Coin Type – Christa McAuliffe – 2021

In 2021, the Congress of the United States authorized Public Law 116-65, which created a Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar coin to honor her and the six astronauts who all perished 35 years earlier in January of 1986. McAuliffe was a social studies teacher from New Hampshire who was the first teacher to be selected as an astronaut in NASA’s “Teacher in Space” program. That program was canceled due to the disaster and replaced with a NASA program to educate teachers about NASA’s missions and about space. The public, and NASA, were stunned by this disaster, and it took many years for this honor to be achieved. 

The Silver Dollar commemorative coin had an obverse that was designed by Laurie Musser and sculpted by the US Mint’s Phebe Hemphill. The obverse depicts a portrait of Christa McAuliffe facing left. On the upper periphery is her name “CHRISTA McAuliffe,” and on the lower periphery are the year of striking “2021,”, the word “LIBERTY,” and the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST.” 

The reverse of this silver dollar was designed by Emily Damstra and sculpted by Joseph Menna. It features McAuliffe pointing her hand into the sky as three high school age students look skyward. Her hand is surrounded by seven eight-pointed stars in the sky, representing McAuliffe and her six astronaut colleagues who all perished. Above the stars is the phrase, “I TOUCH THE FUTURE – I TEACH.”  There is also the word “FIRST” and a symbol, which represents the F.I.R.S.T. program, which engages young people and encourages them to learn and enjoy science, engineering, math, and technology.  The lower periphery has “EPLURIBUS UNUM,” the denomination “ONE DOLLAR,” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”  

(A 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].) 

Both the Uncirculated and Proof versions were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, and both bear a “P” mintmark on the reverse. The coins were struck in .999 Fine Silver, to be comparable to other sovereign nations’ commemorative coinages.  

(A 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar, Proof, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].) 

Congress authorized a maximum mintage of 350,000 coins. The United States Mint sold 16,044 of the Uncirculated coins and 54,230 of the Proof versions. There is a $10.00 surcharge that went to support the FIRST Robotics program to support its aims and goals encouraging students to embrace the sciences, mathematics, and technology.