KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Mint began accepting orders Thursday for the 2022 Negro Leagues Baseball Commemorative Coin Program.
The coins, established by legislative action in December 2020, will only be for sale during 2022 and introductory pricing ends after 30 days on Feb. 7.
The program was established to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Negro National League’s founding — which took place Feb. 13-14, 1920, in Kansas City, Missouri, not far from the site of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.
“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is thrilled to partner with the United States Mint on the release of these historic coins that beautifully captures the ‘winning spirit’ of the Negro Leagues,” NLBM president Bob Kendrick said in a statement. “We hope that collectors and baseball fans alike will purchase these coins and support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum efforts to ensure that the legacy and important life lessons of the Negro Leagues plays on.”
The program includes $5 gold coins featuring Rube Foster, $1 silver coins and half-dollar clad coins.
Three-coin proof sets and Jackie Robinson silver medal sets also are available but are limited to 15,000 sets during the 30-day window for introductory pricing.
The Robinson coin has the same design as the Jackie Robinson Congressional Gold Medal, which was minted in 2003.
“Just as this game connects families and communities, every day, across the Nation, the Mint connects Americans through coins,” U.S. Mint deputy director Ventris C. Gibson said in a statement. “It is now our great privilege to connect America to the extraordinary legacy of Negro Leagues Baseball.”
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum receives a $35 commission for each $5 gold coin, $10 for each silver dollar and $5 for each half-dollar sold.
The U.S. Mint currently accepts orders online or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
After all of the hard work of getting the Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act passed into law, I’m thrilled that the American people will soon be able to get their hands on their own Negro Leagues Baseball Commemorative Coin.
Not only will these coins honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and all who played, but it will also ensure their stories continue to be told to the generations to come, as the proceeds of the coins will go directly to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City after the production cost of coins are paid for.
I am proud to have played a role in the creation of these remarkable tributes to the legends of the Negro Leagues, and I want to thank Senator (Roy) Blunt for his partnership in making them a reality.
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