Mark Brinkmeyer's brothers might have had an easier time than usual in choosing his birthday gift this year.

The Quincy man already knows he's getting one of the new commemorative Mark Twain coins struck by the U.S. Mint.

It's an ideal gift for Brinkmeyer, who shares a birthday with Hannibal's favorite son. Brinkmeyer's mom Shirley swears she didn't name him Mark just because both were born on Nov. 30, but "I've always had an interest in Mark Twain," he said. "With the coins being a one-time deal, I thought it would be really interesting."

Brinkmeyer got a first look at the coin designs during Mark Twain's 180th Birthday Bash held Saturday at the Mark Twain Museum Gallery. The event featured a mustache competition, announcing winners in the Masquerade Mask Art Show, singing "Happy Birthday" to Twain, birthday cake and unveiling the designs featuring separate poses of Twain on the front and an open book, Huck and Jim on a raft, the jumping frog and the Connecticut Yankee on the back of the larger silver coin and the river on the back of the gold coin.

"I wanted to see what Mark Twain was going to look like in gold," said Dr. Kent Wolber of Hannibal. "The last time they introduced a stamp, I was here, and I kind of wanted to round things out."

Pat Janes, president of the Hannibal Coin Club, praised both the design and the honor for Twain.

"If the U.S. Mint is going to do a commemorative coin for important people and events in our history, Mark Twain would clearly warrant the designation," Janes said. "He is honestly beloved as an author and one of the more influential writers in the history of American literature."

The mint strikes two commemorative coins each year for not-for-profit organizations. Legislative work toward honoring Twain began in 2011, and the coin was approved in December 2012 but the backlog of minting coins meant a four-year wait, said Henry Sweets, executive director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum. The coins will be available for sale early in 2016, likely in January, through the end of the year.

Up to 350,000 of the silver coins and up to 100,00 of the gold coins will be struck based on demand, with the boyhood home and museum and Twain sites in Connecticut, New York and California sharing in the proceeds from a $35 surcharge on the gold coins and a $10 surcharge on the silver coins.

The coins' designs are emblematic of Twain's life and legacy. The gold coin's obverse design features a portrait of Mark Twain with the inscriptions "LIBERTY," "IN GOD WE TRUST," and "2016." The obverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) artist Benjamin Sowards and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.

The gold coin's reverse design depicts a steamboat on the Mississippi River. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "$5," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM." The reverse was designed by AIP artist Ronald D. Sanders and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna.

The silver coin's obverse design features a portrait of Mark Twain holding a pipe with the smoke forming a silhouette of Huck Finn and Jim on a raft in the background. Inscriptions are "LIBERTY," "N GOD WE TRUST," and "2016." The obverse was designed by AIP artist Chris Costello and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso.

The silver coin's reverse design features an assortment of characters leaping to life from Mark Twain's works: The knight and horse from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the frog from The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Jim and Huck from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "$1," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM." The reverse was designed by AIP artist Patricia Lucas-Morris and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Renata Gordon.

To read the complete article, see:
Twain museum unveils commemorative coins (www.whig.com/article/20151129/ARTICLE/311299957)

To read the Mint press release, see:
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Designs Unveiled (www.usmint.gov/pressroom/?action=press_release&id=1734)