Celebrating the United States Capitol
To raise funds for the construction of the Capitol Visitor Center and to commemorate the bicentennial of Congress’s first session in the United States Capitol in 1800, a set of commemorative coins was released in 2001. Congress authorized three coins: a clad half dollar, a silver dollar, and a gold coin. The surcharge from each coin sold was directed to support the Capitol Visitor Center Trust Fund.
Opened in December 2008, the 580,000-square-foot visitor center features multilingual interactive and multimedia exhibits, food service areas, security and storage facilities, and provides direct access to the Capitol itself.
2001 Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Clad Half Dollar Coin
This clad half dollar was the first commemorative half dollar struck since the clad half dollars released in the Centennial Olympic Games Commemorative Program from 1995 to 1996. Dean McMullen designed the original U.S. Capitol on the obverse in great detail. A horse-drawn carriage is in front of the Capitol. Inside the circle of stars and above the Capitol is “IN GOD WE TRUST,” while below the Capitol is “U. S. CAPITOL 1800” in two lines. The outer ring has the word “LIBERTY” and the date “2001.”
The reverse was designed by both Alex Shagin and Marcel Jovine and consists of sixteen five-pointed stars arranged in a circle. Inside the stars are various inscriptions reading “1800/6th CONGRESS/SENATE 32 SENATORS/HOUSE 106 MEMBERS/E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Around the periphery are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and the denomination “HALF DOLLAR.”
The US Mint in Philadelphia struck uncirculated and proof versions of this clad half dollar, which were offered individually and as a 2-coin set. Although the maximum authorized mintage of the Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Clad Half Dollar was set at 750,000 coins, only 99,157 of the uncirculated coins were sold, and only 77,962 of the proof coins were sold.
2001 Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin
The obverse of the coin had an image of the original Capitol Building from 1800 in the foreground with the modern Capitol Building in the background. To the right of the old Capitol Building is the date “1800”, and above the new Capitol Building, the date of striking “2001.” The upper periphery has the word “LIBERTY,” and the lower periphery has “U. S. Capitol” on it. The obverse was designed by Marika Somogyi.
The reverse was designed and sculpted by John Mercanti and resembles the 1850-1907 $20 Double Eagle Liberty. There is a heraldic eagle at the center with rays of the sun behind it, and there is a scroll across the eagle on which is inscribed “U. S. CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER,” and above the rays is the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The upper periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and the lower periphery has the denomination “ONE DOLLAR.”
The uncirculated and proof versions of the silver dollar were both struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Both of these coins were offered individually or as part of a three-coin set. The maximum authorized mintage was 500,000 coins, but only 35,380 uncirculated coins were sold, and 143,793 proof coins were sold.
2001 Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Gold $5 Coin
The obverse of this gold coin depicts the top portion of a Corinthian column. To the left of the column is the inscription “FIRST CONVENING OF CONGRESS IN WASHINGTON,” and around the periphery are “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the date “2001.” Elizabeth Jones, the former Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, designed the obverse of this coin.
The reverse features yet another view of the older U.S. Capitol with the inscription “E PLURIBUS UNUM” above the building, and on the periphery are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “FIVE DOLLARS.” This reverse was designed by Thomas J. Ferrell.
Uncirculated and proof coins were struck at the West Point Minting facility in New York. The maximum authorized mintage across all versions of this commemorative gold coin was 100,000. 6,761 uncirculated coins were sold, while 27,652 proof coins were sold. Premiums were developed for the uncirculated version once the exceptionally low mintage was discovered and published.
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