With its Irving, Texas, headquarters nearby, it was a natural to have a formal launch of the Boy Scouts of America commemorative silver dollar March 27 at the American Numismatic Association National Money Show in Fort Worth, Texas.
Collectors witnessed first hand the importance the organization attaches to the new coin in a special ceremony conducted in a theater section in a corner of the bourse floor.
Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca said, “the partnership with the U.S. Mint is going to be huge” and was already speaking as if all 350,000 coins were sold, earning $3.5 million for its BSA National Foundation to use to start troops in underserved areas.
Mint Director Ed Moy took great pride in revealing that as of the ceremony, 200,000 silver dollars had been sold since they first became available March 23. (As of March 28, sales were 214,673 pieces.)
Moy gave Mazzuca a special shadow box containing both a proof and an uncirculated example of the new silver dollar.
Mazzuca also singled out former ANA President Bill Horton and former ANA Vice President Patti Finner for the support they had given to the idea of a Boy Scout coin even before authorizing legislation was introduced in Congress.
Also addressing the crowd were Scout adult adviser Jeff Swindling, who chairs the Young Numismatist and Scouting Committee for the ANA, and Paul Porter, a sixth-grader and Scout from South Lake, Texas.
After the ceremony, when Mazzuca was asked what he would say if he could address all of the nation’s coin collectors, he replied, “Thank you for welcoming the Boy Scouts of America into your dedicated and enthusiastic community. The passion and excitement was evident at the National Money Show, and we were glad to be a part of it. The BSA centennial silver dollar is a significant recognition of what Scouting has offered our country during the last 100 years, and it’s a beautiful keepsake to take with us into our next century of service.”
To order, visit the Mint’s Web site at www.usmint.gov, or telephone (800) USA-MINT.
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