The Numismatic Industry Coinage Advisory Committee (NICAC) released its first commemorative coin recommendations to the United States Congress. NICAC is a committee of the National Coin and Bullion Association, formed for the purpose of advising Congress on the adoption of commemorative programs that memorialize people and events truly worthy of commemoration by the nation. NICAC’s goal is to encourage approval of commemorative programs that have deep appeal among coin collectors or broad appeal with the American public.
This, NICAC’s first recommendations to Congress, includes two programs to be executed in 2023 and one to be executed in 2026. NICAC recognizes that the United States Mint faces challenges in executing the 2023 programs. However, as matters stand today, no commemorations have been authorized by Congress in 2023, making this the first year since 1985 in which Congress has not found an event or person to commemorate. NICAC believes that if Congress acts quickly, the U.S. Mint will be able to work these modest programs into its 2023 production and marketing schedule.
NICAC has identified two anniversaries worthy of commemoration by the nation in 2023. They expect both programs to have strong support among collectors and to draw broad interest beyond the collecting community. These programs are modest in scale, featuring low mintages that ensure the programs’ success and accommodate the time and resource constraints of the U.S Mint.
The program NICAC recommends for 2026 commemorates the nation’s hosting of the most popular sporting event in the world. They expect these coins to have extraordinary appeal among the sport’s 3.5 billion fans in the United States and around the globe. With 11 U.S. cities hosting the event, they have scaled the program to make the most of this unique opportunity to expand interest in coin collecting to U.S demographic and international markets that are rarely within the reach of the U.S. Mint.
Finally, in keeping with the mission to strengthen the commemorative themes adopted by Congress, NICAC recommends that surcharges be raised in order to galvanize stronger support for truly worthy commemorations. They are aware that this recommendation will not draw universal support. However, they have concluded that, in conjunction with strong themes and appropriate maximum mintages, a reasonable increase in surcharges will not undermine the success of these programs.
The impact of surcharges on the pricing and affordability of commemorative coins has declined dramatically over the last 30 years. Surcharge amounts applied to gold and silver coins today date from the 1980s and 1990s. Inflation has eroded these values by about two-thirds, and the five-fold increase in gold and silver prices over the past two decades has significantly reduced the impact of surcharges on the affordability of commemorative coins. The paramount factor driving the success of these programs is matching strong commemorative themes with creative designs, effective marketing, and appropriate maximum mintages.
50th Anniversary of Passage of the Endangered Species Act
Year: 2023 / Number of Coins: One
- Metal: Silver /Denomination: Dollar / Maximum Mintage: 300,000 / Surcharge: $20 / Obverse and Reverse Designs: Three species that have directly benefited from the Endangered Species Act, one each from the land, the air and the sea.
75th Anniversary of the Founding of the National Association for Stock Car/Auto Racing (NASCAR)
Year: 2023 / Number of Coins: One
- Metal: Silver / Denomination: Dollar / Maximum Mintage: 300,000 / Surcharge: $20.
Commemoration of the United States Hosting the FIFA World Cup
Year: 2026 / Number of Coins: Four
- Metal: Clad / Denomination: Half Dollar / Maximum Mintage: 1.2 million / Surcharge: $10 / Obverse Design: Image representing youth soccer:
- Metal: Silver /Denomination: Dollar / Maximum Mintage: 750,000 / Surcharge: $20 / Obverse Design: Image representing women’s soccer
- Metal: Silver / Denomination: Dollar / Maximum Mintage: 750,000 / Surcharge: $20 / Obverse Design: Image representing men’s soccer
- Metal: Gold / Denomination: Five Dollars / Maximum Mintage: 250,000 / Surcharge: $70 / Obverse Design: Image of the World Cup trophy
Here you can visit the website of the National Coin and Bullion Association.