Letter
Dear Ms. McNally:
In its public meeting of 17 July conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed candidate designs for a three-coin program celebrating the FIFA World Cup men’s soccer tournament to be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 2026. The Commission provided the following comments and recommendations.
In considering the presented sets by individual artists, the Commission members recommended Set 5, which they said has a joyous character and is preferable to the alternatives portraying a generic soccer player or featuring a partial world map. Among the obverse alternatives within Set 5, they expressed support for G-O-05, S-O-05, and C-O-05, along with the common design proposed for the three reverses of the gold, silver, and clad coins. For the typography on the recommended obverses, they offered several additional suggestions: refinement of the letter “Y” to avoid appearing as “V” in the “Liberty” inscription; improved legibility of the stacked numerals “20”/“26” if consistent with the FIFA logo for the event; and centering “20”/“26” within the soccer ball on the clad coin, consistent with the similar motif on the gold and silver coins. They also recommended deleting the large foam hand on the silver coin’s obverse.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
/s/Sincerely,
Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Kristie McNally, Acting Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220