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$Congressional Research Service
~ Informing the legislative debate since 1914
Commemorative Coins: An Overview
Updated March 11, 2025
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.
Since 1892, Congress has authorized more than 150
commemorative coins. The first commemorative coin was
authorized in 1892 for the Columbia Exposition in Chicago.
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 1, 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. §5I I2(m)(1)
Authorizing Commemorative Coins
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
2022 and 2027. No coins were authorized for 2023.
Currently, one coin has been authorized for each of the
years 2025, 2026, and 2027. No coins have yet been
authorized for 2028 or beyond.
Table 1. Authorized Commemorative Coins
2022-2027
Year
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Commemorative Coin
Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial
Purple Heart Hall of Honor
No Commemorative Coins Authorized
Greatest Generation
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial
United States Marine Corps 250th Anniversary
[Open]
FIFA World Cup 2026
[Open]
Working Dogs
[Open]
Source: CRS examination of public laws.
Congressional Consideration
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 has not been included in the committee
rules adopted for recent Congresses. Floor protocols issued
by the House majority leader in the 119th Congress limit the
scheduling of commemorative coin bills. The protocols
state, in part, that [t]he Majority Leader shall only consider
commemorative coin bills that receive at least 290
cosponsors and are submitted to the Committee on
Financial Services to be scheduled for the Floor.
In recent Congresses, the Senate, Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs Committee Rule 8 has required that at least
67 Senators must cosponsor any ... commemorative coin
bill or resolution before consideration by the Committee.
Designing Commemorative Coins
After Congress has authorized a commemorative coin, the
U.S. Treasury begins the process of designing the coin. This
ed process involves consultation with the Citizens Coinage
Advisory Committee (CCAC) and a design
recommendation by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
(CFA).
Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee
Established by P.L. 108-15, the CCAC advises the
Secretary of the Treasury on theme and design of all U.S.
coins and medals. For commemorative coins, the CCAC
ittps://crsreports.congress. gc](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/commvec0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)