WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
first of several ceremonies to unveil designs for commemorative
coins honoring celebrated author Mark Twain took place today at the
Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Mo.
The event took place two days before the 180th anniversary of
his birth, with subsequent celebrations planned for the Mark Twain
House & Museum in Hartford,
Conn. (Nov. 30) and
Elmira College Center for Mark Twain
Studies in New York (Nov. 30).
The coins' designs are emblematic of Twain's life and
legacy. The gold coin's obverse design features a portrait of
Mark Twain with the inscriptions "LIBERTY," "IN GOD WE TRUST," and
"2016." The obverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program
(AIP) artist Benjamin Sowards and
sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.
The gold coin's reverse design depicts a steamboat on the
Mississippi River. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "$5," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM." The reverse was
designed by AIP artist Ronald D.
Sanders and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver
Joseph Menna.
The silver coin's obverse design features a portrait of Mark
Twain holding a pipe with the smoke forming a silhouette of Huck
Finn and Jim on a raft in the background. Inscriptions are
"LIBERTY," "IN GOD WE TRUST," and "2016." The obverse was
designed by AIP artist Chris
Costello and sculpted by United States Mint
Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso.
The silver coin's reverse design features an assortment of
characters leaping to life from Mark Twain's works: The
knight and horse from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's
Court, the frog from The Celebrated Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County, and Jim and
Huck from The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "$1," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM." The reverse was
designed by AIP artist Patricia
Lucas-Morris and sculpted by United States Mint
Sculptor-Engraver Renata Gordon.
Public Law 112-201, the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act of
2012, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue
not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins
and 350,000 $1 silver coins in
uncirculated and proof qualities. Surcharges collected from
coin sales—$35 for each gold coin and $10 for each silver coin—are authorized to be
distributed as follows:
- One-quarter to the Mark Twain House & Museum in
Hartford, Conn., to support the
continued restoration of the Mark Twain house and grounds and
ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to
research, promote, and educate the public on the legacy of Mark
Twain
- One-quarter to the University of
California, Berkeley, for the benefit of the Mark Twain
Project at the Bancroft Library to support programs to study and
promote the legacy of Mark Twain
- One-quarter to Elmira College in
New York for research and
education purposes
- One-quarter to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in
Hannibal, Mo., to preserve
historical sites related to Mark Twain and help support programs to
study and promote his legacy.
Additional information will be announced prior to the coins'
release in 2016.
About the United States Mint
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 taxpayers.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Information about the United States Mint is available at
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/.
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SOURCE United States Mint