Hall of Fame pitcher Richard "Goose" Gossage stopped by the U.S. Mint in Denver, Colorado today, May 13, to strike an uncirculated clad half-dollar for the 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Program.
Gossage, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008, played for nine teams during his 22-year career in Major League Baseball, including the 1978 world champion New York Yankees. A nine-time All-Star, he is third on the all-time Yankees saves list. Gossage grew up in Colorado Springs and now resides there.
Gossage retired among the top five all-time leaders in games pitched, relief innings and relief strikeouts. He said becoming a baseball Hall of Famer wasn’t his initial dream.
"My dream was to put on a big league uniform one time," Gossage said. "I would’ve paid them to let me play."
Gossage said it was an honor to represent the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the visit, saying he still finds it hard to believe he has a plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Authorized by Public Law 112-152, coins of the program are struck in gold, silver and clad and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The coins feature common designs of a baseball on the convex side and a baseball glove struck on the concave side, making them the first curved coins ever produced by the U.S. Mint.
The commemorative program has been an enormous success with the $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins selling out within two weeks of their release on March 24, 2014. The clad half-dollars are still available at www.usmint.gov with collector proof versions struck at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco and collector uncirculated versions struck at the Denver Mint.
This chart shows U.S. Mint sales of the baseball coins as of May 11, 2014.
Sales of 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins
| Coin Prices | Sales on Apr 20 | % of Total | Total Sales | % of Max | Max Mintages | Coins Left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proof $5 Gold Baseball Coins | Sold Out | 32,026 | 64.1% | 50,000 | 100% | 50,000 | 0 |
| Uncirculated $5 Gold Baseball Coins | 17,974 | 35.9% | |||||
| Proof Baseball Silver Dollars | Sold Out | 262,091 | 65.5% | 400,000 | 100% | 400,000 | 0 |
| Uncirculated Baseball Silver Dollars | 137,909 | 34.5% | |||||
| Proof Clad Half Dollar Baseball Coins | $23.95 | 152,219 | 62.4% | 243,894 | 32.5% | 750,000 | 506,106 |
| Uncirculated Clad Half Dollar Baseball Coins | $22.95 | 91,675 | 37.6% |
Sales for all six commemoratives total 693,894 coins, which means the program has earned more than $46 million. From that amount, nearly $7 million will go to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help fund its operations.
Coins may be ordered from the United States Mint online commemorative page, located here, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
