The 1999 Yellowstone National Park Silver Dollar was issued to mark the 175th anniversary of the park’s establishment by Congress in 1872. The actual anniversary year occurred two years earlier. Surcharges added to the cost of each coin were earmarked for the Yellowstone National Park and the National Park Foundation.
The obverse of the coin depicts one of the geysers of the park as designed by Edgar Z. Steever IV. This is not identified as the famous “Old Faithful” since the landscape is different. The inscriptions include “Yellowstone”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, and the date of issue “1999″. The coin’s reverse is adapted from the seal of the Department of the Interior by William C. Cousins. An American Bison is depicted facing left with the rising sun in the background. The inscriptions include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and the denomination “One Dollar”.
The Yellowstone Silver Dollars were produced at the Philadelphia Mint in proof and uncirculated formats. The coins were sold individually, or as a two coin set. Pricing initially reflected a pre-issue discount, after which point regular pricing went into effect. On a combined basis, the US Mint sold just over 50% of the maximum authorized mintage of 500,000 coins. The sales period was from July 16, 1999 to July 15, 2000.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Edgar V. Steever IV (obverse), William C. Cousins (reverse)
Weight: 26.7300 g
Composition: 90% Silver (0.7736 ounces of silver)
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 500,000
1999-P Uncirculated Yellowstone National Park Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $30.00
Regular Price: $32.00
Final Mintage: 82,563
1999-P Proof Yellowstone National Park Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price:$33.00
Regular Price: $37.00
Final Mintage: 187,595
The 1999 Dolley Madison Silver Dollar represents the first time that a First Lady was depicted on a United States coin. Issued to mark the 150th anniversary of her death, this coin is popular with collectors to its beautiful design and unique aspects.
The designs for the Dolley Madison coin were created by Tiffany & Co., leading jewelers in the private sector. Their logotype “T & Co” appears on each side of the coin, representing another first in U.S. coinage history. The US Mint engravers T. James Ferrell and Thomas D. Rogers, Sr. are given credit for the models after the Tiffany & Co. designs.
The coin’s obverse depicts Dolley Madison on the ground of the Montpelier estate. A bouquet of her favorite Cape Jasmine flowers and the Ice House Template, frame the image. The design was based on a portrait of Dolley Madison by Gilbert Stuart. Obverse inscriptions include “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “Dolley Madison”, and the date “1999″. The coin’s reverse features a view of Montpelier with landscaping. The inscriptions include “United States of America”, “Montpelier”, and “One Dollar”.
The Dolley Madison Silver Dollar was produced in proof and uncirculated formats at the Philadelphia Mint. The maximum authorized mintage of 500,000 coins was set across the individual options and two coin set. The coins proved extremely popular with collectors, selling more than 300,000 coins during the offering period from January 1 to December 31, 1999. This represented the highest sales level for a modern commemorative coin in several years.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Tiffany & Co.
Weight: 26.7300 g
Composition: 90% Silver (0.7736 ounces of silver)
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 500,000
1999-P Uncirculated Dolley Madison Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $30.00
Regular Price: $32.00
Final Mintage: 89,104
1999-P Proof Dolley Madison Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price:$33.00
Regular Price: $37.00
Final Mintage: 224,403
The 1999 George Washington $5 Gold Coin was issued for the 200th anniversary of the death of George Washington. Interestingly, he had been depicted on the first modern commemorative issued in 1982, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of his birth.
The design of the George Washington $5 Gold Commemorative carries a unique origin. It was originally created by Laura Garden Fraser as a candidate design for the 1932 Washington Quarter. Her proposed design had been favored by the Commission of Fine Arts, but was passed over by Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon who selected a designed by John Flanagan. Recent research suggests that the Treasury Secretary made his choice because he did not want a woman to design the new quarter.
The obverse features a portrait of George Washington based on a bust modeled in 1785 by Jean Antoine Houdon. Inscriptions include “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, and the date of issue “1999″. The reverse of the coin features a perched eagle with thirteen stars above and inscriptions “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and the denomination “Five Dollars”.
The George Washington $5 Gold Coin was offered in proof and uncirculated versions, struck at the West Point Mint. The maximum authorized mintage across both options was 100,000 coins. Initially the coins were sold at pre issue discount prices, after which regular pricing went into effect. The US Mint offered the coins individually, or as a two coin set, containing both the proof and uncirculated version.
The coins were available for sale from May 1, 1999 to November 3,1 1999. A portion of the proceeds benefited the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Laura Garden Fraser
Weight: 8.3590 g
Composition: 90% gold (0.242 ounces of gold)
Diameter: 21.6 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 100,000
1999-W Uncirculated George Washington $5 Gold Coin
Pre-Issue Price: $180.00
Regular Price: $205.00
Final Mintage: 22,511
1999-W Proof George Washington $5 Gold Coin
Pre-Issue Price: $195.00
Regular Price: $225.00
Final Mintage: 41,693
