The 2011 Medal of Honor Commemorative Coins are the second of two US Mint commemorative coin series in 2011. The Mint will issue proof and uncirculated $5 gold coins and silver dollars for these striking.
The Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-91) approved this series. On November 6, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the bill.
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition and celebration of the Medal of Honor's establishment in 1861, America's highest award for valor in action against an enemy force, to honor American military men and women who have received the Medal of Honor, and to promote awareness of what the Medal of Honor represents and how ordinary Americans can receive it.
Due of the severe qualifications for the medal, only a small number of people have ever been awarded it in the 150 years that have passed since it was first recognized. The actual number of people who have received such an honor is fewer than 3,500.
A release date of February 25, 2011 has been announced by the United States Mint for the Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin series that will be released in 2011.
The Mint will charge $35 per gold coin and $10 per silver dollar for each strike sold, with the earnings going to the Secretary to fund the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation's educational, scholarship, and outreach activities.
Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso created the coin's reverse, which portrays Minerva holding a shield and the Union flag. The US, $5, and E PLURIBUS UNUM inscriptions surround Minerva.
The silver dollar back depicts a contemporary soldier saving a wounded teammate from enemy fire. It has the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ONE DOLLAR, and E PLURIBUS UNUM and was created by AIP Master Designer Richard Masters and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.