Designs proposed for the three-coin 2022 National Purple Heart Hall of Honor commemorative coin program were recommended June 16 by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

The mated pairs of designs considered were rendered by outside artists with the U.S. Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program and members of the Mint’s in-house engraving staff at the Philadelphia Mint.

The program will offer Proof and Uncirculated versions of a gold $5 coin, silver dollar and copper-nickel clad half dollar.

The program is restricted to a maximum production and release of 50,000 gold coins, 400,000 silver dollars and 750,000 copper-nickel clad half dollars combined in Proof and Uncirculated issues for all packaging options.

The mated pair of designs recommended for the $5 coin features on the obverse a Purple Heart medal with the inscription A GRATEFUL NATION HONORS AND REMEMBERS. The reverse design places George Washington’s signature under the Badge of Military Merit and over a textured stripe. The inscriptions BADGE OF MILITARY MERIT and 1782 round out the reverse design.

The dollar design recommendation pairs designs from two different proposed pairings. The recommended obverse depicts the Purple Heart medal with the additional inscription COMBAT WOUNDED AND KILLED IN ACTION. Five stars represent the five branches of the U.S. military. The recommended reverse shows a woman in a World War I helmet bandaging a wounded soldier on a stretcher; supporting World War I soldiers were more than 23,000 female nurses serving in the Army and Navy.

For the half dollars, the mated pair recommended shows on the obverse a figure in military fatigues and combat boots using a pair of crutches. The left leg is amputated mid-thigh. Negative space below the remaining thigh shows the missing leg in silhouette. The Purple Heart medal appears behind the figure, and the inscription ALL GAVE SOME sits below the composition. The background field has a subtle flag motif.

The paired reverse design features a young boy holding the dress cap of an enlisted Marine. The silhouette of a Marine in dress blues stands behind him in negative space, emphasizing the loss to the families of some Purple Heart recipients. The inscription SOME GAVE ALL is featured in the negative space around the boy in the lower half. The background field from the corresponding obverse is repeated.

A motion was made to recommend edge lettering for each denomination.

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