For the second time in the same week, the U.S. Senate has unanimously passed legislation authorizing the minting of new coins by the United States Mint.
The Senate passed a bill that will create new Girl Scout Commemorative coins on Tuesday. Yesterday, October 22, 2009, the H.R. 1209 Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 was given thumbs up. The U.S. House passed the same bill back on May 14th. The Act will now be forwarded to the White House in order for President Obama to sign it into law.
When introducing the bill to his chamber, Representative Christopher P. Carney (one of only two congressman who is actively serving in the military) made the following statement:
"We owe everything to those who wore the uniform and committed extraordinary acts of bravery in defense of their colleagues and nation," said Carney. "The Medal of Honor is the highest award that an individual serving in the armed forces can receive."
The Medal of Honor was first authorized by Congress back in 1861 and is the highest award for valor a member of the military can receive for actions against an enemy. Because of its requirements, fewer than 3,500 of the medals have ever been issued, most of them posthumously.
According to the Act, the US Mint can strike up to 500,000 silver dollars as well as up to 100,000 $5 gold coins. Surcharges of $10 and $35 respectively, will be added to the price of each coin with that amount being forwarded to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help fund its initiatives.
Due out in 2011, each coin will carry the standard inscriptions of 'Liberty', 'In God We Trust', 'United States of America', and 'E Pluribus Unum.' Other than that, the only design requirements are that it should "contain motifs that represent the 3 Medal of Honor designs (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and specifically honor the Medal of Honor recipients of both today and yesterday."
Proof and uncirculated versions of each coin will be struck with the gold coin containing 90% gold and 10% alloy weighing 8.359 grams with a diameter of 0.850 inches. The silver coin will contain 90% silver and 10% copper with a weight of 26.73 grams and a diameter of 1.5 inches.
For the latest 2009 bills relating to coins, visit the Coinage Legislation page.
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