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Thanks to our combined efforts, the Commemorative Coin Bill passed in the House and Senate in June by unanimous vote. On July 17, 2008 President Bush then signed this legislation authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of veterans who became disabled for life while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The legislation specifies the design of the coin “shall be emblematic of the service of our disabled veterans who, having survived the ordeal of war, made enormous personal sacrifices defending the principles of our democracy.” The coin will be minted and available for sale through the U.S. Mint in early 2010. Revenue from the surcharge on the coin will help fund construction of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.

US Mint Commemorative Coin Program FAQ

What is the Commemorative Coin Program?
How does the surcharge work?
Who pays for the advertising and other related costs of minting and selling the commemorative coins?
What are The Coin specifications?
What are the design requirements for The Coin?

What is the Commemorative Coin Program?

Congress authorizes commemorative coins that celebrate and honor American people, places, events, and institutions. Although these coins are legal tender, they are not minted for general circulation. Each commemorative coin is produced by the United States Mint in limited quantity and is only available for a limited time.

As well as commemorating important aspects of American history and culture, these coins help raise money for important causes. Part of the price of these coins is a surcharge that goes to organizations and projects that benefit the community. For example, surcharges on the Disabled Veterans Life Memorial commemorative coins will help build and maintain the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial (AVDLM).

Since the modern commemorative coin program began in 1982, the United States Mint has raised over $418 million in surcharges to help build new museums, maintain national monuments, preserve historical sites like George Washington's home, support various Olympic programs, and much more.

How does the surcharge work?

Commemorative coin programs are created by enabling legislation enacted by Congress to honor a person, place or event. The enabling legislation dictates The Coin specifications, mintages, cost considerations, and surcharge amount to be collected.

A surcharge is a set amount per coin that the Mint collects and distributes to the designated recipient organization which must use the proceeds for the purpose(s) specified in the enabling legislation. Historically, the Mint has been required to pay surcharges to recipients whether or not all the Mint’s program costs were recovered and without any accountability requirements for the recipient organization. In 1996, Congress enacted legislation changing the Mint’s requirement to pay surcharges.

All sales of the Disabled Veterans’ LIFE Memorial Commemorative Coin (hereafter known as ‘The Coin’) under this act shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.

Who pays for the advertising and other related costs of minting and selling the commemorative coins?

All selling, advertising and other costs are incurred by the US Mint. No profits are made on commemorative coins; however, the US Mint does attempt to recover their costs for all of the above. Only the surcharge is donated to the recipient organization (DVLMF in this instance).

What are The Coin specifications?

The Coin will be a $1 silver coin weighing 26.73 grams with a diameter of 1.5 inches and will contain 90% silver and 10% copper. The coins will be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.

What are the design requirements for The Coin?

The design of the coins minted under the Act shall be emblematic of the service of our disabled veterans who, having survived the ordeal of war, made enormous personal sacrifices defending the principles of our democracy. On each coin there shall be a designation of the value of the coin, an inscription of the year 2010 and inscriptions of the words “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” “United States of America” and “E Pluribus Unum.”

The design is selected by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with Disabled Veterans’ LIFE Memorial Foundation (DVLMF) and the Commission of Fine Arts and reviewed by Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.