I recently replied to a question about specific dates being included within the designs of classic-era US commemorative coins. (You can check it out via the link below.)
Time now to circle back for a look at coins from the modern era of US commemorative coins. Once again, the list is rather abbreviated - just two coins! One gold, one silver.
First up is the 1987 US Constitution Bicentennial Gold Half Eagle, it includes "Sept 17, 1987" on its reverse. The date's significance is the fact that it was on that day that the delegates still present at the Constitutional Convention signed the US Constitution. (Some delegates had left the Convention after the core debates over the Constitution had been concluded.)
The signatures were only a step on the path to having the Constitution become legally binding, however. It needed to be approved/ratified by at least 9 of the 13 states then in the Union. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, New Hampshire was the ninth state, doing so on June 21, 1788. At that point, the US began officially operating under a new Government framework and left the Articles of Confederation behind.
1987 US Constitution Bicentennial Gold Half Eagle
The second, and final, coin on the list is the 2014 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar. The date "July 2, 1964" is seen on the coin's reverse to the left of the stylized flame. The inscription marks the date the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by US President Lyndon Baines Johnson. The coin marks the 50th Anniversary of the historic legislation.
Per the coin's authorizing legislation: "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 greatly expanded civil rights protections, outlawing racial discrimination and segregation in public places and places of public accommodation, in federally funded programs, and employment and encouraging desegregation in public schools, and has served as a model for subsequent anti-discrimination laws."
2014 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar
To read my post of the "dated" coins of the classic series, check out:
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Quick Bits #46 - Calendar Dates On Coins (Classic Era)
Posted 01/25/2022 2:50 pm
