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June 24, 2024 The Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary of the Treasury Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20220 Dear Madam Secretary: The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) held a public meeting on June 18, 2024, during which they reviewed the candidate designs for the Iran Hostages Congressional Gold Medal. Public-Law 117-320 awards a single Congressional Gold Medal to the former hostages of the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979–1981, highlighting their resilience throughout the unprecedented ordeal and the national unity it produced, marking four decades since their 444 days in captivity, and recognizing their sacrifice to the United States. In developing the portfolio, the United States Mint worked closely with primary liaison, Ezra Friedlander, as well as former hostages and the Department of State. Following its discussion, the CCAC unanimously approved a motion to recommend the preferred design candidates of the liaisons and the former hostages IH-O-01A and IH-O-04A for the obverse and reverse of the medal. Note that IH-O-04A, which originally conceived as an obverse design, was selected to serve as the reverse design of the Medal. The CCAC also recommends that the two dates, “November 4, 1979” and “January 20th, 1981” be standardized with either the addition of “-th” on the obverse, or the deletion of “-th” on the reverse. In addition, the CCAC recommends that the inscription “American Embassy” on the obverse be replaced with “U.S. Embassy” as it appears in the enabling legislation. It is an honor to serve as the Chair of the CCAC and I am proud of the CCAC’s role in United States coins and medals. Sincerely, Peter van Alfen, PhD, CCAC Chair June 24, 2024 The Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary of the Treasury Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20220 Dear Madam Secretary: The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) held a public meeting on June 18, 2024, during which they reviewed the candidate designs for the 2026 Native American $1 Coin Program. Every year since 2009, in accordance with Public Law 110-82 (codified at 31 U.S.C. § 5112 (r)), the Native American $1 Coin Act, the United States Mint has annually minted and issued golden-hued $1 coins that honor Native Americans and celebrate the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the development of the United States and the history of the United States. The obverse of the coins retains the depiction of Sacagawea and her infant son first used in 2000 on the Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin. In 2026, the reverse will commemorate the Oneidas at Valley Forge. As its public meeting on June 18, the CCAC reviewed design candidates that had been modified on recommendations by the CCAC at its April 16, 2024 meeting when earlier versions of the design candidates were reviewed and feedback was provided, but none of the designs were selected for recommendation. At the June 18, 2024 meeting, reverse design candidate 26NA-03, the preference of the liaisons, received the highest score, 18 out of a possible 27 points. This depiction of Polly Cooper and George Washington also is the most suitable for the broader coin themes for 2026 celebrating the U.S. Semiquincentennial authorized under Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. On a motion that passed unanimously, the CCAC also recommends that the inscription “Polly Cooper” be added and that the inscription “$1” be repositioned as both appear on 26NA-03B. It is an honor to serve as the Chair of the CCAC and I am proud of the CCAC’s role in United States coins and medals. Sincerely, Peter van Alfen, PhD, CCAC Chair