Today, June 30, the United States Mint unveiled images of the four 2020 American Innovation dollars honoring innovations or innovators from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina.
Dollar reverses (tails side) change for each innovation or innovator honored in the multi-year series, with four released every year from 2019 to 2032.
Images of the 2020 American Innovation $1 Coin Designs
U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna created and sculpted the Maryland American Innovation $1 Coin design. U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artists created the designs for the remaining 2020 American Innovation $1 Coins, which U.S. Mint Medallic Artists sculpted. Available Mint-published images and descriptions for them follow.
2020 American Innovation Dollar for Connecticut
Designer: Richard Masters
Sculptor-Engraver: Renata Gordon
The Connecticut $1 Coin recognizes the Gerber Variable Scale. The design depicts the scale being used to increase a geometric shape by 200 percent, a shape that resembles the state of Connecticut. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "GERBER VARIABLE SCALE," and "CONNECTICUT."
2020 American Innovation Dollar for Massachusetts
Designer: Emily Damstra
Sculptor-Engraver: Eric David Custer
The Massachusetts $1 Coin recognizes the invention of the telephone. The design depicts the dial of an early rotary telephone. Inscriptions are "MASSACHUSETTS," "TELE-PHONE," and "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."
2020 American Innovation Dollar for Maryland
Designer: Joseph Menna
Sculptor-Engraver: Joseph Menna
The Maryland $1 Coin pays homage to the Hubble Space Telescope. The design depicts the telescope orbiting the earth surrounded by a field of stars. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE," and "MARYLAND."
2020 American Innovation Dollar for South Carolina
Designer: Justin Kunz
Sculptor-Engraver: Phebe Hemphill
The South Carolina $1 Coin recognizes educator and civil rights activist Septima Poinsette Clark. The design depicts Ms. Clark marching with three young African American students who carry books and an American flag, representing that education and literacy among oppressed people are necessary for empowerment and enjoyment of civil rights. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "SEPTIMA CLARK," and "SOUTH CAROLINA."
Common Obverse Design With Varying Privy Marks
Designed by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill, major obverse elements are common across every dollar in the series regardless of their year of issue. They include a representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile along with inscriptions "IN GOD WE TRUST" and "$1."
There have been variations with the addition of privy marks. The introductory dollar for 2018 lacked such a mark while a privy mark of a stylized gear appears on the four 2019 dollars. For the 2020 dollars, a different type of gear is depicted as a privy mark.
Incused Edge Inscriptions
Edges of all $1 coins are incused with their year of minting, a mint mark, and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Length of American Innovation Dollar Series
The 57-coin American Innovation $1 series was introduced in 2018 and by 2032 will have celebrated an innovation or innovator in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the 5 U. S. territories. The U.S. Mint will issue them in the order each State ratified the Constitution of the United States or was admitted into the Union. (See Mint information about the series and their release order.)
These dollars will be minted alongside the Mint’s older series of $1 coins honoring Native American tribes and individuals.
Dollar coins have not been released into circulation since 2011. The U.S. Mint produces them only for numismatic products. The Mint has yet to publish on-sale dates for the 2020 American Innovation dollar products.
