Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the 1995 Special Olympics
Major Special Olympics competitions are held around the world each year to bring together athletes competing to be the best in their sports. In 1995, the Special Olympics held its World Games in Connecticut, and 7,000 athletes competed in 143 programs from July 1 to July 10. Eunice Kennedy, the founder of the Special Olympics, was a sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and U.S. Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy.
A tragedy in the Kennedy family directly imp[acted the creation of the Special Olympics. A disastrous lobotomy left 23-year-old Rosemary, Eunice’s sister, with the mental capacity of a toddler, unable to speak or walk properly. Rosemary was hidden from the public by her family after the surgery and was placed in long-term residential care for decades. Rosemary deeply affected her sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who established Camp Shriver in 1962. Camp Shriver was a summer camp for kids with disabilities. In 1968, Shriver established the Special Olympics to promote inclusion and opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Congress sought to honor these athletes and Eunice Kennedy by authorizing a commemorative coin and a maximum of 800,000 1995 Special Olympics World Games Silver Dollars to be struck. The surcharge on the coins would help defray the cost of staging and promoting the 1995 Special Olympic World Games.
Design Details
The obverse of the coin was sculpted by T. James Ferrell and designed by Jamie Wyeth. It depicts a portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics. She is facing the left with “SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES” on the upper periphery and the word “LIBERTY” to the left and “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right. The date “1995” is on the lower periphery.
The reverse was designed by Thomas D. Rogers and depicts a rose, a Special Olympics medal with a ribbon, and a quote by Eunice Kennedy Shriver that states, “AS WE HOPE FOR THE BEST IN THEM, HOPE IS REBORN IN US. – EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER, FOUNDER.” Around the periphery are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and the denomination “ONE DOLLAR.” Eunice Kennedy became the first living woman on a U.S. commemorative coin when this coin was minted. Eunice Kennedy died in 2009.
Mintage & Finish Details
1995 Special Olympics World Games Silver Dollars were struck in uncirculated and proof conditions. 89,301 uncirculated coins were struck at the West Point minting facility and bear a “W” mintmark on the obverse.
The proof version of the 1995 Special Olympics World Games Silver Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and has a “P” mintmark on the obverse. 351,764 proof coins were minted.
The coins were sold individually and in a two-coin set containing an uncirculated and a proof 1995 Special Olympics World Games Silver Dollar. Bring your collection into the realm of prestige and elegance with our selection of U.S. silver modern commemorative coins.
