Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1 Dollar 2009, KM# 455, United States of America (USA), 200th Anniversary of Birth of Louis Braille
  • 1 Dollar 2009, KM# 455, United States of America (USA), 200th Anniversary of Birth of Louis Braille
Description

The United States Mint issued the 2009 Louis Braille Silver Dollar to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth. The silver dollar contained the first readable Braille characters to appear on a legal tender United States coin.

Louis Braille (1809–1852) was a French educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by the blind or visually impaired. His system remains known worldwide simply as braille.

Blinded in both eyes as a result of an early childhood accident, Braille mastered his disability while still a boy. He excelled in his education and received a scholarship to France's Royal Institute for Blind Youth. While still a student there, he began developing a system of tactile code that could allow blind people to read and write quickly and efficiently. Inspired by the military cryptography of Charles Barbier, Braille constructed a new method built specifically for the needs of the blind. He presented his work to his peers for the first time in 1824

Obverse

Depicts a portrait of Louis Braille. The inscriptions read “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “Louis Braille”, and the bicentennial dates “1809” and “2009”.

Design: Joel Iskowitz
Modelled: Phebe Hemphill

LIBERTY
IN GOD
WE TRUST
1809 2009
P
JI PH
LOUISE BRAILLE

Reverse

Depicts an image of a child reading a Braille book with a bookcase in the background bearing the word “Independence”. Inscriptions read “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and “One Dollar”. The field above the image includes the word “Braille” (abbreviated “BRL”) in Braille characters. Although Braille characters have appeared on previous US coins, this is the first time the characters appear large enough to be readable by touch.

Design: Susan Gamble
Modelled: Joseph Menna

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
⠄⠃⠗⠇
INDEPENDENCE
E PLURIBUS
UNUM
SG JFM
ONE DOLLAR

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.900
Weight 26.73 g
Diameter 38.1 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mint
Philadelphia Mint (P)

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