Produced by the U.S. Mint pursuant to an act of Congress, these coins celebrate and honor American people, places, events, and institutions. Commemorative coin legislation is often proposed by Members of Congress as part of their representational duties. Historical Commemorative Coins

Since 1892, Congress has authorized 152 new commemorative coins. Sixty of these coins were authorized between 1892 and 1954. During this time period, coins "were sold to sponsoring organizations, which resold them to the public at higher prices as a means of fundraising." President Eisenhower stated:
I am further advised by the Treasury Department that in the past in many instances the public interest in these special coins has been so short-lived that their sales for the purposes intended have lagged with the result that large quantities have remained unsold and have been returned to the mints for melting. The CCRA restrictions began in 1998. Starting in 1998, a maximum of two coins were to be authorized for minting in a given year. Currently, coins are authorized for 2019 and 2020. Authorizing Commemorative Coins

		Legislative Features

Commemorative coin legislation generally has certain features, including
findings that summarize the commemorative subject's history and importance; specifications for denominations, weight, and metallic makeup; design requirements, including required dates, words, and images; start and end dates for minting coins and any other limitations; requirements for selling coins; coin surcharge and distribution to designated groups; and assurances that costs of the coin program are recouped by the U.S. Mint. For example, the legislation to authorize the Civil Rights Act of 1964 commemorative coin stated:

			Issuance of Coins

The issuance of coins section typically specifies the time period that the coin will be available for sale and provides any instructions to the Secretary of the Treasury as to which mint location should strike the coins and the quality of the coins to be issued. This process involves consultation with the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and a design recommendation by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). The final decision on a coin's design is made by the Secretary of the Treasury. These can be divided into issues for individual Members of Congress with respect to individual coins, and issues for Congress as an institution. Institutional issues might include committee or chamber rules on the consideration of commemorative coins and the limit on the number of commemorative coins minted per year. Since only two coins may be minted in a given year, Congress may face a ranking of which groups are honored at any given time. In the modern era, only two coins can be minted per year at the same time; according to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), the "range of subject matter [has] expanded to include subjects such as women, historical events, and even buildings and landscapes." To potentially maximize the appeal and sale of commemorative coins to support designated recipient organizations, Congress might consider whether the people, places, events, or institutions to be commemorated have a broad appeal and whether design elements might be specified that would make the coin more appealing to the general public. Historical Commemorative Coins
Between 1892 and 1954, 60 commemorative coins were authorized by Congress. Modern Commemorative Coins, 1982-1997
Between 1982 and 1997, 47 commemorative coins were authorized by Congress.
Commemorative coins are produced by the U.S. Mint pursuant to an act of Congress and are often proposed by Members of Congress as part of their representational duties. These coins are legal tender that celebrate and honor American people, places, events, and institutions. Overall, 152 commemorative coins have been authorized since 1892. Since 1982, when Congress reinstituted the commemorative program, 91 commemorative coins have been authorized. Since 1998, only two coins may be authorized for any given year. To date, Congress has authorized commemorative coins to be issued through 2020.
The issuance of commemorative coins can be broadly divided into two eras: historical coins and modern coins. Historical commemorative coins were those authorized between 1892 and 1954 and generally celebrated anniversaries, public events, or the construction of new memorials. These coins were sold by the government to the sponsor organization, which then resold the coins to the public at a higher price to earn money to support their mission.
In 1939, Congress stopped authorizing new coins because a glut of commemorative coins on the market had caused their value to decline, and the U.S. Treasury became concerned that so many coins might facilitate counterfeiting. These sentiments were echoed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in 1954 vetoed legislation for a half-dollar honoring the tercentennial of New York City and remarked that "large quantities [of coins] have remained unsold and have been returned to the mints for melting." The historical era concluded with the minting of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington half-dollars between 1951 and 1954.
The modern commemorative coin era began in 1982, when Congress authorized coins to celebrate the 250th anniversary of George Washington's birth. Between 1982 and 1997, prior to the Commemorative Coin Reform Act (CCRA) of 1996's statutory limitation of two commemorative coins issued per year, 47 commemorative coins were authorized and minted. Between 1998 and 2018, an additional 41 coins were authorized and minted. Three additional coins have been authorized, two in 2019 and one in 2020 (to date).
Commemorative coin legislation generally has a specific format. Once a coin is authorized, it follows a specific process for design and minting. This process includes consultation and recommendations by the Citizens Coin Advisory Commission (CCAC) and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), pursuant to any statutory instructions, before the Secretary of the Treasury makes the final decision on a coin's design. Following the conclusion of a coin program, designated recipient organizations may receive surcharge payments, once the U.S. Mint has recouped all costs associated with producing the coin.
Should Congress want to make changes to the commemorative coin process, several individual and institutional options might be available. The individual options include decisions made by Members of Congress as to which people, places, events, or institutions should be celebrated; which groups should receive potential surcharge payments; and any specific design requirements Congress might want to request or require. The institutional options could include House, Senate, or committee rules for the consideration of commemorative coin legislation and whether the statutory maximum of two coins minted per year is too many or too few.