The American Innovation® $1 Coin Program is a multi-year series featuring distinctive reverse (tails) designs that pay homage to America’s ingenuity and celebrate the pioneering efforts of individuals or groups from each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
One of the Nation’s greatest strengths is its entrepreneurial spirit and the remarkable innovation and discovery it unleashes. The United States Mint is proud to celebrate innovation, honor the spirit of America, and introduce the 2021 American Innovation $1Coin Proof Set™.
The 2021 American Innovation $1 Coin Proof Set features four stunning coins encased in a clear plastic lens in a beautifully designed package. This celebration of significant American innovations and/or innovators and pioneering efforts of individuals or groups in New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, and North Carolina will make a great addition to any collection or the perfect gift for a special occasion.
The proof coins have a sharp relief and a mirror-like background with frosted foregrounds, giving them a special cameo effect
The 2021 American Innovation $1 Coin Proof Set features the following designs:
- The common obverse (heads) of each coin features a dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile with the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.” The design by Justin Kunz also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation. The edge-incused inscriptions are “2021,” “S” mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
- New Hampshire: The reverse (tails) design by Christina Hess depicts Ralph Baer’s brown box game “Handball” on the right side of the coin. The left side of the coin features “NEW HAMPSHIRE” and “PLAYER 1” on an incused background. “IN HOME VIDEO GAME SYSTEM” and “RALPH BAER” encircles the outside of the coin in a text that is meant to pay homage to Ralph Baer’s Odyssey game. The additional inscription is "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." The design of the coin is also symbolic of an arcade token.
- Virginia: The reverse (tails) design by Matt Swaim depicts a view of the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel as a cross section cut-away, illustrating the ingenuity involved in constructing it. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “VIRGINIA.”
- New York: The reverse design by Ronald D. Sanders depicts a packet boat being pulled from a city in the East toward the country areas to the West. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “NEW YORK.”
- North Carolina: The reverse design by Ronald D. Sanders features a stack of three textbooks with “FIRST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY” on the spine of the middle book. A lamp of knowledge is perched atop the books, and olive branches curve around the edge of the design. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “NORTH CAROLINA.”
The 2021 American Innovation $1 Coin Proof Set is a must-have for any coin collection.
