Senate Passes BB HOF Commemorative Coin Act

[Gary Dunaier]

This is not only not vintage, it's so not vintage that the items don't even exist yet... but given the subject matter and the manufacturer, I thought it was relevant to this forum...

Senate Passes National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act

July 16, 2012 By Michael Zielinski

On July 12, 2012, the Senate passed H.R. 2527: National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act. The bill had originally been introduced on July 14, 2011 by Rep. Richard Hanna of New York and was passed in the House of Representatives on October 26, 2011. In order to become law, the House must approve amendments to the original bill made by the Senate, and then the bill must be signed by the President.

The bill will require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, up to 400,000 silver dollars, and up to 750,000 clad half dollars in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is suggested that to the extent possible without significantly adding to the purchase price, the gold coins and silver dollars should be produced so that the reverse is convex to more closely resemble a baseball and the obverse is concave for dramatic display of the design.

The designs for the coins will be selected by the Secretary following consultation with the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Commission of Fine Arts, and review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. The Secretary is directed to hold a competition to determine the common obverse design of all three coins, which will be emblematic of the game of baseball. Potential designs may be accepted from artists, engravers of the United States Mint, and members of the public with compensation for the winning design of at least $5,000. The common reverse design of the coins will depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball.

Surcharges will be added to the cost of each coin in the amount of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half dollar, which will be distributed to the Secretary of the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.

One of the amendments included in the bill passed by the Senate specifies that the commemorative coins may be issued only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2014. The original version of the bill as well as a separate bill introduced in the Senate had both specified issuance in 2015. An additional amendment requires financial assurances that the minting and issuing of the coins will not result in any net cost to the United States government.

Source: Coin Update

[BradH]

Don't want to sidetrack Gary's thread, but this is somewhat related. Sorry if it's already been posted - received the release from the Hall of Fame yesterday afteroon...

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME NEWS

http://www.BaseballHall.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2012

Postal Service to Unveil New Stamps Depicting Four Hall of Fame Legends on Friday in Cooperstown

-- Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to Attend Celebration as Joe DiMaggio, Larry Doby, Willie Stargell and Ted Williams Honored on ‘Forever’ Stamps at Museum --

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – On the weekend when heroes return to Cooperstown, some of the game’s legendary names of yesteryear will be honored with a uniquely American celebration at the home of baseball.

Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn will help celebrate the lives of four Hall of Fame teammates on Friday during the First-Day-of-Issue Major League Baseball All-Stars stamps dedication ceremony in Cooperstown.

The new Baseball Legends Stamps will be unveiled at 10 a.m. on July 20 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The dedication ceremony, which is an invitation-only event, will be shown for fans via closed-circuit television in Cooper Park adjacent to the Museum. Available nationwide that day, the stamps can also be purchased at the Museum and the Cooperstown Post Office.

Four of baseball’s most revered Hall of Famers will be immortalized on 45-cent First-Class Forever stamps. Appearing on the Major League Baseball All-Stars sheet of 20 stamps will be Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees; Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians; Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates; and Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox.

Brian Kenny of MLB Network will serve as emcee, with remarks from Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; Patrick R. Donahoe, United States Postmaster General; and Louis J. Giuliano, member of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors. Honored guests will include Larry Doby Jr. (son of Larry Doby), Margaret Weller-Stargell (wife of Willie Stargell) and Kathie DiMaggio Stein (granddaughter of Joe DiMaggio).

The stamps were designed by artist-illustrator Kadir Nelson of Los Angeles and are based on historic photographs. Phil Jordan of Falls Church, Va., served as art director.

Tony Gwynn was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007 after a stellar 20-year big league career with the San Diego Padres in which he compiled a .338 career batting average and won eight National League batting titles. Tony Gwynn’s daughter, recording artist Anisha Nicole, will perform the National Anthem at the dedication ceremony.

The dedication ceremony will be one of many exciting events of the July 20-23 Hall of Fame Weekend, which will feature the induction of Barry Larkin and Ron Santo as the Class of 2012. The Induction Ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 22 at the Clark Sports Center, one mile south of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

For more information on Hall of Fame Weekend 2012, please visit www.baseballhall.org.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Museum observes regular hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. From Memorial Day Weekend through the day before Labor Day, the Museum observes summer hours of 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Ticket prices are $19.50 for adults (13 and over), $12 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $7 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.

--30—

[BradH]

The kids ran by and hit my computer as I was typing

[Gary Dunaier]

The Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins are going to happen.

President Obama signed the bill into law yesterday.

Source: Coin Collectors Blog