In the days prior to the election, a number of commemorative coin bills were approved by the House and Senate and signed into law by President George W. Bush. These include: • H.R. 3229, to require the secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the legacy of the United States Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center. Signed on Oct. 8, 2008. (Public Law 110-357) • H.R. 5872, to require the secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America. Signed Oct. 8. (Public Law 110-363) Then there are bills that have passed one house, but not the other – and remain candidates for lame duck action. (The name means that those voting are “lame” in that it includes members not re-elected in November). There are some 62 bills. Highlights follow: • Two versions of the NASA 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act that have passed are identical except for the Senate or House number. One must be chosen and the other house approve the change before it can be sent to the President for signature. This calls for up to 50,000 gold one-ounce coins depicting the sun with a $50 face value and for up to 300,000 each of nine silver dollars depicting the nine planets in the solar system. • To authorize the production in palladium of Saint-Gaudens double eagle coins as ultra-high relief numismatic coins and bullion investment coins. • Mother’s Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. Passed House. • Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act. Passed House. • Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act. Passed House. • America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. Passed House. Similar to 50 states quarter program except it would honor parks. • Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commemoration Act of 2007. Passed House. Measures not approved by both houses before the 111th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2009, die with the conclusion of the 110th Congress. Measures that pass may be signed by President Bush before he leaves office Jan. 20 provided it is not more than 10 days after presented; otherwise, it’s a “pocket veto.” Then the measure must be reintroduced if it is to go forward in the new Congress. ****************************************************************** It looks like with the mint stopping many of the gold and platinum collector bullion coins they will now flood us with commemoratives. The Nasa series is especially creative, it is a one ounce gold sun and 9 one ounce silver planets. That is ten coins alone each set, plus both proof and UNC or twenty coins total! if it is signed and they do make them it will be interesting to see if they sell them as an entire set or individually like spouse coins. I wonder which will be the most popular planets? I am not sure how they will do pluto, maybe that will be the low mintage winner. Anyway looks like a tsunami of commemoratives is headed our way!
With the economic downturn at the fore, there could be some very low mintage modern commemoratives, that is if they get minted at all.
I can answer two questions here..... When/If the NASA set comes out they will only be made in Proof coins. The last article I read, they said that the release date was pushed back from 2008 to either 2009 or 2010. The article said that 2010 was expected because the mint already has 2 commemoratives that are scheduled for next year.... although there was a small blurp in last weeks Numismatic News that said there was a possiblility that hinted that the set may come out next year. Also, in an article I read a while ago, Pluto would be refered to as the dwarf plant and not a planet.
