Numismatics and Sports

Issues of coins and paper money in the past emphasized honoring the nation or the ruler of the country. That was back when the idea of producing coins and currency was to satisfy the needs for commercial transactions.

Today, mints around the globe are also focusing on producing coin and currency issues to sell to collectors to make greater profits, whether or not they are ever put into circulation.

The U.S. Mint served collectors by issuing gold and silver commemorative coins from 1892 to 1954. It also has produced proof coins since before 1850, and proof sets most years from 1936 onward. In 1982, the U.S. Mint resumed striking commemorative coins, now sometimes issuing them in uncirculated, proof and reverse proof finishes.

Producing coins that interest collectors is not straightforward. It takes good judgment and insight to figure out what themes collectors will want to own, and at what prices. For guidance on what may be popular, one useful source is to analyze the designs created by private manufacturers of precious metals medallions, especially the 1 troy ounce .999 fine silver rounds.

Clearly, classic U.S. coin designs have been popular with these private mints. Hence, the U.S. Mint came out with gold, silver and palladium bullion coins adapting the obverses of U.S. coins from the early 1900s. In 2001, the Mint came out with the extremely popular American Buffalo commemorative silver dollar, almost exactly reproducing the design of the 1913-1938 Buffalo nickel. In 2021, the Mint came out with adapted designs of the Morgan and Peace silver dollars.

Other popular themes include those that are sports-related.

The Highland Mint in Melbourne, Fla., had an active campaign of marketing commemoratives, mostly of 1 troy ounce .999 fine silver, licensed by Major League Baseball, the National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League.

Having a coin shop in Michigan, a state with rabid sports fans, it was easy to sell commemoratives for the Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup championships in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, the University of Michigan 1997 collegiate football championship, the Michigan State University 2000 Men’s NCAA basketball championship and the Detroit Pistons 2004 NBA championship. There were even 1-ounce silver commemoratives made after the Michigan State University 1987 football team won the 1988 Rose Bowl.

The success of private marketing of sports-related commemoratives was taken to heart by Congress and the staff at the U.S. Mint. Gold and silver commemorative coins were issued for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, a silver dollar for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, clad, silver, and gold coins for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics and for the 1994 soccer World Cup.

The U.S. Mint went into overdrive for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, issuing 16 different designs in 1995 and 1996 among clad, silver,and gold coins, each in both uncirculated and proof finishes. That was accompanied by the 1995 Special Olympics World Games silver dollar.

Then came the 1997 Jackie Robinson gold and silver commemoratives, honoring the 50th anniversary of when he broke the color barrier in major league baseball. That was followed by gold and silver issues honoring the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Since then, the U.S. has not hosted another Olympics (though scheduled to host the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles) and demand for commemoratives for Olympic Games hosted in foreign cities were not strong enough sellers that the U.S. Mint continued to commemorate them.

So, the U.S. Mint went in a different direction. In 2014 it issued clad, silver, and gold coins commemorating the National Baseball Hall of Fame. To further spark collector interest, the coins were struck in scyphate-shape, with curved planchets similar to some Byzantine Empire gold coins from the Middle Ages.

In 2020, the Mint repeated scyphate-shaped clad, silver, and gold commemoratives for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 60th Anniversary. Then last year, the Mint produced clad, silver, and gold coins to honor Negro Leagues Baseball.

Sports themes will continue to appear on future U.S. coin issues. As part of the Circulating Coin Redesign Act of 2020, there will be up to five quarters annually struck from 2027 to 2030 with reverse designs featuring youth sports. From 2027 to 2030, the annual half dollar each year will celebrate sports tailored to athletes with a range of disabilities.

Don’t be surprised if the U.S. Mint again produces a series of commemorative coins for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Other nations, including Canada, have produced a wide variety of coins with sports themes. As long as the mints can make profits producing them, look for more sports-themed coins in the future.