WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will accept orders for the 2021 American Innovation $1 Coin Reverse Proof Set™ beginning on November 8 at noon EDT. Production is limited to 50,000 sets, with orders limited to five sets per household for the first 24 hours of sales.
The American Innovation® $1 Coin Program is a multi-year series featuring distinctive reverse (tails) designs that pay homage to America’s ingenuity and celebrate the pioneering efforts of individuals or groups from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. The 2021 coins celebrate significant innovations and/or innovators in New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, and North Carolina. All four coins are included in the 2021 American Innovation $1 Coin Reverse Proof Set.
These stunning reverse proof coins feature frosted backgrounds and brilliant, mirror-like finishes, creating a magnificent contrast. The four designs for 2021 were created by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designers and sculpted by United States Mint Medallic Artists.
American Innovation – New Hampshire $1 Coin
Designer: Christina Hess, AIP Designer
Sculptor: Eric David Custer, Medallic Artist
The New Hampshire $1 Coin recognizes Ralph Baer and his creation of the first home video game console. The design depicts Ralph Baer’s brown box game “HANDBALL” on the right side of the coin. The left side of the coin displays “NEW HAMPSHIRE” and “PLAYER 1” on an incused background. “IN HOME VIDEO GAME SYSTEM” and “RALPH BAER” encircle the outside of the coin in a text that is meant to pay homage to Ralph Baer’s Odyssey game. The additional inscription is “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” The coin’s design is also symbolic of an arcade token.
American Innovation – Virginia $1 Coin
Designer: Matt Swaim, AIP Designer
Sculptor: John P. McGraw, Medallic Artist
The Virginia $1 Coin recognizes the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The design depicts a view of the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel as a cross section cut away, illustrating the ingenuity involved in constructing it. Inscriptions are “VIRGINIA” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
American Innovation – New York $1 Coin
Designer: Ronald D. Sanders, AIP Designer
Sculptor: Phebe Hemphill, Medallic Artist
The New York $1 Coin pays homage to the Erie Canal. The design depicts a packet boat being pulled from a city in the East toward the country areas to the West. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “NEW YORK.”
American Innovation – North Carolina $1 Coin
Designer: Ronald D. Sanders, AIP Designer
Sculptor: Joseph Menna, Chief Engraver
The North Carolina $1 Coin acknowledges the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first public institution of higher learning in the United States. The reverse design depicts a stack of three textbooks with “FIRST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY” on the spine of the middle book. A lamp of knowledge is perched atop the books, and olive branches curve around the edge of the design. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “NORTH CAROLINA.”
The obverse (heads) of all American Innovation $1 Coins depicts a dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile with the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.” The design also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation. The inscriptions “2021,” the mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the coins’ edge. AIP Designer Justin Kunz created the design, which was sculpted by Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill.
The 2021 American Innovation $1 Coin Reverse Proof Set is priced at $28. To sign up for a REMIND ME alert, please visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/american-innovation-2021-1-coin-reverse-proof-set-21GC.html (product code 21GC).
Additional American Innovation $1 Coin products are available at https://catalog.usmint.gov/coins/coin-programs/american-innovation-dollar-coins/.
Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, the United States Mint will not accept and will not honor orders placed prior to the official on-sale date of November 8, 2021, at noon EST.
To reduce the risk of employee exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, the Mint’s sales centers are closed until further notice. Please use the United States Mint catalog site at https://catalog.usmint.gov/ as your primary source of the most current information on product and service status.