1.This Act may be cited as the
Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative
Coin Act
.
2.The Congress finds as follows:
(1)During the Battle for Baltimore of the War
of 1812, Francis Scott Key visited the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay on
September 7, 1814, to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been
captured after the British burned Washington, DC.
(2)The release of Dr.
Beanes was secured, but Key and Beanes were held by the British during the
shelling of Fort McHenry, one of the forts defending Baltimore.
(3)On the morning of
September 14, 1814, after the 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry, Key
peered through the clearing smoke to see a 42-foot by 30-foot American flag
flying proudly atop the Fort.
(4)He was so inspired
to see the enormous flag still flying over the Fort that he began penning a
song, which he named The Defence of Fort McHenry, to commemorate the occasion
and he included a note that it should be sung to the tune of the popular
British melody To Anacreon in Heaven.
(5)In 1916, President
Woodrow Wilson ordered that the anthem, which had been popularly renamed the
Star-Spangled Banner, be played at military and naval occasions.
(6)On March 3, 1931,
President Herbert Hoover signed a resolution of Congress that officially
designated the Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem of the United
States.
3.
(a)The Secretary of the
Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the Secretary
)
shall mint and issue the following coins in commemoration of the bicentennial
of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner:
(1)Not more than 100,000 $5 coins, which shall—
(A)weigh 8.359
grams;
(B)have a diameter of
0.850 inches; and
(C)contain 90 percent
gold and 10 percent alloy.
(2)Not more than 500,000 $1 coins, which shall—
(A)weigh 26.73
grams;
(B)have a diameter of
1.500 inches; and
(C)contain 90 percent
silver and 10 percent copper.
(b)The coins minted under this Act shall be legal tender, as
provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.
(c)For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United
States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered to be
numismatic items.
4.
(a)
(1)The design of the
coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the War of 1812 and
particularly the Battle for Baltimore that formed the basis for the
Star-Spangled Banner.
(2)Designation and
inscriptionsOn each coin minted under this Act, there shall
be—
(A)a designation of
the value of the coin;
(B)an inscription of
the year 2012
; and
(C)inscriptions of
the words Liberty
, In God We Trust
, United
States of America
, and E Pluribus Unum
.
(b)The
design for the coins minted under this Act shall be—
(1)selected by the Secretary, after
consultation with the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission and the
Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2)reviewed by the
Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
5.
(a)Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in uncirculated
and proof qualities.
(b)Only one facility of the United States Mint may be used
to strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this Act.
(c)The Secretary may issue coins under this Act only during
the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012.
6.
(a)The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by the
Secretary at a price equal to the sum of—
(1)the face value of
the coins;
(2)the surcharge
provided in section 7 with respect to such coins; and
(3)the cost of
designing and issuing the coins (including labor, materials, dies, use of
machinery, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping).
(b)The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins issued
under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c)
(1)The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders for the coins
minted under this Act before the issuance of such coins.
(2)Sale
prices with respect to prepaid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a
reasonable discount.
7.
(a)All sales of coins issued under this Act shall include a
surcharge of—
(1)$35 per coin for
the $5 coin; and
(2)$10 per coin for
the $1 coin.
(b)Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31,
United States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of
coins issued under this Act shall be paid to the Maryland War of 1812
Bicentennial Commission for the purpose of supporting bicentennial activities,
educational outreach activities (including supporting scholarly research and
the development of exhibits), and preservation and improvement activities
pertaining to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
(c)The Comptroller General of the United
States shall have the right to examine such books, records, documents, and
other data of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission as may be
related to the expenditures of amounts paid under subsection (b).
(d)Notwithstanding
subsection (a), no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance under
this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as of the time of such
issuance, the issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemorative
coin programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative coin
program issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States
Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Secretary of
the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out this subsection.