Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1 Dollar 1990, KM# 227, United States of America (USA), 100th Anniversary of Birth of Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • 1 Dollar 1990, KM# 227, United States of America (USA), 100th Anniversary of Birth of Dwight D. Eisenhower
Description

The 1990 Eisenhower Silver Dollar was issued to mark the centennial of the birth of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (1890– 1969) was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. He was responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first Supreme Commander of NATO.

Eisenhower's main goals in office were to keep pressure on the Soviet Union and reduce federal deficits. In the first year of his presidency, he threatened the use of nuclear weapons in an effort to conclude the Korean War; his New Look policy of nuclear deterrence prioritized inexpensive nuclear weapons while reducing funding for conventional military forces. He ordered coups in Iran and Guatemala. Eisenhower refused to send American soldiers to help France in Vietnam, although he gave the French bombers and napalm, and CIA pilots flew passenger planes to ferry French troops. Congress agreed to his request in 1955 for the Formosa Resolution, which obliged the U.S. to militarily support the pro-Western Republic of China in Taiwan and continue the ostracism of the People's Republic of China.

After the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite in 1957, Eisenhower authorized the establishment of NASA, which led to the space race. During the Suez Crisis of 1956, Eisenhower condemned the Israeli, British and French invasion of Egypt, and forced them to withdraw. He also condemned the Soviet invasion during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 but took no action. In 1958, Eisenhower sent 15,000 U.S. troops to Lebanon to prevent the pro-Western government from falling to a Nasser-inspired revolution. Near the end of his term, his efforts to set up a summit meeting with the Soviets collapsed because of the U-2 incident.

Eisenhower's two terms saw considerable economic prosperity except for a sharp recession in 1958–59. Since the late 20th century, consensus among Western scholars has consistently held Eisenhower as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents.

Obverse

Depicts a right-facing portrait of an older Eisenhower superimposed over a left-facing view of a younger Eisenhower wearing five stars. The dual portrait symbolize both his military service and peacetime leadership. Inscriptions include “Eisenhower Centennial”, “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, and “1890-1990”. This is the only U.S. coin to feature two portraits of the same person on the same side of one coin.

Design: John Mercanti

EISENHOWER CENTENNIAL
LIBERTY
JM
P
IN GOD
WE TRUST
1890•1990

Reverse

Depicts Eisenhower’s retirement home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which is now part of a national historic site. The inscriptions include “United States of America”, “Eisenhower Home”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and “One Dollar”.

Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves the home and farm of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, and its surrounding property of 690.5 acres (279.4 ha). It is located in Cumberland Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, just outside Gettysburg. Purchased by then-General Eisenhower and his wife Mamie in 1950, the farm served as a weekend retreat for the President and a meeting place for world leaders and became the Eisenhowers' home after they left the White House in 1961.

With its putting green, skeet range, and view of South Mountain and the Gettysburg Battlefield, it offered President Eisenhower a much-needed respite from the pressures of Washington. It was also a successful cattle operation, with a show herd of black Angus cattle. Some of the more notable of Eisenhower's guests were Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union, President Charles de Gaulle of France, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain, and Governor Ronald Reagan of California.

Design: Marcel Jovine
Modelling: Chester Young Martin

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
EISENHOWER HOME
CYM
E PLURIBUS
UNUM
ONE DOLLAR

Edge

1 Dollar

100th Anniversary of Birth of Dwight D. Eisenhower

KM# 227
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.900
Weight 26.73 g
Diameter 38.1 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Philadelphia Mint (P)
West Point Mint (W)

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