Selma Foot Soldiers Medal Images, 2016 Kennedy Half Dollars Launch

The U.S. Mint has shared images of a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Selma Foot Soldiers today at a ceremony in Washington D.C.

The Foot Soldiers were honored for their participation in a series of 1965 marches that sought to procure equal voting rights through nonviolent demonstrations. Embarking from Selma, Alabama, they were hindered by violence and threats, and it required three attempts to reach their destination of Montgomery, the state’s capital.

The marches are collectively remembered as an important milestone in the Civil Rights Movement and precipitated the passing of the Voting Rights Act later that year. The Congressional Medal design will be issued on 1.5-inch and 3-inch replicas by the U.S. Mint, which typically sell for $6.95 and $39.95, respectively.

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The obverse features an image of the marchers embarking from the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, with the inscriptions SELMA MONTGOMERY MARCHES 1965 and FOOT SOLDIERS FOR JUSTICE. It was designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.

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The reverse features a hand dropping a ballot into a ballot box and includes the inscriptions VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965 and ACT OF CONGRESS 2015, with a quote by President Lyndon Johnson: EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN MUST HAVE AN EQUAL RIGHT TO VOTE. This side of the medal was designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso.

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In another nod to the 1960’s, the U.S. Mint has released products containing circulation-quality 2016 Kennedy half dollars. Available options include 200-coin bags for $139.95 and two-roll sets (40 coins) for $32.95; the half dollars contained in each product are split evenly between coins struck at the Denver and Philadelphia Mints.

The coin’s obverse bears Gilroy Roberts’s original design first seen on the half dollar in early 1964, just months after the President was killed. Inscribed in the field are LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, 2016, and a mint mark.

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The reverse was designed by Frank Gasparro, and was also included on the original 1964 issue. It features a Presidential coat of arms surrounded by 50 stars, with the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOLLAR placed along the rim. A standard above the eagle in the center of the design reads E PLURIBUS UNUM.

As noted on Coin Update, sales for the Shawnee 5 oz. silver bullion coin have now hit 102,500 pieces. The issue is now 2,400 sales away from surpassing 2011’s Olympic National Park coin to become the third-highest-selling ATB 5 oz. bullion issue ever, behind the Gettysburg National Military Park and Glacier National Park coins.

Also, following the re-launch of the 2016 America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set yesterday, the U.S. Mint is reporting that sales for the item are up to 35,170 units.

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Comments

  1. cagcrisp says

    I like the design for the Selma foot soldiers. The Mint got this one Right.

    NOW…don’t make a mistake and take the animal cracker design for Effigy…

  2. Tinto says

    This is a very nice design (both sides) that shows up nicely on the actual medal. I will buy one, it’s just too nice to pass up for me. .

  3. Erik H says

    OT, I just saw that APMEX has rolls of 2016 ASE for $360 on eBay (price adjust with spot but looks like a good deal).

  4. Sith says

    It’s a better design than the actual Civil Rights Act Commemorative coin. Unfortunately its medal so I will most likely pass on it.

  5. Erik H says

    This is a nice design but as others have said I will not be a buyer because it’s a medal. If it was silver I would consider it.

    cagcrisp, no problem on the ASE find, I wish I had some spare cash to pick a roll up for myself but waiting for the gold mercury, SLQ & half.

  6. Xena says

    TP, KCSO – thanks. Went ahead and ordered one. Hope the series gets a little better though.

    KCSO – only been on East Coast ships, no particular connection to the left coast. Was hoping for a leap day lunch, but not sure I’ll be able to get out of the building for a while. Light at the end of the tunnel in April…

  7. Larry says

    Well finally something worth getting from the mint goes on sale tomorrow. Who else is going to pick up a Shawnee P Puck?

  8. Tinto says

    @Dave SW FL

    Totally agree, it would have made a great silver dollar coin… but then this is the Mint … I don’t expect great things from them

  9. Jerry Diekmann says

    The medal is very well done. I guess the Mint needed to keep the name of Edmund Pettus on the bridge for accuracy, even though he was a Confederate general and a grand dragon of the Alabama KKK after the war. I would hope that we could begin to erase some of these terrible images from our nation’s history, but maybe they still need to be left to remind us of some of the darkest days in our country’s history. George Santayana left us with this prophetic quote, “Those who do not understand the lessons of history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.”

  10. Jerry Diekmann says

    Maybe this medal is really the Mint’s realization that the CRA silver dollar coin – at least the obverse – was a failure. Probably nobody is ever going to get Congress to re-issue the coin with a different obverse, so this is probably the best chance we will have of a real commemoration of those long ago and very tumultuous days.

    Incidentally, there is precedent – actually lots of it – for the Mint striking coins of the same design with different dates, and even changing the obverse of a coin without changing the reverse. Check out the Arkansas Statehood commemorative silver dollars which were struck from 1935 to 1938 at all three mints. In 1936 the obverse was changed to show the image of Senator Joseph T. Robinson, of that state. Before becoming Senator, he was also a state representative, Governor, and a member of the House of Representatives. He died in 1937.

    The Selma foot soldiers obverse coupled with the CRA reverse, would make for a very striking and memorable coin. I wonder if it could ever be done. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  11. gary says

    Just received confirmation from U.S. Mint for my single 2016 Shawnee “P” mint 5 oz. silver.
    Subscription order was automatically placed @ 1:23 A.M. EST today, Feb. 25th.

  12. data dave says

    So with the Shawnee bullion puck over 100K in sales, why is the price still over $100?? If the APs are buying it at $86.50, do they need to mark it up $15? They only mark the ASEs up $1 to $2 each.

