The History of the Girl Scouts
In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouts in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. The first troop began with 18 girls who sparked a nationwide movement, helping girls develop new skills, build lifelong friendships, and serve their communities. By 1913, the Girl Scouts of America was established. One hundred years later, the Congress of the United States sought to honor the Girl Scouts with the Girl Scouts of the USA Centennial Silver Dollar. The companion organization, the Boy Scouts of America, has already been honored with a Silver Dollar on their centennial in 2010.
Over 100 years, the Girl Scout organization impacted their communities near home and all over the globe. At a time when women could not yet vote, the organization promoted inclusion, outdoor skills, self-reliance, and community service. In the 1950s, the Girl Scouts assembled “Kits for Korea,” which were pouches of items that were needed by Korean citizens during the Korean War. In the 1960s, Girl Scouts hosted Speak Out conferences nationwide to promote racial equality. They also launched “ACTION 70,” a project designed to address prejudice and foster stronger community relationships across the United States.
Design Details
Barbara Fox was the obverse designer and Phebe Hemphill was the obverse sculptor of the 2013 Girl Scouts of the USA Centennial Silver Dollar. To capture the rich history of the Girl Scouts in the Girl Scouts of the USA Centennial Silver Dollar, the central vignette features three young women of varying ages to demonstrate the value the Girl Scouts play in the lives of girls of all ages.
All are facing to the right, and on the upper periphery are the words “COURAGE * CONFIDENCE * CHARACTER” with “2013,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the Girl Scout Trefoil insignia with “100,” inside of it, below their images. The bottom periphery has the word “LIBERTY” inscribed on it. The obverse of this commemorative silver dollar was designed by Barbara Fox and engraved by the US Mint’s Phebe Hemphill.
The reverse was designed by Chris Costello and engraved by Joseph Menna. The central vignette features 3 silhouettes of Girl Scout faces inside the Trefoil insignia. Again, the faces are facing right, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” above on the upper periphery. Below the Trefoil is inscribed “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” the denomination expressed numerically as “$1,” and the phrase “GIRL SCOUTS” adorns the lower periphery.
The coins were struck in both uncirculated and proof finishes, and Congress had authorized 350,000 coins in each finish. The uncirculated and proof coins were struck at the West Point minting facility.
(A 2013-W Girl Scouts of America Commemorative Silver Dollar, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
(A 2013-W Girl Scouts of America Commemorative Silver Dollar, Proof, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
These coins were sold individually, and the uncirculated coin was offered in a “Young Collectors Set” along with a trifold of historical information about the Girls Scouts organization. Since total sales (37,462 uncirculated and 86,355 proof) were far below the authorized maximum and did not generate enough revenue to cover the program’s costs, the Girl Scouts of the USA did not receive any of the $10 surcharges; under the governing law, surcharge payments are only made after all production and program costs are recovered. Check out our entire selection of Girl Scouts of the USA Centennial Silver Dollars in our U.S. silver modern commemorative coins collection.
