I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1195 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of Mark Twain. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2009 
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut (for himself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. MASSA, 
and Mr. LUETKEMEYER) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 
in commemoration of Mark Twain. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mark Twain Com-
memorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Samuel Clemens—better known to the 
world as Mark Twain—was a unique American voice 
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whose literary work has had a lasting effect on our 
Nation’s history and culture. 
(2) Mark Twain remains one of the best known 
Americans in the world with over 6,500 editions of 
his books translated into 75 languages. 
(3) Mark Twain’s literary and educational leg-
acy remains strong even today, with nearly every 
book he wrote still in print, including The Adven-
tures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry 
Finn—both of which have never gone out of print 
since they were first published over a century ago. 
(4) In the past 2 decades alone, there have been 
more than 100 books published and over 250 doc-
toral dissertations written on Mark Twain’s life and 
work. 
(5) Even today, Americans seek to know more 
about the life and work of Mark Twain, as people 
from around the world and across all 50 States an-
nually flock to National Historic Landmarks like the 
Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT and 
the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Han-
nibal, MO. 
(6) Mark Twain’s work is remembered today 
for addressing the complex social issues facing 
America at the turn of the century, including the 
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legacy of the Civil War, race relations, and the eco-
nomic inequalities of the ‘‘Gilded Age’’. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas-
ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
shall mint and issue the following coins: 
(1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 100,000 
$5 coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 8.359 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent 
alloy. 
(2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000 
$1 coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 26.73 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 
(C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 per-
cent copper. 
(b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 
Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 
title 31, United States Code. 
(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted 
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
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