001, then they did a gold replica (very nice looking with the frosting) of the buffalo nickel in 2006 and on, and the fractional replicas in 2008. How many different ways do they need to do the coin anyway? I think this is Dep Dir Peterson’s idea, trying to put out one coin he can call his idea before he’s demoted or kicked out for lack of management skills and ability, for his backward, non-progressive… Read more »
Jim- I’ll give them this: The U.S. Mint is probably the only Government entity that’s actually making money.
Well, somebody’s gotta take up the slack for the USPS. lol
“Jim- I’ll give them this: The U.S. Mint is probably the only Government entity that’s actually making money.”
Have to say this is funny… the Mint making money… is funny on several levels. 🙂
Hey Boz, you definitely are missing something if you don’t know the history surrounding MacArthur. One of the best, ever. LOL, how many of these, stay in the back,, generals, ever receive the Medal of Honor??? MacArthur, was the real deal. Generals now NEVER EVER go into harms way like he did, heck most West pointers stay way out of harms way and the ROTC grads do the dirty work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_summary_of_Douglas_MacArthur
I truly believe these clowns would never have put their necks out there on the line for this country. Now a guy like Audie Murphy really truly deserves a coin in his remembrance because he did something very few men would do.
This was discussed above.
Where can I buy 5 star general silver coins? Please let me know.
David, read the second paragraph above the MacArthur illustration, then figure it out for yourself (hint : .gov).
They won’t be available until Mar 21 anyway.
Jim, I’m surprised the Bullion version hasn’t been advertised by the many resale coin venues like New York Mint.
Mike – There isn’t a bullion version of any commemorative coins, only proof and uncirculated. And if you’re talking about the uncirculated coins they also won’t be available until Mar 21. Don’t know why resellers aren’t advertising coins they don’t yet have.