Michael Olson, a former member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee who originally proposed the idea of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing and spearheaded passage of the legislation that created the set of coins issued in 2019 for that event, recently received a Director's Award from U.S. Mint Director David Ryder for his major contributions to that coin program.

U.S. Mint directors have a longstanding tradition of awarding excellence among Mint employees with various awards including Rittenhouse medals modeled after one created in 1871 by Charles Barber that depicted the first U.S. Mint director, David Rittenhouse.

Achievements made in service to the U.S. Mint by people not employed by it include medals given to individuals who have served on the CCAC and the Director's Coin of Excellence - modeled on a tradition in the military of commanders awarding coins to personnel who perform beyond expectations. One of those was given in 2011 to NGC Vice President Miles Standish.

The Director's Award for work performed on the Apollo 11 Commemorative Coin program consists of a paper certificate produced by the Mint's in-house graphics department. There is no monetary award, coin, or medal presented in conjunction with the framed certificate. The Mint identified more than 100 employees to receive the Director's Award for their work on the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary five-ounce Proof silver coin. The bulk of the employees recognized work at the Philadelphia Mint where the Apollo 11 five-ounce Proof silver coin was produced.

In recognition of Mr. Olson's efforts to make the Apollo 11th 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Program a reality, Director Ryder chose to also present a Director's Award certificate to Mr. Olson. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no presentation ceremony, so the Mint mailed the certificate to Mr. Olson.

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Michael Olson receives U.S. Mint Director's Award for work on Apollo 11 coin program(http://news.coinupdate.com/michael-olson-receives-u-s-mint-directors-award-for-work-on-apollo-11-coin-program/)