By Sharon McPike
December 11, 2023
The United States Mint hosted representatives from the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to ceremoniously strike coins for the 2024 Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Program. The designs will be featured on a $5 gold coin, a $1 silver coin, and a half dollar clad coin, as authorized by Public Law 117-163, in recognition of the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman’s birth. A ceremony was held at the United States Mint at Philadelphia on November 28, 2023 for the silver dollar and representatives visited the United States Mint at West Point on November 30, 2023 to strike the $5 gold coin.
Designed by Chris Costello and sculpted by Chief Engraver Joe Menna, the gold obverse design portrays Harriet Tubman in her years after the Civil War. The gold reverse, designed by Ben Sowards and sculpted by Eric Custer, depicts a two-handed gesture symbolizing Harriet Tubman’s efforts throughout her life to help and care for people. Encircling the hands are Harriet Tubman’s seven core values, passed down from generation to generation. Those are “FAITH,” “FREEDOM,” “FAMILY,” “COMMUNITY,” “SELF-DETERMINATION,” “SOCIAL JUSTICE,” and “EQUALITY.”
The silver obverse was designed by Beth Zaiken and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. It depicts Harriet Tubman offering her hand to the viewer. Tubman’s serious and searching expression, with concerted eye contact, challenges the viewer to seize the opportunity for freedom. The silver reverse, designed by Beth Zaiken and sculpted by Craig Campbell, features silhouettes travelling across a bridge created by a pair of clasping arms. In the sky above, the Big Dipper constellation points to the North Star, which forms the “O” in “OF.”
The clad obverse was designed by Don Everhart and sculpted by Renata Gordon. It depicts Harriet Tubman, and in the background, two Civil War era boats represent the Combahee River Raid. Tubman distinguished herself as the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, the Combahee River Raid, which resulted in more than 700 enslaved persons in South Carolina being freed.
The clad reverse, designed by Tom Hipschen and sculpted by John McGraw, depicts Harriet Tubman holding a spyglass, symbolic of her work as a scout and a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War. In the background, a row of Civil War era tents line the horizon. Inscriptions describing her contributions include “CIVIL WAR,” “NURSE,” “SCOUT,” “SPY,” and “COMBAHEE RIVER RAID LEADER.”
“Every coin produced by the United States Mint helps to tell a story that teaches us about America’s history or connects us to a special memory,” said United States Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. “The Harriet Tubman coins celebrate the life and legacy of an incredible woman. We hope this program will honor the bicentennial of her birth and inspire others to learn more about this amazing woman.”
Surcharges from the sale of these coins are authorized to be equally split between the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing their important missions.
The on-sale date for products in the 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program will be January 4, 2024. When available, the Mint will accept orders at catalog.usmint.gov/.
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