The 19th Amendment, which gave the right to vote to women was ratified on August 18, 1920. This piece of legislation was seventy years in the making and was signed into law by Vice President Thomas Marshall, with the full support of President Woodrow Wilson. It had long been promoted by suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. At the time, this Amendment gave the right to vote to more than 27 million American women.
The Congress of the United States saw fit to honor that momentous achievement by enacting Public Law 116-71 which authorized the striking of a maximum of 400,000 Commemorative Silver Dollars. The Philadelphia Mint struck both versions of this new commemorative silver dollar and both versions bear a “P” mintmark.
The design of both the obverse and reverse for this coin was created by Phebe Hemphill and sculpted by Christina Hess – fittingly created by two accomplished women.
The obverse of this Commemorative Silver Dollar features three different women from differing generations and backgrounds. Each of them wears a hat and hairstyle suitable for the differing time periods. This is to remind people of the 70 years that it took for women to obtain the vote. The woman in the foreground wears a “flapper” style of hat with a “1920” button on it to indicate the year of ratification. The right periphery has the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” on it while the left periphery simply has the word “LIBERTY.”
The reverse of the coin is very symbolic as it features the year “2020” (year of striking) being dropped into a ballot box that features an art deco design with a circle that states “WOTES FOR WOMEN” and the top of the ballot box is inscribed with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” on it. The lower periphery bears the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
(A 2020-P Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse {right].)
(A 2020-P Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar, Proof, Obverse [left], Reverse {right].)
A $10 surcharge was added to the cost of the coins, and it went to the Smithsonian’s Institution’s American Women’s History Initiatives.
The Philadelphia Mint struck both the Uncirculated and Proof versions of these coins, and both bear a “P” mintmark. The Mint sold 13,624 of the Uncirculated versions and 33,480 of the Proof coins.
The US Mint also offered a Coin and Medal Set that included a Proof Silver Dollar and a medal only available in this set.
(A 2020-P Women’s Suffrage, Coin and Medal Set, Proof.)
(The Medal in the 2020 Women’s Suffrage Coin & Medal Set, Obverse [left], Reverse {right].)
The medal was struck in silver. The obverse depicts a child’s hand reaching up to hold the Women’s Suffrage Centennial weight – as the struggle took generations to accomplish.
The reverse Depicts some of the text of the 19th Amendment on the United States flag. Congress authorized 10,000 of these sets to be struck and 9,996, were struck at sold.
| Date | Mintmark | Denomination | Type | Mintage | Value |
| 2020 | P | Silver Dollar | Uncirculated | 13,624 | $60 |
| 2020 | P | Silver Dollar | Proof | 33,480 | $85 |
| 2020 | P | Coin & Medal Set | Proof | 9,996 | $225 |
