Star-Spangled Banner Silver Dollar Commemorative Coin Designs

The United States Mint on Wednesday, December 14, 2011, unveiled the commemorative coin designs for the 2012 Star-Spangled Banner Silver Dollar. These upcoming silver dollars will celebrate the bicentennial of the writing of the national anthem of the United States and will be issued along with commemorative $5 gold coins.

Congress authorized their releases under the Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 111-232). According to the terms of the act, the new commemorative coin is to feature designs "emblematic of the War of 1812 and particularly the Battle for Baltimore that formed the basis for the Star-Spangled Banner."

Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the Star-Spangled Banner as a poem after witnessing a day-long bombardment by British Naval forces against Fort McHenry in the Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812. Following that bombardment, Key could still see the American Flag flying high above the fort showing it had not fallen.

That poem (originally entitled The Defence of Fort McHenry) was put to music and re-titled The Star-Spangled Banner. Conveying its patriotic nature, the song was used for decades before officially becoming the national anthem of the United States on March 3, 1931.

The Star-Spangled Banner Silver Dollar will feature an obverse with the theme of "The Battle of Baltimore at Fort McHenry." It will do so by depicting Lady Liberty in the foreground waving a 15-star, 15-stripe flag with Fort McHenry in the background. The obverse was designed by AIP Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill and also includes the inscriptions of LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and 2012.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" (the flag itself) is the theme of the reverse of the silver dollar with a waving modern American Flag shown. It was designed by AIP Associate Designer William C. Burgard III and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart. Reverse inscriptions include ONE DOLLAR, E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

An American sailing ship is shown in the foreground of the $5 gold coin obverse with a fleeing damaged British ship in the background, emblematic of the theme "The Battles at Sea During the War of 1812." It was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Donna Weaver and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna and also includes the inscriptions of IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and1812 – 2012.

The reverse of the $5 gold coin contains the words "O say can you see" in Francis Scott Key’s handwriting placed against a backdrop of 15 stars and 15 stripes representative of the Star-Spangled Banner which flew above Fort McHenry at the time of the battle. The reverse was designed by AIP Master Designer Richard Masters and sculpted by Mr. Menna and also includes the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM and FIVE DOLLARS.

"From the perilous naval engagement in the harbor with the Stars and Stripes waving above Fort McHenry, to the opening line of our national anthem dramatically depicted in Francis Scott Key’s handwriting, these gold and silver coins capture iconic symbols of the Battle of Baltimore, a critical conflict in the war to preserve our liberty," said United States Mint Deputy Director Richard A. Peterson about the designs featured on each commemorative coin.

According to the authorizing act, the United States Mint will strike up to 500,000 Star-Spangled Banner Silver Dollar commemorative coins and 100,000 of the $5 gold commemorative coins to both proof and uncirculated qualities as part of the series. Surcharges of $35 per gold coin and $10 per silver dollar will be collected by the Mint on the sale of each coin with proceeds benefiting the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission to support its bicentennial activities, educational outreach, and preservation and improvement of the sites and structures related to the War of 1812.

An official release date for the new coins has not yet been announced by the United States Mint. The issues mark the second commemorative coin program of the year. The first will be the 2012 Infantry Soldier Silver Dollar which is currently scheduled with a release date of February 16, 2012.