Two commemorative coins, one a silver dollar, the other a $5 gold piece, were authorized honoring the Granite Lady ? the Old San Francisco Mint that survived the 1906 earthquake. The Senate passed H.R. 1953 May 25. The measure passed the House on Nov. 10, 2005. The measure now goes to President Bush for signature into law.
The Senate action creates commemorative coins with a 2006 date, marking the centennial of building?s survival in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Located in the heart of San Francisco?s financial district at Fifth and Mission Streets, the Granite Lady needs repairs to meet current building codes.
These require it to be earthquake proof, which is expensive. Dr. Donald Kagin, a Bay Area coin dealer whose Ph.D. dissertation was done on Pioneer gold, is the person who dedicated himself to helping gather support for this legislation.
The legislation calls for up to 100,000 $5 gold pieces to be struck and 500,000 silver dollars. The American Numismatic Association is an announced partner in running a museum that will be set up at the Old Mint site as part of its new use. Surcharges of $35 for the gold coin and $10 for the silver dollar could yield as much as $8.5 million in a sellout to assist the project.
