An act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition of the 60th Anniversary of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
PL 115-343 (H.R.1235), enacted 12/21/2018

132 STAT. 5043 
PUBLIC LAW 115–343—DEC. 21, 2018 
Public Law 115–343 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition of the 60th 
Anniversary of the Naismith Memorial Basketball 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 ‘‘Naismith Memorial Basketball 
Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) On December 21, 1891, a young physical education 
instructor named James Naismith, introduced the game of 
‘‘basket ball’’ to his physical education class, in Springfield, 
Massachusetts. 
(2) In 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of 
Fame was founded and dedicated to the game’s creator Dr. 
James Naismith, in Springfield, MA, ‘‘The Birthplace of Basket-
ball’’ and became the first and only museum to honor the 
game at all levels around the world. 
(3) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors 
players who have achieved greatness, exemplary coaches, ref-
erees and other major contributors to the sport of basketball. 
The Inaugural Hall of Fame Class of 1959 had seventeen hon-
orees who were inducted, including Dr. James Naismith, George 
Mikan, Forrest C. Allen, Angelo Luisetti, Original Celtics and 
First Team. 
(4) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is 
recognized throughout the world as the premier institution 
entrusted with recording and disseminating the history of the 
game of basketball and recognizing and honoring the achieve-
ments of its greatest players, coaches, and contributors. 
(5) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame pro-
vides an entertaining, enriching experience and is known for 
its educational outreach programs and celebrates and promotes 
positive core values demonstrated by basketball’s hallowed 
heroes and its founder. 
(6) Basketball is one of America’s national treasures, with 
its fast pace which reflects the freedom of expression and the 
modern experience of life in the 21st century. 
(7) Since its opening in 1959, the Naismith Memorial 
Basketball Hall of Fame is home to the largest collection of 
basketball memorabilia in the world, including more than 
Naismith 
Memorial 
Basketball 
Hall of Fame 
Commemorative 
Coin Act. 
31 USC 5112 
note. 
Dec. 21, 2018 
[H.R. 1235] 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
14:16 Jan 18, 2024
Jkt 079194
PO 00000
Frm 00615
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6581
G:\STATUTES\2018\GOVINFO FILES FOR ERIC\PART 4\79194PT4.001
79194PT4
whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with STATUTES
132 STAT. 5044 
PUBLIC LAW 115–343—DEC. 21, 2018 
30,000 three-dimensional objects, 800,000 photographs, and 1.5 
million documents. 
(8) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame wel-
comes more than 6 million visitors interested in discovering 
the rich history of the game through its stories, its personalities, 
and its most celebrated moments. 
(9) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 
reaches over 7 million Americans through its educational pro-
grams, events, exhibits, social media, and its interactive 
website. 
(10) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s 
customized educational programs use basketball to teach young 
students around the world the important lessons on a variety 
of topics including: financial literacy, mathematics, civil rights, 
leadership of character, women’s and men’s history, and geog-
raphy. 
(11) The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will 
lead the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Basketball 
and will partner with a select group of constituents including 
the National Basketball Association, the National Collegiate 
Athletic Association, and USA Basketball in commemorating 
the game throughout the 2019–2020 basketball season. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—In recognition and celebration of the 
Naismith Memorial Basketball 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) be struck on a planchet having a 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) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of 1.500 
inches; and 
(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 
(3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more than 750,000 half- 
dollar coins which shall— 
(A) weigh 11.34 grams; 
(B) be struck on a planchet having 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) DOME SHAPE.—The coins minted under this Act shall be 
in the shape of a dome. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
14:16 Jan 18, 2024
Jkt 079194
PO 00000
Frm 00616
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6581
G:\STATUTES\2018\GOVINFO FILES FOR ERIC\PART 4\79194PT4.001
79194PT4
whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with STATUTES
132 STAT. 5045 
PUBLIC LAW 115–343—DEC. 21, 2018 
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 the 
Commission of Fine Arts; and 
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 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 ‘‘2020’’; 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 
minted under this Act, with such design being emblematic 
of the game of basketball. 
(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. 
(3) PROPOSALS.—As part of the competition described in 
this subsection, the Secretary may accept proposals from artists, 
engravers and other employees of the United States Mint, 
other Government employees, 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 basketball. 
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, 2020. 
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. 
Effective date. 
Determination. 
Determination. 
Consultation. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
14:16 Jan 18, 2024
Jkt 079194
PO 00000
Frm 00617
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6581
G:\STATUTES\2018\GOVINFO FILES FOR ERIC\PART 4\79194PT4.001
79194PT4
whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with STATUTES
132 STAT. 5046 
PUBLIC LAW 115–343—DEC. 21, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1235: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 163 (2017): Sept. 25, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 164 (2018): Dec. 18, considered and passed Senate. 
(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 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 
to fund an endowment that will enable increased operations and 
educational programming of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall 
of Fame. 
(c) AUDITS.—The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 
shall be subject 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. 
Approved December 21, 2018. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
14:16 Jan 18, 2024
Jkt 079194
PO 00000
Frm 00618
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6580
G:\STATUTES\2018\GOVINFO FILES FOR ERIC\PART 4\79194PT4.001
79194PT4
whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with STATUTES