  13. Dustyroads says

    KCSO, I would be interested in Palladium bullion or proof coins, but I’m skeptical of the Mints ability to maintain a long lasting program. If the Mint had trouble in 2015 with Platinum, imagine the trouble the Mint would have with Palladium.
    If we do see a fractional set produced, it would be an interesting program moving forward.

  14. Dustyroads says

    data dave, The Mint must think the AtB program has the muscle to bare all these bullion pucks; nothing ventured nothing gained.
    It’s certainly not going to hurt the program that much, but I do believe that we will be back at an adjusted mintage before long. The only trouble is, as has been mentioned here before, is that these particular pucks will be never be worth more than a marginal premium, with the exception of possibly the Teddy Roosevelt 4th release. To me, that one is stone cold cool.

  15. tP says

    @JD… I think attempting to remove things from history is a bad idea. Like the quote you posted… imagine if we removed all traces of Hitler – people might forget the horrors he caused. There is already an underlying segment of society that refuses to believe the things he had his followers do.

    As far as the CRA coin is concerned… lets just let the item rest. The mint failed to provide a worthwhile collectors coin and the sales reflected it. I seriously doubt any attempt to resurrect it now would have much better sales. I do however hope they shelve the Freedom Rings design for a future release of some kind.

  16. KC&SO says

    Dusty – good points, though my actual preference would be to NOT to maintain a long lasting program.

    If every year we get a difference finish, much prefer doing ‘5 and done’

    5 years at the most then kill it, appreciation would be more favorable, IMO but who really knows

  17. cagcrisp says

    I look for a Strong opening Today for the P pucks. Strong.

    Bullion Shawnee Currently showing 102,500. That’s 48.3% of the Entire bullion pucks sold in 2015.
    The latest 2016 ASE sales that I saw were 9,687,500. That is 20% of entire sales for 2015 and 2015 saw yet another record year in ASE sales. Current sales are 22% higher than corresponding date in 2015.
    The following link shows that Bullion Gold is flying off the shelf.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPECIAL-PRICE-1-oz-Valcambi-Suisse-Gold-Bar-In-Assay-9999-Fine/121826620158?hash=item1c5d6eb2fe&_trkparms=5374%3AFeatured|5373%3A0

    Some of the Bullion Gold show sales to individual parties for 20 bars. That is almost a $25,000 pop.

  18. cagcrisp says

    And Yet…

    The ONLY Gold you can buy and get Delivered in a Timely manner from the US Mint is the First Spouse.

    And Yet…

    With the Gold FS being the only game in town, here are the 4 ‘countdown coins’ and you can see that with No competition from any Gold other than FS and backordered Twains that there still in little interest

    Harding Uncirculated 98
    Coolidge Uncirculated 82
    Hoover Proof 32
    Eisenhower Proof 32

  19. So Krates says

    Who’s clamoring for palladium? FIRST, get the platinum program back on track (bullion/fractionals) and then worry about palladium.

  20. Robert says

    Beautiful design. I don’t care if it’s silver. In fact, I prefer these 3-inch medals – which can tone beautifully over the years – to be in bronze.

    These medals are also sculpted in true bas relief, unlike our modern gold and silver coins we see today, which are designed and sculpted for proof.

  21. Dave SW FL says

    Agree with Dustyroads & SoKrates.
    Get your house in order before experimenting with new metals.
    If you can’t even produce existing programs in sufficient quantities to meet demand, don’t expand.

  22. So Krates says

    Is Gold the King of the precious metals? The gold bid is $308 over platinum (1.33 Gold to Platinum Ratio). Gold to Silver Ratio closing in on 82.

  23. Sith says

    @So Krates- Is Gold the King of the precious metals? Quite simply, yes it is, but I love its gentlemanly cousin.

  24. Scott says

    @ So Krates, I agree. the fractional Platinum coins and also the fractional Buffalo coins in proof format at a minimum should be a priority before any palladium coins are issued.

  25. Two Cents says

    Interestingly, the Naxion survey about the 1-oz. $25 palladium coin calls for fractional pieces, which is not mentioned in the authorizing legislation. If the US Mint goes on its own and also strikes fractional coins, would they follow previous protocol and issue denominations of $12.50 (1/2-oz.), $6.25 (1/4-oz.), and $2.50 (1/10-oz.)?

    The last one has precedent with the early gold Quarter Eagles of 1796-1907, but the other two would be new, unusual and contrived denominations.

  26. Two Cents says

    I find it strangely fitting that the same bridge that honored a bigoted Klu Klux Klan Grand Dragon has become part of a great civil rights accomplishment. And that his name (on the bridge) will be forever linked to the advancement of a race that he despised so much.

  27. cagcrisp says

    @Two Cents
    “U.S. Mint spokesman Michael White said there is no correlation between the legislated mandate for the 1-ounce, $25 palladium bullion coin and the Proof options for which the U.S. Mint is currently only seeking customer opinions through the survey.”

  28. Jerry Diekmann says

    tP – your point is well made. But the Germans today have banned the Nazi flag and you won’t see a picture of Hitler anywhere. The Russians tore down all (most?) of the statues of Lenin or Stalin and renamed some of their cities back to their original names (St. Petersburg for Leningrad, Volgograd for Stalingrad, Ekaterinburg for Sverdlovsk, etc.) Not all of the names have been changed – there still is Kaliningrad for Königsburg in part of East Prussia that the Soviets appropriated from Germany after WW II. But, here in America, you are probably right. Old man Pettus can spin in his grave now.

  29. Jerry Diekmann says

    Two cents – they would probably follow the precedent of the gold coins and assign values of $10.00 and $5.00.

  30. merryxmasmrscrooge says

    They should make a second medal: “Every American Citizen Should USE Their Equal Right to Vote”.

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