Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1 Dollar 1989, KM# 225, United States of America (USA), 200th Anniversary of the United States Congress
  • 1 Dollar 1989, KM# 225, United States of America (USA), 200th Anniversary of the United States Congress
Description

The 1989 Congress Bicentennial Silver Dollar was one of three coins released to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Congress. The three commemorative coins included a clad half dollar, silver dollar, and $5 gold coin.

The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, comprising a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a governor's appointment. The Congress was created by the Constitution of the United States and first met in 1789, replacing in its legislative function the Congress of the Confederation.

Design: Chester Young Martin and William Woodward

Obverse

Depicts a full view of Thomas Crawford’s bronze Statue of Freedom. Clouds and rays of sunlight appear in the background of the view. The inscriptions read “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “1789”, and “1989”.

The Statue of Freedom, also known as Armed Freedom or simply Freedom, is a bronze statue designed by Thomas Crawford (1814–1857) that, since 1863, has crowned the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The statue depicts a female figure bearing a military helmet and holding a sheathed sword in her right hand and a laurel wreath and shield in her left. The Statue of Freedom is a colossal bronze standing figure 19+1⁄2 feet (5.9 m) tall and weighing approximately 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg).

LIBERTY
1789 1989
D
IN GOD WE TRUST

Reverse

Depicts the mace of the House of Representatives. The inscriptions include “United States of America”, “One Dollar”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and “Bicentennial of the Congress”.

The Mace of the United States House of Representatives, also called the Mace of the Republic, is a ceremonial mace and one of the oldest symbols of the United States government. It symbolizes the governmental authority of the United States, and more specifically, the legislative authority of the House of Representatives.

The design of the mace is derived from an ancient battle weapon and the Roman fasces. The ceremonial mace is 46 inches (120 cm) high and consists of 13 ebony rods—representing the original 13 states of the Union—bound together by silver strands criss-crossed over the length of the pole. The rods are bound together by four crossing ribbons of silver, pinned together and held at the bottom and at the top by silver bands. The bands are decorated with floral borders and a repoussé design. The name “Wm. Adams/Manufacturer/New York/1841.” is engraved in the cartouche, located in the front center of the bottom band. This shaft is topped by a silver globe 4-1/2 inches in diameter and engraved with the seven continents, the names of the oceans, lines of longitude, and the major lines of latitude. The Western Hemisphere faces the front. The globe is encircled with a silver rim marked with the degrees of latitude, on which is perched an engraved solid silver eagle with a wingspan of 15 inches. The total weight of the mace is 10 pounds.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
E
PLURIBUS
UNUM
BICENTENNIAL
OF THE
CONGRESS
WW CYM
ONE DOLLAR

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.900
Weight 26.73 g
Diameter 38.1 mm
Thickness 3.7 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Denver Mint (D)
San Francisco Mint (S)

Related coins

200th Anniversary of the United States Congress

Cupronickel, 11.34 g, ⌀ 30.61 mm
Half Eagle

200th Anniversary of the United States Congress

Gold, 8.359 g, ⌀ 21.6 mm