The United States Mint issued the 2009 Louis Braille Silver Dollar to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth. Louis Braille is the inventor of the Braille system of reading and writing for the blind and visually impaired. The silver dollar contained the first readable Braille characters to appear on a legal tender United States coin.
The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Louis Braille designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The inscriptions read “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “Louis Braille”, and the bicentennial dates “1809″ and “2009″.
The reverse features an image of a child read a Braille book with a bookcase in the background bearing the word “Independence”. Inscriptions read “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and “One Dollar”. The field above the image includes the word “Braille” (abbreviated “BRL”) in Braille characters. Although Braille characters have appeared on previous US coins, this is the first time the characters appear large enough to be readable by touch. The reverse was designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Joseph Menna.
The United States Mint began sales of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar on March 26, 2009. Both the proof and uncirculated versions of the coin were produced at the Philadelphia Mint. Coins were sold individually, with an easy open capsule available for the uncirculated version. Later in the year, the US Mint released the Braille Education Set, which included the uncirculated version of the coin, educational material about the Braille System, and examples of readable Braille.
The maximum authorized mintage across all product options was 400,000. Coin sales ended on December 11, 2009 before the maximum level was reached. Surcharges added to the cost of each coin were paid to the National Federation for the Blind to further programs to promote Braille literacy.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Joel Iskowitz (obverse), Phebe Hemphill (reverse)
Weight: 26.7300 g
Composition: 90% Silver (0.7736 ounces of silver)
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 400,000
2009-P Uncirculated Louis Braille Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $31.95
Regular Price: $33.95
Final Mintage: 80,754
2009-P Proof Louis Braille Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price:$37.95
Regular Price: $41.95
Final Mintage: 133,064
The silver dollar obverse features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln designed by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Don Everhart. The portrait, which is symbolic of Lincoln’s strength and resolve, was inspired by Daniel Chester French’s sculpture which resides at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The obverse inscriptions read “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, and the date “2009″.
The reverse of the coin features the final 43 words of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address surrounded by a laurel wreath. The central inscription reads, “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this Nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” An inscription above reads “United States of America”, and lettering on banners below read “One Dollar” and “E Pluribus Unum” with a reproduction of Lincoln’s signature. The reverse was designed and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Silver Dollar went on sale February 12, 2009, to coincide with the exact 200th anniversary of his birth. Proof and uncirculated versions of the coin were produced at the Philadelphia Mint with an overall maximum production of 500,000 coins. The US Mint sold out of the 450,000 coins allocated to individual coin sales after approximately one month.
Later in the year on October 15, 2009, the US Mint offered the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set. This special set contained the proof version of the 2009 Lincoln Silver Dollar, all four proof 2009 Lincoln Cents, a reproduction of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln’s handwriting, and a reproduction of a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. The sets were limited to 50,000 units and carried an ordering limit of one set per household. The sets were extremely popular with collectors and sold out after only a few days.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Justin Kunz (obverse), Phebe Hemphill (reverse)
Weight: 26.7300 g
Composition: 90% Silver (0.7736 ounces of silver)
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 500,000
2009-P Uncirculated Abraham Lincoln Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $31.95
Regular Price: $33.95
Final Mintage: 175,000
2009-P Proof Abraham Lincoln Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price:$37.95
Regular Price: $41.95
Final Mintage: 325,000
