The United States Mint unveiled 24 images of upcoming uncirculated and proof 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins.
Set to launch April 4, the U.S. commemoratives mark the third round of dome-shaped coins with concave obverses (heads) and convex reverses (tails). The U.S. Mint in 2014 issued curved Baseball coins and in 2019 the bureau offered curved Apollo 11 coins.
Ceremonial Striking Photos
On Feb. 25, U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder hosted members and supporters of the Basketball Hall of Fame at a ceremonial striking of a regular 2020-P Proof Basketball Silver Dollar.
Event participants included Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame President John Doleva; basketball legends Julius Erving and Sheryl Swoopes; and Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal, sponsor of the legislation authorizing the Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Program.
During his remarks, Director Ryder stated that
"every day, across the Nation, the United States Mint connects Americans through coins, and it is our great privilege to connect America to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame."
Limited Edition Colorized Coins
The U.S. Mint’s Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Program will offer something unique that the Baseball and Apollo 11 coin programs did not have.
Ryder announced during the aforementioned ceremonial striking event that:
"the most unique feature of these coins is that they will be the first-ever colorized coins produced by the United States Mint. Coins with proof and uncirculated finishes will go on sale April 4th, and the colorized versions of the silver and clad coins will go on sale at a later date."
There will be a proof Basketball half dollar produced at the San Francisco Mint with a colorized obverse and a proof Basketball silver dollar struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a colorized reverse. Images of these coins are yet to be made public. Their release dates are also unknown as of this writing.
An enhanced uncirculated 50-cent piece will also be available, included as part of a special kid’s set for release on April 4. Images of this coin are also unavailable as of this writing.
Coin Designs
In total, the U.S. Mint will produce and sell up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 silver dollars and 750,000 clad half dollars in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (www.hoophall.com). The coins share common obverse and reverse designs.
The concave obverse design was selected from a public competition as directed by Public Law No: 115-343. Created by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso, it depicts three players reaching for a basketball, and reflects, as described by the Mint,
“how the sport of basketball has brought together diverse people around the world through a simple, universal, and unifying athletic experience.”
Background elements include the rim and net, along with inscriptions of “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “2020.”
This design was recommended by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) after reviewing dozens of Basketball-themed designs.
The coins’ authorizing law mandated a common reverse that depicted a basketball. Convex in shape, the selected design which shows a basketball about to pass through the net was created by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. Surrounding the image are inscriptions of “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “FIVE DOLLARS” on the gold coin, “ONE DOLLAR” on the silver dollar, and “HALF DOLLAR” on the clad half dollar.
This design was preferred by CFA. It ranked second highest among voting members of the CCAC.
As the following images show, each of the U.S. Mint production facilities have a part in striking the regular commemoratives. The proof and uncirculated $5 gold coins are from the West Point Mint, the proof and uncirculated silver dollars are from the Philadelphia Mint, the proof half-dollar is from the San Francisco Mint and the uncirculated half-dollar is from the Denver Mint.
Below are images of the commemorative coins as provided on the U.S. Mint’s website.
Images of the 2020-W Proof $5 Gold Coins
Images of the 2020-W Uncirculated $5 Gold Coins
| Weight: | 8.359 grams |
| Composition: | 90% gold, 10% alloy |
| Mintage Limit: | 50,000 across all product options |
| Diameter: | 0.850 inches |
Images of the 2020-P Proof Silver Dollars
Images of the 2020-P Uncirculated Silver Dollars
| Weight: | 26.73 grams |
| Composition: | 99.9% silver |
| Mintage Limit: | 400,000 across all product options |
| Diameter: | 1.500 inches |
Images of the 2020-S Proof Clad Half Dollars
Images of the 2020-D Uncirculated Clad Half Dollars
| Weight: | 11.34 grams |
| Composition: | 92% copper, 8% nickel |
| Mintage Limit: | 750,000 across all product options |
| Diameter: | 1.205 inches |
Release Information
Prices of the coins are yet to be announced. When released at 12:00 PM ET on April 4, orders may be placed from the U.S. Mint website at www.usmint.gov/catalog.
Surcharges collected from coin sales — $35 for each gold coin, $10 for each silver coin, and $5 for each half–dollar coin — are authorized to be paid to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to fund an endowment that will enable increased operations and educational programming.
