I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2527 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition and 

celebration of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 14, 2011 

Mr. HANNA (for himself, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. CRAWFORD, 

Mr. ROSS of Arkansas, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. CARDOZA, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. HERGER, Mr. ISSA, Ms. LEE of California, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. POLIS, Mr. LARSON

of Connecticut, Mr. CARNEY, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. 

DIAZ-BALART, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. MICA, Mr. ROONEY, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. BRALEY of 

Iowa, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. 

KINZINGER of Illinois, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. BURTON of 

Indiana, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. DONNELLY of Indiana, Ms. JENKINS, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. RICHMOND, 

Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. KEATING, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. NEAL, Mr. TIERNEY, 

Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, 

Mr. WALBERG, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. KLINE, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. LONG, Mr. HARPER, Mr. THOMPSON

of Mississippi, Mr. KISSELL, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. SHULER, 

Mr. TERRY, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. HOLT, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. SIRES, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. 

LUJA ́N, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. 

HINCHEY, Mr. ISRAEL, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. REED, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. RENACCI, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. WALDEN, Mr. WU, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. BRADY

of Pennsylvania, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. KELLY, Mr. 

MARINO, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. PLATTS, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. 

LANGEVIN, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mrs. NOEM, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

COOPER, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. FARENTHOLD, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. HURT, Mr. MORAN, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. WELCH, Mr. 

INSLEE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. MOORE, Mr. 

RAHALL, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mrs. BACHMANN, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2527 IH

CROWLEY, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. CRITZ, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. 

DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Ms. HOCHUL, 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. COBLE, Mr. AUSTRIA, Mr. GOWDY, Mr. 

SCOTT of South Carolina, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia, 

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. GOSAR, Ms. BASS of California, Mrs. 

BONO MACK, Ms. CHU, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Ms. PELOSI, 

Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. 

BROWN of Florida, Mr. RIVERA, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ROSS of Florida, Mr. SOUTHERLAND, Mr. WEST, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. BARROW, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. LABRADOR, Mrs. BIGGERT, 

Mr. DOLD, Mr. HULTGREN, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. 

SHIMKUS, Mr. BUCSHON, Mr. ROKITA, Mr. POMPEO, Mr. LANDRY, Mr. 

FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. BARTLETT, Ms. EDWARDS, 

Mr. HOYER, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. 

HUIZENGA of Michigan, Mr. UPTON, Mr. CRAVAACK, Mr. PAULSEN, Mr. 

PETERSON, Mr. WALZ of Minnesota, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mrs. 

HARTZLER, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. NUNNELEE, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. ELLMERS, Mr. JONES, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. WATT, 

Mr. BERG, Mr. BASS of New Hampshire, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. LANCE, Mr. 

RUNYAN, Ms. BUERKLE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. 

GRIMM, Ms. HAYWORTH, Mr. KING of New York, Mrs. MALONEY, Mrs. 

MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. NADLER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. 

SLAUGHTER, Mr. TONKO, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. JOHNSON of 

Ohio, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. BOREN, Mr. COLE, Mr. 

LANKFORD, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. BARLETTA, Mr. 

DENT, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. CICILLINE, 

Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, Mr. 

FLEISCHMANN, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. 

CANSECO, Mr. CARTER, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. CONNOLLY of 

Virginia, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. DICKS, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER, Mr. 

DUFFY, Mr. KIND, Mr. PETRI, Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. MCKINLEY, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. DENHAM, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. PENCE, 

Mr. YOUNG of Indiana, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. 

GIBBS, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. STIVERS, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. 

FORBES, Mr. REICHERT, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. DREIER, Mr. THOMPSON of 

California, Mr. HECK, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. FLORES, Ms. 

GRANGER, Mr. HALL, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. OLSON, Mr. 

SMITH of Texas, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. LATTA, and Mr. 

BACA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2527 IH

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 

in recognition and celebration of the National Baseball 

Hall of Fame. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Baseball Hall 

5 of Fame Commemorative Coin Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) On June 12, 1939, the National Baseball 

9 Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Cooperstown, 

10 New York. Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy 

11 Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner com12 prised the inaugural class of inductees. This class 

13 set the standard for all future inductees. Since 

14 1939, just one percent of all Major League Baseball 

15 players have earned induction into the National 

16 Baseball Hall of Fame. 

17 (2) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and 

18 Museum is dedicated to preserving history, honoring 

19 excellence, and connecting generations through the 

20 rich history of our national pastime. Baseball has 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2527 IH

1 mirrored our Nation’s history since the Civil War, 

2 and is now an integral part of our Nation’s heritage. 

3 (3) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and 

4 Museum chronicles the history of our national pas5 time and houses the world’s largest collection of 

6 baseball artifacts, including more than 38,000 three 

7 dimensional artifacts, 3,000,000 documents, 

8 500,000 photographs, and 12,000 hours of recorded 

9 media. This collection ensures that baseball history 

10 and its unique connection to American history will 

11 be preserved and recounted for future generations. 

