(valid until 12/8 at 11:59 pm ET)
American Innovation $1 Coin 2024 Rolls and Bags - Maine
Dr. Bernard Lown was a Lithuanian-American cardiologist who put his heart into saving lives. He immigrated to the United States in 1935 to escape Nazi persecution for his Jewish heritage, eventually settling in his new hometown of Lewiston, Maine. Lown would go on to study medicine and invent the Direct Current Defibrillator, a lifesaving device that uses direct electrical current in time with the heartbeat’s cycle to correct abnormal rhythms thought to be responsible for 40% of fatal heart attacks in the United States. Along with engineer Baruch Berkovitz, Dr. Lown began experimenting with their new device in 1961, testing it on 11 patients, some in critical condition, all of whom were returned to normal heartbeats thanks to Lown’s defibrillator. By 1964, thousands of hospitals were using Dr. Lown’s invention to save countless lives. The Direct Current Defibrillator led to the invention of other crucial cardiac devices, including pacemakers and defibrillator implants, which are used by millions of Americans today.
The United States Mint American Innovation $1 Coin Program is a multi-year series honoring innovation and innovators with $1 coins from each State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands. The American Innovation $1 Coins in the rolls and bags were minted at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. The Maine coin is the third of 2024.
The Maine American Innovation $1 Coin reverse (tail) design presents a profile portrait of Dr. Bernard Lown with his direct current defibrillator in operation below. The design includes the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “BERNARD LOWN, M.D.,” “DIRECT CURRENT DEFIBRILLATOR,” and “MAINE.”
The obverse (head) design features a dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile with the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.” It also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation.
The year of minting, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the edge of the coins.
Denomination: | $1 Coin |
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Composition: | 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel, balance copper |
Weight: | 8.100 grams |
Diameter: | 1.043 inches (26.49 mm) |
Edge: | Lettered |
Mint and Mint Mark: | Philadelphia-P and Denver-D |
Privy Mark: | Stylized gear |
Dr. Bernard Lown was a Lithuanian-American cardiologist who put his heart into saving lives. He immigrated to the United States in 1935 to escape Nazi persecution for his Jewish heritage, eventually settling in his new hometown of Lewiston, Maine. Lown would go on to study medicine and invent the Direct Current Defibrillator, a lifesaving device that uses direct electrical current in time with the heartbeat’s cycle to correct abnormal rhythms thought to be responsible for 40% of fatal heart attacks in the United States. Along with engineer Baruch Berkovitz, Dr. Lown began experimenting with their new device in 1961, testing it on 11 patients, some in critical condition, all of whom were returned to normal heartbeats thanks to Lown’s defibrillator. By 1964, thousands of hospitals were using Dr. Lown’s invention to save countless lives. The Direct Current Defibrillator led to the invention of other crucial cardiac devices, including pacemakers and defibrillator implants, which are used by millions of Americans today.