The White House announced that on September 27, President George W. Bush signed two numismaic-related bills into law: H.R.2808, the “Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act” and S.2784, the “Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act,” which provides for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama.
H.R.2808 authorizes the minting of 50,000 90-percent silver coins with a nominal value of $1 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s bithday. The coins will be minted and issued in 2009 and “be emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln.” Sale of these coins will include a $10 surchage that will be paid to “the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to further the work of the Commission.”
S.2784 is an act “[t]o award a congressional gold medal to Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, non-violence, human rights, and religious understanding.” The act calls for the creation of the gold medal and allows the US Mint to sell duplicate bronze medals as collectibles. The proceeds of the sale will be paid to the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.