National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act
PL 112-152 (H.R.2527), enacted 08/03/2012

126 STAT. 1155 
PUBLIC LAW 112–152—AUG. 3, 2012 
Public Law 112–152 
112th Congress 
An Act 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition and celebration 
of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Baseball Hall of Fame 
Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) On June 12, 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame 
and Museum opened in Cooperstown, New York. Ty Cobb, 
Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus 
Wagner comprised the inaugural class of inductees. This class 
set the standard for all future inductees. Since 1939, just one 
percent of all Major League Baseball players have earned induc-
tion into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 
(2) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is 
dedicated to preserving history, honoring excellence, and con-
necting generations through the rich history of our national 
pastime. Baseball has mirrored our Nation’s history since the 
Civil War, and is now an integral part of our Nation’s heritage. 
(3) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum chron-
icles the history of our national pastime and houses the world’s 
largest collection of baseball artifacts, including more than 
38,000 three dimensional artifacts, 3,000,000 documents, 
500,000 photographs, and 12,000 hours of recorded media. This 
collection ensures that baseball history and its unique connec-
tion to American history will be preserved and recounted for 
future generations. 
(4) Since its opening in 1939, more than 14,000,000 baseball 
fans have visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and 
Museum to learn about the history of our national pastime 
and the game’s connection to the American experience. 
(5) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is 
an educational institution, reaching 10,000,000 Americans 
annually. Utilizing video conference technology, students and 
teachers participate in interactive lessons led by educators from 
the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. These award- 
winning educational programs draw upon the wonders of base-
ball to reach students in classrooms nationwide. Each edu-
cational program uses baseball as a lens for teaching young 
Americans important lessons on an array of topics, including 
National 
Baseball Hall of 
Fame 
Commemorative 
Coin Act. 
31 USC 5112 
note. 
Aug. 3, 2012 
[H.R. 2527] 
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126 STAT. 1156 
PUBLIC LAW 112–152—AUG. 3, 2012 
mathematics, 
geography, 
civil 
rights, 
women’s 
history, 
economics, industrial technology, arts, and communication. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—In recognition and celebration of the 
National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Secretary of the Treasury 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall mint 
and issue the following coins: 
(1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 coins, which 
shall— 
(A) weigh 8.359 grams; 
(B) have diameter of 0.850 inches; and 
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy. 
(2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 $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 percent copper. 
(3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more than 750,000 half- 
dollar coins which shall— 
(A) weigh 11.34 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 
(C) be minted to the specifications for half-dollar coins 
contained in section 5112(b) of title 31, United States Code. 
(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 sections 5134 and 
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this 
Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
(d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that, 
to the extent possible without significantly adding to the purchase 
price of the coins, the $1 coins and $5 coins minted under this 
Act should be produced in a fashion similar to the 2009 Inter-
national Year of Astronomy coins issued by Monnaie de Paris, 
the French Mint, so that the reverse of the coin is convex to 
more closely resemble a baseball and the obverse concave, providing 
a more dramatic display of the obverse design chosen pursuant 
to section 4(c). 
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The design for the coins minted under this 
Act shall be— 
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with— 
(A) the National Baseball Hall of Fame; 
(B) the Commission of Fine Arts; and 
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory 
Committee. 
(b) DESIGNATIONS
AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each coin minted 
under this Act there shall be— 
(1) a designation of the value of the coin; 
(2) an inscription of the year ‘‘2014’’; and 
(3) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In God We Trust’’, 
‘‘United States of America’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 
(c) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROCESS FOR OBVERSE DESIGN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall hold a competition 
to determine the design of the common obverse of the coins 
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126 STAT. 1157 
PUBLIC LAW 112–152—AUG. 3, 2012 
minted under this Act, with such design being emblematic 
of the game of baseball. 
(2) SELECTION AND APPROVAL.—Proposals for the design 
of coins minted under this Act may be submitted in accordance 
with the design selection and approval process developed by 
the Secretary in the sole discretion of the Secretary. The Sec-
retary shall encourage 3-dimensional models to be submitted 
as part of the design proposals. 
(3) PROPOSALS.—As part of the competition described in 
this subsection, the Secretary may accept proposals from artists, 
engravers of the United States Mint, and members of the 
general public. 
(4) COMPENSATION.—The Secretary shall determine com-
pensation for the winning design under this subsection, which 
shall be not less than $5,000. The Secretary shall take into 
account this compensation amount when determining the sale 
price described in section 6(a). 
(d) REVERSE DESIGN.—The design on the common reverse of 
the coins minted under this Act shall depict a baseball similar 
to those used by Major League Baseball. 
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 
(a) QUALITY
OF COINS.—Coins minted under this Act shall 
be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 
(b) PERIOD
FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may issue coins 
minted under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning 
on January 1, 2014. 
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 
(a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act shall be 
sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of— 
(1) the face value of the coins; 
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with respect 
to such coins; and 
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including 
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, winning design com-
pensation, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 
(b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the 
coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount. 
(c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders 
for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of 
such coins. 
(2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to prepaid orders 
under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount. 
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins minted under this Act 
shall include a surcharge as follows: 
(1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin. 
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin. 
(3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin. 
(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United 
States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the 
sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by 
the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance 
its operations. 
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126 STAT. 1158 
PUBLIC LAW 112–152—AUG. 3, 2012 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 2527: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 157 (2011): Oct. 25, 26, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 158 (2012): July 12, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
July 19, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
(c) AUDITS.—The National Baseball Hall of Fame shall be sub-
ject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, 
United States Code, with regard to the amounts received under 
subsection (b). 
(d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), no surcharge 
may be included with respect to the issuance under this Act of 
any coin during a calendar year if, as of the time of such issuance, 
the issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemora-
tive coin programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 
commemorative coin program issuance limitation under section 
5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in effect on the 
date of the enactment of this Act). The Secretary of the Treasury 
may issue guidance to carry out this subsection. 
SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary 
to ensure that— 
(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not result 
in any net cost to the United States Government; and 
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed 
to any recipient designated in section 7 until the total cost 
of designing and issuing all of the coins authorized by this 
Act (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, winning 
design compensation, overhead expenses, marketing, and ship-
ping) is recovered by the United States Treasury, consistent 
with sections 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 
Code. 
SEC. 9. BUDGET COMPLIANCE. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined 
by reference to the latest statement titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of 
PAYGO Legislation’’ for this Act, submitted for printing in the 
Congressional Record by the Chairman of the Committee on the 
Budget of the House of Representatives, provided that such state-
ment has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. 
Approved August 3, 2012. 
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