U.S. Marshals Service Commemorative Coins Are Hot Items
The U.S. Marshals Museum, currently under construction in Fort Smith, netted $1 million in the first 24 hours of the sale of coins commemorating the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Mint began selling the coins on Thursday, Jan. 29. The museum receives a portion of the sales in the form of surcharges from the coin, up to a maximum of $5 million. The $1 million in surcharges reflects a total of $8.25 million in sales.
On April 2, 2012, President Barack Obama signed into law the U.S. Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act. This Act provides for the minting of three coins, a $5 quarter ounce gold coin, a $1 silver dollar, and a half-dollar clad coin, in commemoration of the dedication and achievements of the USMS over its 225 year history.
Each coin presents realistic and historically accurate depictions of different aspects of the USMS. The $5 gold coin commemorates the 250-plus Marshals and Deputy Marshals who have been killed in the line of duty. The $1 silver coin depicts the frontier marshals with a sign reading “Wanted in Fort Smith,” while the half-dollar clad coin portrays the involvement of the U.S. Marshals through their involvement in some of the most significant events in U.S. history.
According to the Mint website as of Monday, Feb. 2, the gold coins and the three coin proof set minted for the on-sale date of Jan. 29 had been purchased but more will be minted in the future for purchase. The silver dollar is on back order, with expected in-stock dates of two to three days. The coins can be purchased through the United States Mint’s website or by calling 800-872-6468. The coins will be on sale throughout 2015.
There is an upcoming opportunity to buy this hot item in person though. Claude Legris, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau, says the coins will be on sale at a 6 p.m. reception on Feb. 7 at the Blue Lion in Fort Smith.
The Mint is only creating:
Prices for the coins include surcharges of $35 for each gold coin, $10 for each silver coin, and $3 for each half-dollar clad coin. The first $5 million in surcharges received from the sale of coins issued under is to be paid to the U.S. Marshals Museum for the preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents. Each coin is encapsulated and each product option is packaged in a black velvet, satin-lined presentation case, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
The anticipated museum opening date is 2017.
The Marshals Museum will add an incredible element to an already vibrant Wild West history. Fort Smith is home to the National Historic Site, which chronicles the first fort built at Belle Point, the place where federal Marshals rode out of the United States and into Indian Territory, and where outlaws collided with Hanging Judge Isaac Parker. Fort Smith pays homage to U.S. Deputy Marshall Bass Reeves with an impressive 25-foot-statue and has many sites commemorating and preserving the Trail of Tears, Civil War and Butterfield Overland Mail Company route history that are now part of the Arkansas Heritage Trails System.
This colorful American background is the reason True West magazine selected Fort Smith, Arkansas as the Top True Western Town for 2013. The publication also named Fort Smith as one of the top five of the Top Western Towns for 2014. True West also honored the town with its “best promotion of a historical place” award for 2014.
Located on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border and near the junction of Interstates 40 and 540, Fort Smith is five miles from Van Buren, 47 miles from Arkansas wine country, and 63 miles from Fayetteville.