I can hardly wait to PA$$. The obverse is a mess so busy, so much crammed into this. Convoluted PC goal design. That net, is it barb wire? Sellout I doubt, but if you like buy. Makes the baseball coin look like a rose……
Agreed. It will be easy for me to pass on this one.
I am still upset over the 2019 enhanced silver eagle, slow to forget.
I thought that I would hate this and I don’t. Even I’m surprised. Not buying anything colorized though. Leave that to the suckers.
Excluding the Apollo 11 puck and the Kennedy offering…
Gold to Gold, Silver to Silver and Clad to Clad. One Design vs. One Design.
Revenue for the Basketball HOF coins will Exceed Revenues for the Apollo 11 coins
Hope you’re right Cag the USM needs a winner the collector can get. I suspect the mint may jack up the price in order to milk every cent. I think that international sales may help this, maybe. I’m buried in baseball coins no need to get slammed by the basketball as well…..likely $60++ for a $1…with spot @ <$17……such a deal
My Guess is that the Mint will be raising the grid pricing for Gold next week before the Launch of the 2020 AGEs. The Mint has raised pricing on Every offering this year…Thus…Yes the Gold, Silver and Clads should All be higher priced than the 2019 Apollo 11 coins…
i agree. it almost appears that the mint is trying to kill their gold, platinum, and silver programs.
I refuse to buy any U.S Mint colorized, kitsch coins that the U.S. Mint will be sending to an outside private vendor company to apply the color! G-D only knows what that company will do to the surfaces of those basketball coins. Colorized coins are trinkets for roadside gift shops, flea markets & coin dealer junk boxes! Lol
Totally agree. Definitely not a Dr. J. slam dunk on these coins. I’ll go ahead and make a behind the back Magic Johnson pass on a purchase. I’m Still waiting for the mint to come out with a limited reproduction of the one dollar flowing hair or the buxom babes from the late 1790’s/early 1800s. :>j
I hear the outside vendor is the same company that produces most of the words colorized coins for the past 20 years, so chances are they know what they are doing. We have to accept that the US Mint is bleeding massive amounts of customers every year and that they have to do more to attract younger collectors, have you visited a coin show recently, have you not noticed how old we’ve become???
I like this issue. Will be buying all of them.
Having a Lockdown of March Madness and some NBA games ( Golden State Warriors) will have me re-evaluate my position on the Basketball HOF coins. That’s where the Bulk of my sales were going to come from… I don’t remember a Saturday Launch for any Mint product and I don’t remember the FIRST Launch of a commemorative coin being this late in the year. The Mint rolled the dice with a Launch coinciding with the Final Four… …and came up with snake eyes… You’ve wasted two months of sales to tie in with the Final Four and now that is… Read more »
2020 Basketball HOF Silver Proof Introductory $69.00 +$14.05 or 25.6% from Apollo 11 Launch Silver Proof
2020 Basketball HOF Silver Uncirculated Introductory $64.00 +$12.05 or 23.2% from Apollo 11 Launch Silver Uncirculated
2020 Basketball HOF Clad Proof Introductory $39.00 +$11.05 or 39.5% from Apollo 11 Launch Clad Proof
2020 Basketball HOF Clad Uncirculated Introductory $37.00 +$11.05 or 42.6% from Apollo 11 Launch Clad Uncirculated
2020 Basketball HOF Kids Set $45.00 (No Introductory pricing)…
The U.S. Mint is raising its coin prices just as base metals & precious metals are diving down! These curved coins cost no more to produce than last year’s Apollo 11 curved coins. $39 & $37 for a copper-nickel clad coin is outrageous!! Most Young Numismatists can’t afford that plus $4.95 S&H. It is simply so very sad that U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder is ruining the hobby for many with his absurd antics! Now his public launch of all these coins in Atlanta on Saturday, April 4 has been cancelled & he only has 9 months to sell… Read more »
The U.S. Mint cancelled its attendance at the Baltimore show next week due to COVID-19 & now that major coin show is cancelled as is the NCAA Fan Fest in Atlanta on Saturday April 4 (the public launch & first day sales date) another major event cancelled…the U.S. Mint is “closed” due to construction of a new plan of action for its in-person sales channels. They are in crisis mode & want us customers to pay the price for their poor planning when we knew about the novel virus 3 months ago. The Mint have three gift shops in the… Read more »
The release date for these appears to have changed to April 9 according to the mint site.
The release date for these appears to have changed to April 9 according to the website.