1989 Congress Half Dollar

1989 Congress Half Dollar - United States Mint Image

The 1989 Congress Bicentennial Commemorative Half Dollar was issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the operation of Congress under the U.S. Constitution. It was one of three coins issued, which also included a silver dollar and $5 gold coin. Surcharges from the sale of coins went to the Capitol Preservation Fund.

The 1989 Congress Half Dollar depicts the head of Thomas Crawford's Freedom statue, which sits atop the Capitol dome. The reverse depicts a wide view of the front of the Capitol with thirteen stars which appear above and below the building. The obverse was designed by Patricia L. Verani. The reverse was designed by William Woodward based on modeling produced by Edgar Z. Steever.

The obverse inscriptions include "Bicentennial of the Congress","In God We Trust", "Liberty", the dual date "1789" and "1989" and the mint mark. The reverse inscriptions include "United States of America", "E Pluribus Unum", and the denomination "Half Dollar".

The Congress Half Dollar was offered in both proof and uncirculated versions. The proof coins were produced at the San Francisco Mint and the uncirculated coins were produced at the Denver Mint. The coins were sold individually or as part of two different 2 Coin Sets and 4 Coin Set. A complete 6 Coin Set containing all versions of all denominations was also offered. The coins were initially sold at a pre-issue discount price before regular pricing came into effect.

Coin Specifications

Designer: Patricia L Verani (obverse), William Woodward (reverse)
Weight: 11.3400 g
Composition: 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel
Diameter: 30.61 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 4,000,000

1989-D Uncirculated Congress Half Dollar

Pre-Issue Price: $5.00
Regular Price: $6.00
Final Mintage: 163,753

1989-S Proof Congress Half Dollar

Pre-Issue Price: $7.00
Regular Price: $8.00
Final Mintage: 767,897

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