Congress authorized a silver dollar coin to be struck to honor the 75th Anniversary of the March of Dimes Foundation in 1940. The original mission of the March of Dimes was to eradicate polio but as that disease became under control through the vaccine, the Foundation’s mission shifted to improve the health of expectant mothers and their babies. The Foundation was established by then-President Franklin Roosevelt, himself a polio survivor. The Mint struck, in addition to the Congressionally approved commemorative silver dollar, also issued two specially minted Roosevelt Dimes, just for this occasion.
The obverse was designed by Paul Balan and engraved by the US Mint’s Michael Gaudioso. It features the conjoined profile images of President Franklin Roosevelt and the inventor of the vaccine that successfully combatted polio, Dr. Jonas Salk. In front of their images, on the outer periphery is the word “LIBERTY,” and the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Below the images is the date of striking, “2015.”
The reverse of this coin depicts a newborn infant resting in the palm of a parent. Around the outer periphery is inscribed “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” In the lower right field is “MARCH OF DIMES,” and in the lower left is the denomination, expressed as “$1.” The bottom periphery has the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The reverse was designed and engraved by Don Everhard.
Congress authorized a maximum of 500,000 coins to be struck across all offerings. The Uncirculated version was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
(A 2015-P March of Dimes 75th Anniversary Silver Dollar, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
A total of 24,742 Uncirculated coins were struck and were sold. A Proof version was struck at the West Point minting facility and 32,030 were sold. The Mint also offered a Special Silver Set including the Proof Silver Dollar, a Proof Silver Dime and a Reverse Proof Silver Dime. The mintage on this special set was 75,000 sets and it was all sold out.
(A 2015-W March of Dimes 75th Anniversary Silver Dollar, Proof, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
Date | Mintmark | Denomination | Type | Mintage | Value |
2015 | P | Silver Dollar | Uncirculated | 24,742 | $60 |
2015 | W | Silver Dollar | Proof | 32,030 | $50 |
2015 | W | Special Silver Set | Proof | 75,000 | $120 |