Today, August 18th, the United States Mint releases products commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing American women the right to vote. The 2020 Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar launches in collector qualities of proof and uncirculated. There is also a set that includes one of the dollars paired with a silver medal bearing its own design.
All three products go on sale today beginning at Noon EDT. The individual coins debut at special introductory pricing that lasts until 3:00 p.m. on September 18, 2020.
"This stunning coin pays homage to the many pioneers, activists, and foot soldiers who fought bravely and tenaciously for decades to make this Constitutional amendment a reality," noted United States Mint Director David J. Ryder.
The coins are authorized under Public Law 116-71, which directs a maximum of 400,000 Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollars to be produced and sold this year. As for the set, only 10,000 are available with orders limited to one per household for the first 24 hours of sales.
A bronze version of the medal will be issued in 2021.
Women’s Suffrage Centennial Coin and Medal Designs
Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollars offer the same obverse (heads side) design which shows overlapping profiles of three different women. Each woman wears a hat from a different era to symbolize the many decades the suffrage movement spanned. The foreground figure’s hat bears a button dated 1920 representing the year of the 19th Amendment’s ratification.
Inscriptions "LIBERTY," "$1" and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" encircle the design.
As for the dollar’s reverse (tails side) design, it shows "2020" being dropped into a ballot box that is decorated with "VOTES FOR WOMEN" and is styled with art deco elements.
Additional inscriptions include "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "IN GOD WE TRUST."
Artistic Infusion Program artist Christina Hess designed both sides of the dollar and United States Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill sculpted them.
For the limited edition medal, the obverse was designed by AIP artist Beth Zaiken and sculpted by United States Mint Medallic Artist Renata Gordon.
It depicts adult women’s hands and arms holding up a heavy weight — a kind of "foundation" of stone — featuring the inscription "WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE CENTENNIAL." A child’s hand is also seen reaching up to help.
The medal’s reverse is the work of AIP artist Patricia Lucas-Morris with its sculpting completed by United States Mint Medallic Artist Renata Gordon.
It features text of the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, written on the stripes of the flag of the United States. "1920" is inscribed at the bottom.
Women’s Suffrage Coin and Medal Specifications
The United States Mint offers the following as the specifications for the coins and medal.
| Silver Dollars | Silver Medal | |
|---|---|---|
| Finish: | Proof & Uncirculated | Proof |
| Composition: | 99.9% Silver | 99.9% Silver |
| Weight: | 26.730 grams | 26.730 grams |
| Diameter: | 1.500 inches | 1.500 inches |
| Edge: | Reeded | Plain |
| Mint and Mint Mark: | Philadelphia – P | Philadelphia – N/A |
All three are produced at the U.S. Mint’s facility in Philadelphia but only the dollars carry the "P" mint mark.
Pricing, Ordering and Surcharge
Initial pricing is $69 for the proof dollar and $64 for the uncirculated dollar. Each will increase by $5 when the introductory pricing period ends on September 18, 2020. The coin and medal set is $120. No introductory pricing is offered for this product.
Women’s Suffrage Centennial products are available directly from the United States Mint online catalog of Commemorative Coins.
Directed by the authorizing law, prices for the products include a $10 surcharge to be paid to the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative for research and creation of exhibits and programs to highlight the history and impact of women in the United States.
