US Coins

American WWI dollar design unveiling October 9

By Paul Gilkes

Published: Aug 30, 2017, 10 AM

Approved designs for the 2018 World War I American Veterans Centennial silver dollar are expected to be unveiled Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C., nearly 10 months after they were originally scheduled to be released. On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies – Britain, France, and Russia – to fight in World War I.

Images courtesy of U.S. Mint and World War I Centennial Commission.

American soldiers from the 42nd Division in France on Sept. 20, 1918, amid the presence of poisonous gas.

Image courtesy of National Archives.

Circa 1918, a gun crew from Regimental Headquarters Company, 23rd Infantry, fires a 37-millimeter machine gun during an advance against German entrenched positions.

Image courtesy of the Natioinal Archives.

American troops move forward to the battle line in the Forest of Argonne. France, on Sept. 26, 1918.

Image courtesy of the Department of Defense.

Designs selected from a juried competition for the 2018 World War I American Veterans Centennial silver dollar will be unveiled Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition.

When the design competition was launched in February 2016, the contest calendar indicated release of the adopted designs would be announced in January 2017.

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World War I Centennial Commission officials confirmed Aug. 29 the October unveiling date, but noted the event will not include release of the obverse and reverse designs for five American Armed Services 1-ounce .999 fine silver medals honoring the five branches of the U.S. military — United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marines, United States Air Force and United States Coast Guard.

While the commemorative silver dollar is congressionally authorized, the five silver medals are being produced separately by the U.S. Mint to augment the coin program. U.S. Mint officials have not announced details yet for the silver dollar release, although World War I Centennial Commission officials are anticipating a January issue.

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Mint officials have also not yet disclosed how many of each of the five medals will be produced, whether they will be offered individually, as part of a multiple-medal set, or combined in various options with the silver dollar.

Designs for the silver dollar were approved in 2016 following a two-phase public design competition in which artists submitted representative designs according to the contest rules. The slate of potential artists to participate in Phase II for submission of potential final designs was pared to no more than 20. Designs were evaluated by three members of the Commission of Fine Arts and three from the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, plus the Treasury secretary or his designate.

Designs for the five silver medals were executed by members of the U.S. Mint’s engraving staff as well as the U.S. Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program assemblage of outside artists.

The enabling legislation, Public Law 113-212, authorizes the production and release combined in Proof and Uncirculated versions of up to 350,000 commemorative dollars struck in .900 fine silver. A $10 surcharge will be added to the purchase price of each coin sold.

Net surcharges after the U.S. Mint has recouped all of its production and associated costs are to be paid to the World War I Centennial Commission “to assist the World War I Centennial Commission in commemorating the centenary of World War I.”