The commemorative program of “United States Liberty Coins” was the most successful to date, with more than 7 million silver dollars and 7 million half dollars sold, and a complete sell out of the maximum mintage established for the gold coins. The $78 million in surcharges raised from the program was used to fund the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and the celebration of its centennial.
Designed by John Mercanti, the obverse of the silver dollar features a view of the Statue of Liberty with the main building of Ellis Island in the background. The inscriptions include “Liberty”, “Ellis Island”, “Gateway to America”, “In God We Trust”, and the date.
The reverse of the coin was designed by John Mercanti with assistance from Matthew Peloso. The statue’s hand with a lit torch are depicted with the concluding words of Emma Lazarus’s poem The New Colossus. These words are engraved on a bronze plaque mounted inside the statue. The reverse inscriptions include “United States of America”, the famous words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free”, the motto “E Pluribus Unum”, and the denomination “One Dollar”.
The Statue of Liberty Silver Dollar was struck in uncirculated at the Philadelphia Mint.