2017-09-02 Sat

Coming October, collectors are in for a surprise as they will get a glimpse of the three 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness commemorative coins. The unveiling was originally, in 2016, placed on the calendar for June 2017.

The disclosure will now coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The specific date for the unveiling is still not confirmed. The foundation is the beneficiary of the net surcharges from the sales of the commemorative coins, as designated in the enabling legislation.

The designs for the nation’s first coin struck in pink gold, which is the program’s $5 half eagle, plus a silver dollar and a copper-nickel clad Half Dollar, were produced in an open design competition conducted in 2016.

A seven member panel comprising of three members, each from the Commission of Fine Arts, Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, and the Treasury secretary will thoroughly examine the designs from the competition.

The “pink gold” requirement is paying homage to the Breast Cancer Awareness Movement’s reliance on the color pink to spread its message. In the jewelry industry, red, rose and pink gold colours are differentiated by the percentages of copper, each contains; pink gold contains the least copper, but more silver. Each has a minimum gold content of 75 percent.

The breakdown of metal content for each hue is as follows:

18-karat red gold — 75 percent gold, 25 percent copper.

18-karat rose gold — 75 percent gold, 22.25 percent copper, 2.75 percent silver.

18-karat pink gold — 75 percent gold, 20 percent copper, 5 percent silver.

The enabling legislation, Public Law 114–148, calls for the production and release of up to 50,000 pink gold $5 coins, containing not less than 75 percent gold, 400,000 silver dollars, and 750,000 copper-nickel clad half dollars, each total being the combined Proof and Uncirculated mintage of the coins.

The purchase price will include an add-on of $35 for each $5 coin, $10 for each dollar and $5 for each half dollar. Net surcharges, after the U.S. Mint has recouped all of its production and associated costs are to be paid to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.