The United States Mint announced it has been honored with the "Best Collectible Silver Coin" award for the 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Five Ounce Proof Silver Dollar at the 2023 Mint Directors Conference in Ottawa, Canada yesterday.
The obverse (heads) design features the inscriptions "MERCURY," "GEMINI," and "APOLLO," separated by phases of the Moon, and a footprint on the lunar surface, which together represent the efforts of the United States space program leading up to the first manned Moon landing.
The reverse (tails) design features a representation of a close-up of the famous ‘Buzz Aldrin on the Moon’ photograph taken July 20, 1969, that shows just the visor and part of the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The reflection in Buzz Aldrin’s helmet includes astronaut Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander.
