Summary#
This bill orders the Treasury to mint commemorative coins for the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to direct a set surcharge from coin sales to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. It sets the coins’ metal content, sizes, maximum mintage, required inscriptions, quality options, and a one-year sales window starting January 1, 2027. The stated goal is to honor victims and support the museum’s operations and maintenance.
- Main change: Authorizes up to 50,000 $5 gold coins and 400,000 $1 silver coins as commemorative items, sold with set surcharges that go to the museum.
- Design and review: Designs must reflect courage, sacrifice, resilience, include inscriptions such as “25th Anniversary” and at least one coin must say “Never Forget”; designs are selected after consulting the museum and reviewed by art advisory bodies.
- Sales rules: Coins sold in proof and uncirculated quality. Sale price = face value + surcharge + production and marketing costs; bulk and prepaid orders get discounts. Sales allowed only during calendar year 2027.
- Money rules: Surcharges are $35 for each $5 gold coin and $10 for each $1 silver coin; funds go to the museum after the Mint recovers its costs. The museum must accept audits of those funds.
- Fiscal safeguard: The Secretary must ensure the program results in no net cost to the federal government.
What it means for you#
- Coin collectors and buyers: New collectible coins will be available in 2027 in proof and uncirculated versions. Buyers will pay face value, a fixed surcharge ($35 for gold, $10 for silver), plus production and other costs. Bulk and prepaid orders can get discounts.
- National September 11 Memorial and Museum: Could receive surcharge revenue from sales to support operations and maintenance. The museum must allow audits of amounts received.
- United States Mint and Treasury: Must produce the coins, set sale prices to recover costs, manage marketing and sales, and ensure no net cost to taxpayers. The Secretary may issue guidance to avoid exceeding the annual limit on commemorative coin programs.
- Taxpayers and federal budget: The bill instructs the Mint to avoid net costs to the government. It does not create a direct appropriation. If sales fail to cover costs, the bill requires the Mint to take steps to avoid a net federal cost, but it does not specify those steps.
- General public / survivors and families: The bill intends to honor victims and support the museum’s programs, but whether funds will flow and how much depends on coin sales.
Expenses#
The bill requires the Mint to ensure there is no net cost to the federal government, but no public fiscal estimate is attached to the bill text.
- Surcharges collected: $35 per $5 gold coin; $10 per $1 silver coin; these are to be paid to the museum after Mint cost recovery.
- Cost recovery: The Mint must recover design and issuance costs (labor, materials, dies, machinery, overhead, marketing, shipping) before surcharges are paid out.
- Administrative costs: The Mint will incur production, marketing, sales, and auditing-related costs. The museum must accept audits of received funds.
- Revenue uncertainty: The bill sets maximum mintages but does not estimate likely sales or revenue; prepaid and bulk discounts may lower per-coin revenue.
- No public fiscal note provided: No public estimate of net revenue to the museum or net costs to government is included in the available material.
Proponents' View#
- The bill appears intended to honor the victims and first responders of the September 11 attacks and to keep the memory of those events alive.
- It appears intended to provide a source of funding for the museum’s operations and maintenance without using a direct federal appropriation.
- Limiting mintage and requiring review by the museum and art advisers aims to ensure respectful and high-quality designs.
- Selling collectible coins lets interested members of the public contribute to the museum while receiving a numismatic item.
Opponents' View#
- One concern is that the bill does not include a fiscal estimate, so it is unclear how much money the museum will actually receive. Sales might fall short of expectations.
- The museum will not receive surcharge funds until the Mint first recovers all production and issuance costs. This could delay or reduce immediate funding.
- The program may be blocked if the yearly cap on commemorative coin programs is reached for 2027; the bill allows the Secretary to issue guidance but does not guarantee issuance.
- Production costs depend on fluctuating gold and silver market prices; higher metal costs could reduce net proceeds or increase sale prices.
- Audits and administration related to the program add work for both the Mint and the museum; the bill does not estimate those administrative burdens.