House Approves Mark Twain Gold and Silver Commemorative Coins

Gold and silver commemorative coins honoring the life and legacy of Mark Twain are one step closer to reality after the House of Representatives passed the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

The bill, H.R. 2453, was presented on July 7, 2011 by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri. It pre-dates the companion Senate version, S. 1929, which was introduced on November 30, 2011.

Both pieces of legislation call for maximum mintages of 100,000 $5 gold and 350,000 $1 silver commemorative coins for issuance during calendar year 2016.

Several attempts to celebrate Mark Twain through U.S. coins have been made since the 110th session of Congress. None have garnered enough support to pass both chambers. H.R. 2453 could change that as its passage in the House came about from a bipartisan, overwhelming vote of 408 to 4. Should either bill pass in both the House and Senate, it will be presented to the President for signing to become law.

"Mark Twain is one of our nation’s greatest scribes whose work has withstood the test of time and continues to remind Americans of where we have come as a people," said Rep. John Larson of Connecticut, who cosponsored H.R. 2453."These coins will help a new generation of Americans learn about Twain’s contributions."

Commemorative coins are often proposed and timed for release during an anniversary year of a person or significant historical event. Such is not the case for the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act due to prior failures in passing. 2010 would have been a most recent celebratory year as it coincided with the 175th anniversary of Twain’s birth (1835) and the 125th anniversary of his classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) — the sequel to another famous Twain work, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Samuel Clemens, who penned his name as Mark Twain, is lauded around the world as one of America’s greatest humorists and authors. The commemorative coins would not only feature designs emblematic of the man and his life, but also support museums and other sites with his name. H.R. 2453 calls for surcharges of $35 for each $5 gold coin and $10 for each $1 silver coin.

"Mark Twain has been an important part of our country’s history, and I’m honored that this bipartisan legislation will help preserve Twain’s literary legacy and historic sites at no cost to hard-working taxpayers," said Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer

Funds collected from surcharges placed on sales of the commemorative coins would get split into fourths and paid equally to:

• the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the continued restoration of the Mark Twain house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote and educate on the legacy of Twain.

• the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, California, to be used for research and education purposes.

• the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College Elmira College, New York, to be used for research and education purposes.

• the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites related to Twain and help support programs to study and promote his legacy.

Coin specifications outlined in the legislation are standard for modern commemoratives produced by the United States Mint. To review recent silver issues within the category, check out this site’s page on Silver Commemorative Coins.