COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — The common reverse (tails side) design for the United States Mint’s 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins was unveiled today during opening day festivities of Induction Weekend (July 26–28) at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.
The design, which will appear on the reverses of all three coins in the program, depicts a baseball similar to those used in Major League Baseball®. Inscriptions on each coin’s reverse are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Additional inscriptions include FIVE DOLLARS on the gold coin, ONE DOLLAR on the silver dollar, and HALF DOLLAR on the clad coin. Line art of the designs is available in the United States Mint’s image library at /news/image-library/news-image-gallery. United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Don Everhart designed and sculpted the image.
The common reverse design will be on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum throughout the rest of the summer, along with the 16 finalist designs for the common obverse (heads side).
The National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 112–152) authorizes the United States Mint to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half–dollar clad coins in recognition and celebration of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year. The coins’ reverses will be convex to more closely resemble a baseball, and the obverses (heads side) will be concave, with a design emblematic of the game of baseball. The obverse design is being selected from a public design competition.
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 National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations. The United States Mint will release the coins in early 2014.
The United States Mint was created by Congress in 1792 and became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. It is the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage and is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The United States Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. The United States Mint’s numismatic programs are self–sustaining and operate at no cost to the taxpayer.