I am pleased to report that legislation authorizing the release of a special commemorative coin celebrating the 230th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps was recently signed into law by President George W. Bush.  The coin will be designed, produced and sold by the United States Mint beginning in May 2005.  Through this legislation, a portion of the sale of the Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin will be earmarked for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center and National Museum of the Marine Corps.  As you will read below, this program will be enormously beneficial to our capital campaign.

The Mint annually issues a limited number of commemorative coins.  Authorized by Congress, commemorative coins typically celebrate and honor American people, places, historic events and institutions.  Surcharges from the sales of these coins help fund a variety of organizations and projects that benefit the community.  Commemorative coins are only available directly from the Mint for a limited time.  In recent years, commemorative coins have honored the Bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the inventor Thomas Edison, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake and numerous worthy causes.

The authorizing legislation for the Marine Corps Anniversary coin enjoyed broad bipartisan support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  Key cosponsors included Representatives John Murtha, Lane Evans, Wayne Gilchrist, Amo Houghton, Bill Janklow, John Warner, George Allen, Michael Enzi, Zell Miller, Pat Roberts, Craig Thomas and many others from both sides of the aisle.  We are indebted to these legislators for making possible this initiative.  This coin not only honors our Corps in the moment but also delivers some of the wherewithal for doing so in perpetuity through construction of the Heritage Center and National Museum.

For the Marine Corps 230th Anniversary commemoration, the coin to be struck is an exquisite silver dollar in a limited quantity.  While produced as uncirculated collectibles, commemorative coins are United States legal tender backed by the government for weight and metallurgic content.  Commemorative coins at various prices dependent on whether the coin is a "proof" and how it is packaged.  The coin is expected to be priced at $37 and above, with $10 of the sales price of each coin designated to benefit the Heritage Center and National Museum.  Since commemorative coin runs usually sell out quickly, several million dollars should be generated in support of our capital campaign.

For those supporters who wish to secure this invaluable heirloom, we recommend you do so as soon as the coin is issued.  Coins may be purchased at the Mint's web site, www.usmint.gov, or through mailed promotions.  Future issues of Legacy will provide additional details on how to acquire the coin.  Meanwhile, we are very grateful to all whose efforts have made possible this important recognition for our Corps and associated funding for the Heritage Center/National Museum campaign.

Semper Fidelis

http://www.marineheritage.org

Uncle Frank