US Mint Baseball Coins

US Mint Hall of Fame Baseball Coins

Though it no longer occupies the top spot in America’s sporting culture, surpassed by the National Football League, baseball is still America’s official pastime. Major League Baseball is the oldest sporting organization in the United States, having been founded in 1869. The first official, organized game, took place following the founding of the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869. The United States Mint pulled out all the stops in production of the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coin in honor of the nation’s pastime.

Introduction to the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame Coin

Following passage of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act in August 2012, the United States Mint was authorized to create a series of coins honoring Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. The series includes 50,000 $5 gold coins, 750,000 half-dollar clad coins, and 400,000 $1 silver coins. The goal of the program was to recognize the 75^th anniversary of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, celebrated in 2014.

During April and May of 2013, a nationwide competition was held by the US Mint and Treasury Department to find a design for the reverse side of the coin. The competition challenged artists, sculptors, and designers to come up with an image that represented the sport in a manner everyone can connect to. At the end of the search, Cassie McFarland’s design of an open baseball glove was selected from a group of finalists in September 4, 2013. The selection committee consisted of representatives of the Department of the Treasury, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and the US Commission of Fine Arts, with review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

About the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame Coins

This coin is the first ever 3D, curved coin produced by the United States Mint. The coin’s design is such that the design on the reverse of the coin is convex, while the obverse side is concave. Cassie McFarland’s baseball glove design is used on the obverse side, giving it a sense of realism with its concave imagery. The reverse design, a baseball, also brings a sense of realism as the convex design makes it appear as though the ball is flying off the coin’s surface.

As this was the first coin produced with a curved design by the US Mint in its 222-year history, the Mint worked closely with several other respected mints around the globe to perfect the design. The Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coin is modeled after a curved design introduced by the Monnaie de Paris (French Mint) in 2009, as well as the Royal Australian Mint’s Southern Cross curved coins.

Throughout the planning and development phase of the coin, the US Mint was in contact with professionals at the Royal Australian Mint and Perth Mint. The technical insight gathered through this collaboration allowed the US Mint to overcome hurdles such as the height of relief limitations, milling, turning, grinding, coinability, laser frosting, and proof polishing, all of which posed potential issues in the production of the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coins.

Coin Design

McFarland’s design is featured on the obverse side of the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coin. Her simple design features an open baseball glove, with the engravings “Liberty” and “In God We Trust” encircling the palm. Along with realistic stitching images, the year of minting (2014) is engraved in the palm of the glove.

On the reverse side of the coin is the 3D image of a baseball, complete with the seams of the ball and a matte finish. Engravings on this side of the coin include “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” and “One Dollar.” This image was created by Don Everhart, a sculptor-engraver at the United States Mint.

McFarland is a native of San Luis Obispo, California. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, with a degree in Fine Arts, Studio Art and Design. A baseball fan at heart, she grew up cheering for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but is now a San Francisco Giants fan.

Availability and Variety in the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame Coin

All Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coins are struck using .900 fine silver with a 10 percent copper alloy. The face value of the coins is $1, and just 400,000 were struck in honor of the Hall of Fame’s 75^th anniversary. While there is only one type of coin produced in the series, the coins are packaged and sold with labels as part of special editions.

Among the special edition labels available in the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame, the majority represent some of the Hall of Fame’s greatest members, including:

• Rod Carew
• Hank Aaron
• Tom Glavine
• Ozzie Smith
• Andre Dawson
• Ernie Banks

There was even a special-edition label issued in the coin series in honor of Cassie McFarland and her winning design on the obverse side of the coin. On Silver.com, our inventory is currently limited to the Tom Glavine label coins in the Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coin.

Purchasing Coins from Silver.com

When you purchase a Silver Baseball Hall of Fame coin from Silver.com, we offer the highest level of service in terms of shipping and package protection. Any order over $3,000 is shipped absolutely free. For shipments under $3,000, we offer a flat rate fee of $5.95. There are no order minimums, so you can purchase one coin or 1,000. All purchases through Silver.com are fully insured. If your package is lost, damaged, or stolen, we work hard to recover your assets. We’ll contact the carrier to retrieve the package, or file an insurance claim on your behalf.

Your order will be packaged and shipped within one or two days of your payment clearing. Credit card and PayPal payments are processed instantly, while wire payments are shipped as soon as the wire is received.

If you have any questions for Silver.com about our products or shipping procedures, feel free to contact our team at 888-989-7223. We’re also available online through our website’s live chat and via email.