12 (4) Since its opening in 1939, more than 

13 14,000,000 baseball fans have visited the National 

14 Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to learn about 

15 the history of our national pastime and the game’s 

16 connection to the American experience. 

17 (5) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and 

18 Museum is an educational institution, reaching 

19 10,000,000 Americans annually. Utilizing video con20 ference technology, students and teachers participate 

21 in interactive lessons led by educators from the Na22 tional Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. These award23 winning educational programs draw upon the won24 ders of baseball to reach students in classrooms na25 tionwide. Each educational program uses baseball as 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 2527 IH

1 a lens for teaching young Americans important les2 sons on an array of topics, including mathematics, 

3 geography, civil rights, women’s history, economics, 

4 industrial technology, arts, and communication. 

5 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

6 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—In recognition and celebration 

7 of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Secretary of 

8 the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec9 retary’’) shall mint and issue the following coins: 

10 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 

11 coins, which shall— 

12 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 

13 (B) have diameter of 0.850 inches; and 

14 (C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent 

15 alloy. 

16 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 

17 $1 coins, which shall— 

18 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 

19 (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 

20 (C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 per21 cent copper. 

22 (3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more 

23 than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall— 

24 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 

25 (B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 2527 IH

1 (C) be minted to the specifications for half2 dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 

3 31, United States Code. 

4 (b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 

5 Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 

6 title 31, United States Code. 

7 (c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

8 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 

9 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis10 matic items. 

11 (d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con12 gress that coins minted under this Act should be produced 

13 in a fashion similar to the 2009 International Year of As14 tronomy coins issued by Monnaie de Paris, the French 

15 Mint, so that the reverse of the coin is convex to more 

16 closely resemble a baseball and the obverse concave, pro17 viding a more dramatic display of the obverse design cho18 sen pursuant to section 4(c). 

19 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 

20 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The design of the coins 

22 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 

23 game of baseball and of its place in American sports 

24 and the American way of life. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 2527 IH

1 (2) DESIGNATIONS AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 

2 each coin minted under this Act there shall be— 

3 (A) a designation of the value of the coin; 

4 (B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2015’’; and 

5 (C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 

6 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer7 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 

8 (b) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 

9 under this Act shall be— 

10 (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation 

11 with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the 

12 Commission of Fine Arts and in accordance with 

13 subparagraph (c); and 

14 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 

15 Committee. 

16 (c) OBVERSE DESIGN COMPETITION.—The Secretary 

17 shall hold a competition and provide compensation for its 

18 winner to design the obverse of the coins minted under 

19 this Act. The competition shall be held in the following 

20 manner: 

21 (1) The competition shall be judged by an ex22 pert jury chaired by the Secretary and consisting of 

23 3 members from the Citizens Coinage Advisory Com24 mittee who shall be elected by such Committee and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 2527 IH

1 3 members from the Commission of Fine Arts who 

2 shall be elected by such Commission. 

3 (2) The Secretary shall determine compensation 

4 for the winning design, which shall be not less than 

5 $5,000. 

6 (3) The Secretary may not accept a design for 

7 the competition unless a plaster model accompanies 

8 the design. 

9 (d) REVERSE DESIGN.—The design on the reverse of 

10 the coins minted under this Act shall depict a baseball 

11 similar to those used by Major League Baseball. 

12 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

13 (a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 

14 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

15 (b) MINT FACILITIES.—Any facility of the United 

16 States Mint may be used to strike uncirculated and half17 dollar coins, but only the United States Mint facility at 

18 West Point, New York, may be used to strike coins in 

19 proof quality. 

20 (c) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 

21 issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 

22 period beginning on January 1, 2015. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 2527 IH

1 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

2 (a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 

3 shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum 

4 of— 

5 (1) the face value of the coins; 

6 (2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with 

7 respect to such coins; and 

8 (3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins 

9 (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 

10 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 

11 (b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk 

12 sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable 

13 discount. 

14 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 

16 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 

17 before the issuance of such coins. 

18 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre19 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea20 sonable discount. 

21 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins minted under 

23 this Act shall include a surcharge as follows: 

24 (1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin. 

25 (2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 2527 IH

1 (3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dol2 lar coin. 

3 (b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 

4 title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by 

5 the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act 

6 shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the National 

7 Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations. 

8 (c) AUDITS.—The National Baseball Hall of Fame 

9 shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 

10 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard 

11 to the amounts received under subsection (b). 

12 (d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 

13 no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance 

14 under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as 

15 of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin 

16 would result in the number of commemorative coin pro17 grams issued during such year to exceed the annual com18 memorative coin program issuance limitation under sec19 tion 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in ef20 fect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec21 retary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 

22 this subsection. 

23 SEC. 8. BUDGET COMPLIANCE. 

24 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

25 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 2527 IH

1 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

2 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

3 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

4 by the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the 

5 House of Representatives, provided that such statement 

6 has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. 

Æ 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS