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Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee
801 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20220

C
CAC

November 1, 2010
The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
Dear Secretary Geithner:
A public meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (Committee) was held on
Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at United States Mint Headquarters in Washington, DC. The
Committee first reviewed proposed designs for the Arnold Palmer Congressional Gold Medal.
The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal candidate designs were then reviewed, honoring
the significant contributions to society of Neil A. Armstrong, the first person to walk on the
moon; Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., the pilot of the lunar module and second person to walk on
the moon; Michael Collins, the pilot of their Apollo 11 mission’s command module; and John
Herschel Glenn, Jr., the first American to orbit the Earth. The Committee also reviewed
candidate reverse coin designs for the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters®
Program to be issued in 2012, inclusive of coins honoring El Yunque National Forest
(Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), Chaco Culture National Historical Park (New Mexico),
Acadia National Park (Maine), Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii) and Denali National
Park (Alaska).
For the Arnold Palmer Congressional Gold Medal obverse, the Committee recommended
design APM-O-01. The design garnered 25 of the 27 possible points through the Committee’s
scoring process. Committee members commented that the design, which shows Palmer in
action with a golf club in hand, clearly relates him to the sport of golfing and would create an
attractive and interesting design. A motion was unanimously approved to ask United States
Mint staff to ensure that Mr. Palmer’s grip of the golf club as portrayed on the Committee’s
recommended obverse design reflects the traditional overlapping grip of the golfing sport.
Earning 18 of the possible 27 points, the Committee recommended design APM-R-02 for the
reverse of the Arnold Palmer medal. Committee members felt the large representation of a
golf ball with the head of a golf club behind, as shown in design APM-R-02, would make an
attractive design in celebration of Palmer’s golfing career and contributions.
After considering the candidate designs for the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal, the
Committee recommended obverse design NF-O-01, showing the four subject astronauts, with
Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin facing left and Glenn facing right. Committee members

assigned 25 of a possible 27 points to this design. Members stated that having the Apollo 11
crew facing left and Glenn facing right provided a clear delineation between the two missions
being represented with the single medal. The Committee recommended reverse design NF-R02 with 20 of the possible 27 points. Committee members stated that the overlapping of the
Earth and moon on the Committee’s recommended reverse design was a simple, yet effective
way to portray the two missions on one medal. Subsequently, the Committee approved a
motion, on a 5-4 vote, to remove the words “Act of Congress 2009” from all designs. On a
vote of 7-2, the Committee approved a motion to recommend that the two space missions being
represented be identified on the Committee’s recommended reverse design, NF-R-02. Finally,
a motion to recommend expanding the phrase “We came in peace” appearing on the
Committee’s recommended reverse design, NF-R-02, to “We came in peace for all mankind,”
was approved with 8 votes in favor and one abstention.
For the reverse designs to appear on quarter-dollar coins to be issued in 2010 as part of the
United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program, the Committee recommended
design PR-04 for the quarter-dollar coin honoring El Yunque National Park in the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The design garnered 12 of a possible 21 points from the
Committee.
Design NM-04, honoring Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, received the
highest number of votes among the four candidate designs submitted for review. Having
garnered 7 of the possible 21 points, the design failed to earn the Committee’s recommendation
in accordance with the Committee’s policy that a design must achieve more than 50 percent of
the possible points to qualify for a recommendation.
For the quarter-dollar coin honoring Acadia National Park in Maine, the Committee
recommended design ME-04, showing a lighthouse. The design garnered 14 of the possible 21
points.
Design HI-04, honoring the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, earned the Committee’s
recommendation with 15 of the possible 21 points. Members commented that they were
intrigued with the modern style of the design. Other designs for this quarter-dollar coin
received very little support from the Committee.
Finally, the Committee recommended design AK-02 for the quarter-dollar coin honoring
Denali National Park in Alaska. The design received 16 of 21 possible points. A motion was
made to recommend that consideration be given to enlarging the Dall sheep appearing on the
Committee’s recommended design, AK-02. The motion was approved on a vote of 5-2.
Sincerely, signature of Gary B. Marks

Gary B. Marks

Chair