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Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee 801 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20220 CCAC Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee Public Meeting Marriott Hotel 1201 Market Street Philadelphia, PA May 15, 2007 In attendance: John Alexander Michael Brown Bill Fivaz Rita Laws Gary Marks Richard Meier Mitch Sanders (chair) Donald Scarinci Ken Thomasma (via telephone) Joe Winter 1. The chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM. 2. During the call of the roll, the chair introduced and welcomed the CCAC’s two newest members, Michael Brown and Gary Marks. 3. The minutes of the committee’s March 20, 2007 meeting were unanimously approved. 4. The committee then proceeded to review proposed obverse and reverse designs for the Congressional Gold Medal honoring Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Public Law 109-287 requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a congressional gold medal to honor the Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many enduring contributions to peace, non-violence, human rights, and religious understanding. 5. The designs were presented by Kaarina Budow of the United States Mint. The proposed obverse features a portrait of Tenzin Gyatso, with the Tibetan mountains in the background. The reverse features a lotus flower, and a quotation from the Dalai Lama. Ms Budow indicated that the proposed designs were the preferred choices of the recipient. 6. By a unanimous vote, the CCAC recommended the proposed designs for the medal honoring the Dalai Lama. Committee members were effusive in their praise for the proposed designs, and considered them to be a spectacular achievement. 7. Ms Budow then presented proposed designs for the American Bald Eagle Recovery and National Emblem Commemorative Coin Program. Public Law 108-486 requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold $5 coins, silver dollars, and copper-nickel clad half-dollars emblematic of the bald eagle and its history, natural biology, and national symbolism. The coins will be released in 2008. 8. Each member evaluated each design by assigning 0, 1, 2, or 3 points. The ratings for each member were totaled, and the design with the highest rating became the CCAC’s recommendation. With ten members present and voting, the maximum possible rating is 30 points. 9. The obverse of the clad half-dollar portrays baby eaglets, two to three days old, in a nest with an unhatched egg. For the clad obverse, the CCAC recommends design CO-02. The point totals for each design were: CO-01: 4 points CO-02: 18 points CO-03: 7 points CO-04: 16 points 10. The reverse designs for the clad half-dollar feature Challenger, a non-releasable bald eagle named in honor of the space shuttle, who acts as an ambassador for his species. For the clad reverse, the CCAC recommends design CR-02. Totals for each design were: CR-01: 10 points CR-02: 23 points CR-03: 9 points CR-04: 5 points 11. The gold obverse features young, immature eaglets in their natural habitat. For the gold obverse, the CCAC recommends design GO-03. The point totals for each design were: GO-01: 12 points GO-02: 4 points GO-03: 20 points GO-04: 8 points 12. For the gold obverse, the CCAC further recommends that the date 2008 should be moved to the bottom of the obverse, and incused within the image of the eagles’ nest. 13. The gold reverse design features the obverse of the current Great Seal of the United States. The CCAC recommends design GR-01, which was the only design candidate presented, and which received 23 points. 14. The silver obverse depicts a mature eagle in flight. For the silver obverse, the CCAC recommends design SO-08. The point totals for each design were: SO-01: 7 points SO-02: 12 points SO-03: 2 points SO-04: 14 points SO-05: 6 points SO-06: 2 points SO-07: 2 points SO-08: 20 points SO-09: 4 points 15. The reverse of the silver dollar features an image from the original Great Seal of the United States, used from 1782 to 1841. Some members were concerned that the older seal would make an unpopular design, and that an alternative choice would be more appropriate. The committee also discussed the possibility of including a brief mention of the design’s origin, such as “CIRCA 1782”, on the coin. 16. Design SR-01, which was the only design option presented, received 12 points out of a possible 30. The CCAC subsequently voted 6-3 (with one abstention) to recommend that consideration should be given to replacing the proposed silver dollar reverse with a different reverse design. 17. There being no further business, the chair adjourned the meeting at 11:43 AM.
