Mark Twain in his gown (scarlet with grey sleeves and facings) for his D.Litt. degree, awarded to him by Oxford University

On Tuesday, December 4, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 2453, the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act into law. With the president’s signature, the measure is now Public Law No. 112-201 ([TXT] [PDF]).

This law will allow the striking of the Twain commemorative in 2016. The program will be for 100,000 $5 gold coins and 350,000 silver dollars whose designs “shall be emblematic of the life and legacy of Mark Twain.” There will be the usual $35 surcharge for the gold coin and $10 for the silver dollar that will be distributed evenly to:

  1. Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut
  2. University of California, Berkeley for the benefit of the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library
  3. Elmira College, New York, to be used for research and education purposes
  4. Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri

I still think Twain would be amused.

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