Silver**Silver Coins**Baseball Silver Coins
Major League Baseball is the oldest organized professional sports league in the United States. Together with the National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Basketball Association, it constitutes the nation’s so-called “big four” professional leagues. MLB was founded in 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings began play against other professional clubs. Today, the United States Mint honors the national pastime with a motif featuring the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A nationwide competition was held between April 11th and May 11th in 2013, allowing designers, artists, and sculptors from across America to submit design proposals for the Baseball Hall of Fame Silver coins. The winning design came from artist Cassie McFarland, whose creation is featured on the obverse side of all coins in the Baseball Hall of Fame series. McFarland’s design was selected by a review board that consisted of national Baseball Hall of Fame representatives, members of the Department of Treasury and the US Commission of Fine Arts, and was reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
The US Mint Baseball Hall of Fame Silver coins are the first bullion products ever struck by the Mint featuring a 3D, curved design. McFarland’s creation was officially chosen for the coin series in September 2013, and the first coins were struck and distributed in early 2014. The US Mint was authorized to produce up to 400,000 $1 silver coins for the series.
The United States Mint collaborated with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in creating this silver coin. The museum is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to fostering an appreciation of baseball’s history and its impact on American society. The centerpiece of the Hall of Fame is the collection of 300 plaques representing the Major League Baseball players inducted into the hall throughout its history. Although 300 players have been inducted, they represent just 1% of those who have participated in Major League Baseball’s 146-year history.
As the first curved coin ever designed and produced, the United States Mint collaborated with other well-known mints around the globe on the convex-concave design of the Baseball Hall of Fame coins. In fact, the convex-concave design of the coin was modeled on the 2009 International Year of Astronomy Coins struck and issued by the French Mint (Monnaie de Paris). The design is also closely related to the Royal Australian Mint’s Southern Cross curved coins.
Throughout the planning phase for production, the US Mint worked closely with the Royal Australian and Perth Mints to gather valuable insight on the specifications and processes required to produce a curved coin. The height of the coin’s reverse image and concave nature of the obverse side required exacting specifications for milling, turning, and grinding operations, as well as conquering coinability issues ranging from laser frosting to proof polishing. To date, the coins are struck in proof and uncirculated conditions.
On the obverse side of the US Baseball Hall of Fame Silver coin is McFarland’s winning design. The simplicity of baseball is evident in the lack of equipment required to compete compared to some other sports. With just a ball, bat, and glove, American kids can pick up the game on city streets and country fields. McFarland’s design features an old-school leather glove with its palm open, ready to snatch a baseball out of the air.
The uniqueness of her design becomes evident when the coin is viewed on eye level and you realize the convex nature of the obverse side makes it appear as if the glove could actually catch a ball. Inside the palm of the glove are the engravings “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” and the year of minting.
Don Everhart, a United States Mint Sculptor and Engraver, was responsible for designing the image featured on the reverse side of the Baseball Hall of Fame coins. His image depicts the other major fixture of any game of baseball: the ball itself. The design on this side of the coin creates the illusion that the baseball is actually coming off the face of the coin. Although simple in design, the depiction includes the same stitching that a real baseball would. Engravings on this side include “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” and the face value of the coin, $1 USD.
There are no special edition coins struck in this series. However there are commemorative labels included within the sealed packaging of select Baseball Hall of Fame coins. Each commemorative label currently available for sale with these coins represents a player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Among the most popular labels are cards featuring the following players:
As the winning artist in the US Mint’s competition, Cassie McFarland is honored with her own special-edition coin that includes a label with her name and signature inside the packaging of a Baseball Hall of Fame Silver coin.
JM Bullion currently has US Mint Baseball Hall of Fame Silver coins in stock bearing the Tom Glavine and Ernie Banks labels. When you purchase online with JM Bullion, you are making an investment in secure purchasing. Each coin is individually packaged in a sealed, plastic case that includes the coin and its applicable label.
Your purchase with JM Bullion is shipped in a nondescript box so that no one can tell what the package contains. All boxes shipped from JM Bullion come with insurance, so you can rest easy knowing your investment is protected against loss or damage during shipping.
If you have questions about the US Mint Baseball Hall of Fame Silver coins at JM Bullion, we encourage you to contact our associates at 800-276-6508, chat with us live through our website, or get in touch with us via email.