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Commemorative Coins: An Overview
Commemorative coins are produced by the U.S. Mint
pursuant to an act of Congress. These coins celebrate and
honor American people, places, events, and institutions.
Although they are considered legal tender, they are not
minted for general circulation. Instead, they are designed to
be collected and to help designated groups raise money.
The first commemorative coin was authorized in 1892 for
the Columbia Exposition in Chicago. Since 1892, Congress
has authorized 155 new commemorative coins. Between
1954 and 1981, Congress did not authorize any new
commemorative coins. In 1982, Congress restarted the
commemorative coin program when it authorized a
commemorative half dollar to recognize George
Washington's 250th Birthday. Between 1982 and 1996-
when Congress limited the Mint to issuing two coins per
year, for coins minted after January 1, 1999, in an effort to
restrict the number of coins minted each year-the number
of commemorative coins minted was as high as six per year
(1994).
Beginning January I, 1999, the Secretary may mint
and issue commemorative coins under this section
during any calendar year with respect to not more
than 2 commemorative coin programs.
- 31 U.S.C.§5112(m)(I)
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An act of Congress is required to authorize a
commemorative coin. This legislation typically includes
several features. These include
* findings that summarize the commemorative subject's
history and importance;
* specifications for denominations, weight, and metallic
makeup;
* design requirements, including required dates, words,
and/or images;
* start and end date for minting coins and any other
limitations;
* requirements for selling coins;
* coin surcharge and distribution to designated groups;
and
* assurances that costs of the coin program are recouped
by the U.S. Mint.
Table 1 lists authorized commemorative coins between
2017 and 2022. Currently, no coins have been authorized
for 2022 or beyond.
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Table I. Authorized Commemorative Coins
2017-2022
Year
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Commemorative Coin
Lions Club International Foundation
Boys Town
WVVI American Veterans
Breast Cancer Awareness
Apollo II 501h Anniversary
American Legion I 00th Anniversary
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Women's Suffrage Centennial
Christa McAuliffe
National Law Enforcement Museum
[Open]
[Open]
Source: CRS Examination of Public Laws.
In some past Congresses, the House Committee on
Financial Services has adopted a committee rule to prohibit
(1) the scheduling of a subcommittee hearing on
commemorative coin legislation unless two-thirds of the
House cosponsored the measure, or (2) reporting a bill that
did not meet minting regulations under 31 U.S.C. §5112.
This requirement was not included in the committee rules
adopted for the 115th and 116th Congresses. Protocols issued
by the House Majority Leader in the 116th Congress limit
the scheduling of commemorative coin bills. The protocols
say that the Majority Leader shall consider the first three
commemorative coin bills in a Congress that receive 290
cosponsors and are submitted to the Committee on
Financial Services to be scheduled for the Floor.
In the Senate, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Committee Rule 8 requires that at least 67 Senators must
cosponsor any ... commemorative coin bill or resolution
before consideration by the Committee.
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After Congress has authorized a commemorative coin, the
U.S. Treasury begins the process of designing the coin. This
process involves consultation with the Citizens Coinage
Advisory Committee (CCAC) and a design
recommendation by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
(CFA).
Established by P.L. 108-15, the CCAC advises the
Secretary of the Treasury on theme and design of all U.S.
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