U.S. Mint Releases Coins Honoring Harriet Tubman
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The U.S. Mint on Thursday released a set of coins for purchase to commemorate the work of abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman.
The agency had announced its preorder sale Wednesday in a news release. The coins — a $5 gold, $1 silver and half-dollar clad — display portraits of Tubman at different points in her life. Varying in price, they can be bought individually or together in a three-coin proof set, which costs $836.25.
The Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program “recognizes the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman’s birth and her lifework that spans beyond liberation,” according to the Mint website.
“Reflected in the unique designs of gold, silver, and half-dollar coins – this collection showcases significant periods in her pursuit of social justice and represents a different era of Harriet Tubman’s extraordinary life,” the site states.
Born into slavery in the early 1820s, Tubman eventually escaped and played a pivotal role in helping rescue other African Americans through the underground railroad. She also aided in the recruitment of Black soldiers for the Union Army during the Civil War and served as a spy.
The Tubman coins have been in the works for years. In 2020, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) proposed the idea with the introduction of the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act.
“Harriet Tubman was a woman of incredible courage who remains a symbol of the strength and leadership in periods of overwhelming hardship,” he said in a statement at the time.
“As a crucial conductor in the underground railroad, she created a beacon of hope for slaves who fled from the undignified cruelty of human bondage. In wartime, she tended to the wounded who fought the just war for emancipation.”
After passing Congress, the legislation was signed by President Joe Biden in August 2022.
Designs for the Tubman coins were first released in July. They are expected to begin shipping early next month, according to the Mint.
Meanwhile, efforts to redesign the $20 bill with a portrait of Tubman in place of President Andrew Jackson are on hold because of technical delays. A new design for the bill is set for 2030.
