US Mint releases $5, $1 and half-dollar Harriet Tubman coins

The U.S. Mint on Thursday began accepting preorders for its first commemorative coin program honoring abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

The 2024 collection includes a $5 gold coin, a $1 silver one and a half-dollar silver coin.

The Mint’s website listed surcharges of “$35 for each $5 gold coin, $10 for each silver dollar, and $5 for each clad half dollar.” Current order prices for the commemorative coins range from $47, for an uncirculated half-dollar coin, to $718 for a proof $5 one.

The coins depict different moments from Tubman’s life.

On the silver dollar, Tubman is honored for her work as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, the secret network of safe houses on routes that enslaved Americans took to escape to freedom. Tubman was born into slavery before escaping, but she returned many times in her efforts to help free other enslaved people.

The $5 coin shows a close-up image of an older Tubman, and on its reverse side, the coin includes several phrases associated with Tubman: equality, social justice, community, family, freedom, faith and self-determination.

On the half dollar, she is honored as a spy and a nurse.

“Every coin produced by the United States Mint helps to tell a story that teaches us about America’s history or connects us to a special memory,” said Mint Director Ventris Gibson in a press release.

“The Harriet Tubman coins celebrate the life and legacy of an incredible woman. We hope this program will honor the bicentennial of her birth and inspire others to learn more about this amazing woman,” Gibson continued.

The program was commissioned by the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2022. It comes amid stalled efforts to replace former President Jackson’s face on the $20 bill with Tubman’s.

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