2014 Civil Rights Act of 1964 Silver Dollar

Description

2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law greatly expanded civil rights protections, outlawed racial discrimination and segregation, and served as a model for subsequent anti-discrimination laws. Celebrate this ground-breaking law and its impact on our Nation with the 2014 Civil Rights Act of 1964 Silver Dollar.

The obverse (heads side) design features three people holding hands at a civil rights march. The man holds a sign that reads WE SHALL OVERCOME. The design is symbolic of all marches that helped galvanize the civil rights movement. Additional inscriptions are LIBERTY, 2014 and IN GOD WE TRUST.

The reverse (tails) design features three flames intertwined to symbolize freedom of education, freedom to vote, and the freedom to control one’s own destiny. The design was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., who said: “They get the fire hose. They fail to realize that water can only put out physical fire. But water can never drown the fire of freedom.” Inscriptions are CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, SIGNED INTO LAW JULY 2, 1964, E PLURIBUS UNUM, ONE DOLLAR and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The reverse of this coin is of enhanced proof quality with multiple finishes. The flame is mirror polished; the field under the flame incorporates a combination of light polishing and a light laser frost texture; the lettering and torch have a heavy laser frost texture; and the circular ring with text has an accenting polish. This is the first time the United States Mint has used this combination of finishes.

Program

Approved on December 2, 2008, the “Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act” (Public Law 110-451) requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Rights of 1964. Surcharges in the amount of $10 for each coin sold are authorized to be paid to the United Negro College Fund to carry out its purposes, including providing scholarships and internships for minority students and operating fund and technology enhancement services for 37 member historically black colleges and universities.


Coin Specifications

Denomination: Dollar
Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 26.730 grams nominal
Diameter 1.5000 inches (±0.003) or 38.10 mm (±0.08)
Edge: Reeded
Mint and Mint Mark: P – Philadelphia