The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
March 11, 2020 The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20220 Dear Mr. Secretary: A telephonic public meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) was held on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The purpose of the CCAC meeting was to review and discuss proposed reverse designs for the 2020 American Innovation Dollar Coin Program. The first state discussed was New Hampshire. The theme presented by the New Hampshire Governor’s office was Ralph Baer, inventor of the in-home video-gaming system. After discussion, the Committee voted to recommend NH-05, with 28 of 33 votes. NH-05 depicts Ralph Baer’s brown box game “Handball” on the right side of the coin and the left side features “New Hampshire” and “Player 1” on an incused background. “In-Home Video Game System” encircles the outside of the composition in a font that is meant to pay homage to Ralph Baer’s “Odyssey” game. The design of the coin is purposefully reminiscent of an arcade token. NH-01 and NH-03 received 10 votes respectively. The Governor’s Office of Virginia presented themes of Barbara Rose Johns, who led the nation’s first educational walk-out to demand equal conditions for students of color; and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, the first-of-its kind bridge/tunnel complex that has been recognized as an engineering marvel of the modern world. After discussion, the Committee voted to recommend VA-05, with 20 of 33 votes. VA-05 depicts a view of the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel as a cross-section cutaway, illustrating the ingenuity involved in constructing it. A close second at 19 votes was VA-01, which depicts Barbara Rose Johns as an academic graduate holding two textbooks with the legend EQUAL EDUCATION FOR ALL. The third state discussed was New York. The Governor’s Office of New York presented themes of the Erie Canal, for its ingenuity in engineering and its importance in the economic growth of the state and the nation; and baseball, due to the strong connection of the development of modern baseball to New York; and Apollo lunar module, built in Bethpage, New York. After discussion, the Committee voted on the Erie Canal as the theme. Originally, NY-01 received the highest votes but a decision by the Committee to reevaluate and vote on just the Eric Canal designs resulted in the final selection of NY-05, with a modification of adding “Erie Canal” and “1825” if feasible. The final state considered was North Carolina. The Governor’s Office of North Carolina presented the theme of innovations in creating higher-education opportunities for all. The University of North Carolina became the first American public university to formally open when it convened classes in 1795; Shaw University is the oldest historically black institution of higher learning in the South and accepted its first female class in 1866. After discussion, the Committee voted to recommend to return the designs in order to allow the artists to strengthen their connection to the theme of innovations in higher education. Sincerely yours, /s Thomas Uram Chairman Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee Established by An Act of Congress, Public Law 108-15 https://www.ccac.gov