In a bid to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, the NCAA canceled the entire men’s basketball tournament, and with it, a special launch ceremony planned for April 4 during Final Four weekend in Atlanta for the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame commemorative coins.

The coin program is still going to be released by the U.S. Mint April 4, but as of March 12 the relocation of the launch event was still being planned by the Hall of Fame.

Updates are being provided on the Hall of Fame’s website at http://www.hoophall.com/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BBHOF/.The April 4 event in Atlanta was originally intended to be staged by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with the U.S. Mint as part of Fanfest activities.

Colorized coins

The coin event was to include unveiling of colorized versions of the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame silver dollars and copper-nickel clad half dollars, and autographing of the certificates of authenticity by U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder, the coin designers, and members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Donald Senecal, the Hall of Fame’s chief financial officer, told Coin World March 12 that hall officials were scrambling to map out the logistics for April 4, with venues being considered in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and the Hall of Fame itself in Springfield, Massachusetts. Activities are also to include the announcement of the 2020 class of hall inductees.

“One way or another we are launching the coins on April 4,” Senecal said.

Senecal said it is expected that Mint Director Ryder would be in attendance at the relocated event along with Justin Kunz, the U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist whose design selected from a public competition is being used as the common obverse for the three-coin 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame commemorative coin program.

Senecal said he did not know if the designer of the common reverse, AIP artist and retired U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Donna Weaver, would be able to attend.

The Hall of Fame has not yet disclosed which Hall of Fame members will be in attendance at the public launch event to participate in the certificate of authenticity signings.

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