Honoring the American Legion with Commemorative Coins
In 1919, in Paris, France, the American Legion was formed. It’s mission statement is “to enhance the well-being of America’s veterans, their families, our military, and our communities by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.” For 100 years, the American Legion offered friendship, common understanding, and assistance to American veterans and active-duty personnel.
As the Centennial of the American Legion approached in 2019, the United States Congress enacted Public Law 115-6. This law authorized a three-coin set of commemorative coins: a clad half dollar, a silver dollar, and a five-dollar gold coin, all to be struck in honor of the American Legion. All surcharges on all of these coins went to support the American Legion.
2019 American Legion Clad Half Dollar Coin
Richard Masters designed the 2019 American Legion Clad Half Dollar Coin. This coin’s obverse depicts a boy and a younger girl reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The girl wears her grandfather’s American Legion cap. Both children have their hands over their hearts. On the upper periphery is the word “LIBERTY.” To the right is the date of striking, “2019”. Beneath the children are the phrases “IN GOD WE TRUST“ and “I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG…”. The obverse was sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.
The reverse was sculpted by Joseph Menna. The central vignette is an American flag on a flagpole, as viewed from the ground. Above the flag is the American Legion emblem. Just below the flag is the next line of the Pledge of Allegiance: “OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”. The upper periphery has “E PLURIBUS UNUM”, while the lower periphery has the denomination “HALF DOLLAR”.
The uncirculated clad half dollar was struck at the Denver Mint and has a “D” mintmark. The proof clad half dollar was struck in San Francisco and bears an “S” mintmark. 750,000 coins were authorized to be the maximum mintage across all types.
2019 American Legion Silver Dollar
Unlike many other recent 3-coin commemorative programs, each of the three American Legion coins featured a different design. The obverse of the 2019 American Legion Silver Dollar, designed by Paul Balan and sculpted by Renata Gordon, depicts the American Legion emblem, a five-pointed star with the letters “U S” in its center, adorned with an oak leaf and a lily. The words “AMERICAN” and “LEGION” are prominent. On the upper periphery is the word “LIBERTY” with “IN GOD WE TRUST” below it, and the date “2019” at the lower periphery.
The reverse of this commemorative silver dollar was designed by Patricia Lucas-Morris and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso. The symbolism shows the American flag and the American Legion flag entwined. Above these two flags is a fleur-de-lis, representing France, where the American Legion was founded. The reverse is ornate, and the phrase “100 YEARS OF SERVICE” appears below the fleur-de-lis. The upper periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” while the lower periphery has “E PLURIBUS UNUM”. On the left side is “1919”, and on the right is “2019” with the denomination, “$1”, below it.
Both the uncirculated and proof versions of the 2019 American Legion Silver Dollar were minted at the Philadelphia Mint, so both bear a “P” mintmark. Congress had authorized a maximum mintage of 400,000 Silver Dollar coins.
2019 American Legion $5 Gold Coin
With another ornate design, the American Legion $5 Gold Coin was sculpted by Phebe Hemphill and designed by Chris Costello. The central vignette depicts the Eiffel Tower in Paris with a large “V” for Victory emblazoned across the coin. Near the top of the tower is “IN GOD WE TRUST”, and across the middle of the coin is the word “LIBERTY”. Below that are the dates “1919” to the left and “2019” is to the right.
The reverse of this coin was designed by Paul C. Balan and sculpted by Joseph Menna. The reverse features an American Bald eagle soaring across the sky, and the American Legion emblem also dominates the reverse. The words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” are on the upper left periphery. Below the American Legion emblem is the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM” and the denomination,“$5”, is just above the eagle.
The uncirculated and proof versions were struck at the West Point Minting facility, so both bear a “W” mintmark. 3,090 uncirculated gold coins were sold, while 10,920 proof gold coins were sold. Congress had authorized a maximum mintage of up to 50,000 coins to be struck.
Sets
The proof versions of the clad half dollar, silver dollar, and five dollar gold coin were all included in an American Legion 3-Coin Proof set. Additionally, the proof silver dollar coin was included in a limited American Legion Coin and Medal set.
Add these coins to your collection and explore other U.S. silver modern commemorative coins and modern U.S. gold commemorative coins.
