Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1 Dollar 1991, KM# 229, United States of America (USA), 50th Anniversary of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial
  • 1 Dollar 1991, KM# 229, United States of America (USA), 50th Anniversary of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Description

The 1991 Mount Rushmore Silver Dollar was issued for the golden anniversary of the national monument. Under the same program, half dollars and $5 gold coins were also issued. Surcharges raised from the commemorative coin program went to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Society and the US Treasury.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The sculpture features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), as recommended by Borglum. The four presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation, respectively.

Obverse

Depicts an image of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the world’s largest carved stone sculpture. At the bottom of the coin are two laurel wreaths with a ribbon containing the motto “In God We Trust”. Other inscriptions include “Liberty”, “Golden Anniversary”, “Mount Rushmore National Memorial”, and “1991”.

Design: Marika H. Somogyi
Modelling: Chester Young Martin

LIBERTY
1991
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL
IN GOD WE TRUST
MHS•CYM

Reverse

Depicts the Great Seal of the United States with a sunburst and an outline of the America. There is a star placed at the location of Mount Rushmore with the inscription “Shrine of Democracy”. The remaining inscriptions include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and “One Dollar”.

The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the U.S. federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself (which is kept by the U.S. Secretary of State), and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782.

Design: Frank Gasparro

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
S
SHRINE OF DEMOCRACY
FG
E.PLURIBUS.UNUM
ONE DOLLAR

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Weight 26.73 g
Diameter 38.1 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment -
Mints
Philadelphia Mint (P)
San Francisco Mint (S)

Related coins

50th Anniversary of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Copper Nickel Clad Copper, 11.34 g, ⌀ 30.6 mm