2017-10-24 Tue

At the Breast Cancer Research Foundation headquarters in New York, the U.S. Mint conducted ceremonies on 23rd October, where they unveiled gold $5 half eagle, silver dollar and copper-nickel clad half-dollar for the 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness. Sales of the commemorative coins begin on 15th March. A Breast Cancer Awareness 2018 Coin and Stamp set is to be offered by the U.S. Mint sometime in the fall of 2018.

The winning Breast Cancer Awareness designs were selected from a public design competition conducted in 2016. The original design unveiling was slated for June 2017 but was moved to October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Artist Emily Damstra, a U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist has designed the obverse and reverse. She has also designed more than a dozen coins for the Royal Canadian Mint.

The obverse showcases two women, the older woman has her hands on her chest with an expression of relief. The younger woman, with a scarf on her head, holds one hand over her chest and the other raised in a fit as if she is ready to fight. Damstra’s obverse design was sculptured by U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.

Damstra’s winning reverse design depicts a tiger swallowtail butterfly in flight, which symbolizes hope. The design was sculptured by U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Renata Gordon.

The enabling legislation, Public Law 114-148, calls for the production and release combined in Proof and Uncirculated versions of up to 50,000 $5 coins to be struck in pink gold containing not less than 75 percent gold. The enabling legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.

A combination of 85 percent gold, 14.8 percent copper, and 0.2 percent zinc was required to make the pink gold.

The maximum mintage for the silver dollar is 400,000 coins, and for the copper-nickel clad half-dollar, 750,000 coins. The silver content for the silver dollar is not to be less than 90 percent. The composition will be the standard 90 percent silver, 10 percent copper.

If the Mint succeeds to sell our maximum mintages for each of the three commemorative coin denominations, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation will receive $ 8 million in surcharges.