Statue of Liberty Gold Coins Minted to Aid Restoration
Treasury Secretary James A. Baker III switched on a press Friday to strike the first Statue of Liberty commemorative coin, a $5 gold piece, at the U.S. Bullion Depository.
The minting began a new phase of the private campaign to raise money for the restoration and upkeep of the statue and Ellis Island.
“To strike a coin in the image of the Statue of Liberty is to strike a blow for freedom,” Baker said. “It echoes the struggles and triumphs of our past, when millions who ‘yearned to breathe free’ came to the new world.”
Chrysler Corp. Chairman Lee A. Iacocca, who is chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Centennial Commission, joined Baker in striking the coins.
Just 500,000 of the gold coins will be minted, but 35 million coins will be struck from other metals. “All Americans, from schoolchildren to grandparents, may buy the Liberty coins and help this vital restoration,” Baker said.
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