The Six Versions of Mount Rushmore‘s 50th Anniversary
The 50th Anniversary of Mount Rushmore was going to be celebrated in 1991 so Congress authorized coinage and ordered the US Mint to issue a 3-coin set to honor the US monument to four of our most revered Presidents. As expected, the Mint issued a $5 gold coin, a $1 Silver coin and a clad $.50 cent piece.
The Half Dollar clad coin had two designers. Marcel Jovine, the creator of numerous commemorative coin designs, created the obverse design. He created a view of Mount Rushmore, as originally carved by Gutzon Borglum, in the center of the coin, depicting Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The sun’s rays are emanating from behind the carving and the word “LIBERTY” separates the rays. Beneath the carving is “IN GOD WE TRUST” and the date “1991.”
The reverse of this coin was designed by T. James Ferrell. It depicts a great North Western American Bison, commonly referred to as a Buffalo, and it is facing the left. Above the Bison are the words “GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY” and below it is the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Around the outer periphery are 50 five-pointed stars, representing the states of the Union and on the inner periphery are the phrases “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and the denomination “HALF DOLLAR”.
This coin was struck in both an Uncirculated version at the Denver Mint with a “D” mintmark, and it was also struck in a Proof version at the San Francisco Mint with an “S” mintmark.
The next coin in this commemorative series was the Silver Dollar coin. It was designed by Marika Somogyi. Much like the clad Half Dollar, the Silver Dollar also depicted a view of Mount Rushmore on the obverse of the coin. Although there are no rays emanating from this depiction, the word “LIBERTY” does, again, appear above the carving. On the carving itself, below the portraits, the date of the anniversary “1991” was added. In two lines are “GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY” and “MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL”. On the lower periphery are two laurel branches with a ribbon emblazoned with “IN GOD WE TRUST”.
On the reverse of the coin is the Great Seal of the United States, the sun’s rays coming from behind the seal, above an outline of a map of the United States. There is a five-pointed star to indicate Mount Rushmore’s approximate location in the United States. The words “SHRINE OF DEMOCRACY” is emblazoned across the map. Below those words are “E PLURIBUS UNUM” and on the upper periphery is “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and on the lower periphery is the denomination “ONE DOLLAR”. The reverse was designed by US Mint’s former Chief Engraver, Frank Gasparro.
While the Uncirculated version was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and bears a “P” mintmark, the Proof version was struck in San Francisco and bears an “S” mintmark. The authorized mintage for the Silver Dollar was 2,500,000 coins but only 133,139 of the Uncirculated and 738,419 of the Proof version were sold.
The last coin in this set was a $5.00 Gold coin. Like the Clad Half Dollar and the Silver Dollar, it was also struck in both an Uncirculated version and a Proof version. However, both versions of this gold coin were struck at the Mint at West Point.
Owing to the fact that the two minor coins both had depictions of the Mount Rushmore carving, the designers of the $5.00 gold coin did not repeat that same design – well not entirely. The obverse of the coin, designed by John Mercanti, depicted a bald eagle in flight, but it still included a small rendition of Mount Rushmore in the distance. In the eagle’s claws, he is seemingly holding a chisel and mallet for sculpting work and in its beak is a ribbon on which the obligatory “IN GOD WE TRUST” was inscribed. Completing the obverse design are six five-pointed stars, the word “LIBERTY” and the date “1991”.
The reverse is somewhat unusual in that instead of an image, the words “MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL” in a calligraphy-type font, dominate the center. This was the first commemorative coin, since its inception in 1892, to only have words and no image. The upper and lower peripheries include the phrases “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM” and the denomination “FIVE DOLLARS”. Also below the calligraphy is the “W” mintmark for West Point. Not surprisingly, the reverse was designed by William Lamb, a calligraphic artist.
The coins were offered individually or as part of a three-coin set in uncirculated or proof finishes. Additionally, they were offered a complete six-coin set. The authorized mintage of 500,000 coins was much higher than the actual sales. Only 31,959 Uncirculated coins and 111,911 Proof coins were sold individually and in sets.
| Date & Mintmark | Denomination | Striking | Mintage | Value |
| 1991-D | Half Dollar | Uncirculated | 172,754 | $20 |
| 1991-S | Half Dollar | Proof | 753,257 | $15 |
| 1991-P | Silver Dollar | Uncirculated | 133,139 | $50 |
| 1991-S | Silver Dollar | Proof | 738,419 | $50 |
| 1991-W | $5 Gold | Uncirculated | 31,959 | $525 |
| 1991-W | $5 Gold | Proof | 111,991 | $525 |
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