Depicts a portrait of Thomas Edison from the waist up, holding an experimental incandescent light bulb. The inscriptions include “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “Thomas Alva Edison”, and the date of issue “2004”.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory. He was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries.

Design: Donna Weaver

Depicts an image of Edison’s first light bulb. An inscription across the upper rim of the coin reads “125th Anniversary of the Light Bulb”. Other inscriptions include the dual dates “1879” and “2004”, “United States of America”, “One Dollar”, and “E Pluribus Unum”.

Design: John M. Mercanti