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On
the Bicentennial date, April 24, a ceremony was held in the majestic
Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building for the issuance of
two commemorative coins by the U.S. Mint. They are "the coins
of many firsts"--the first U.S. Mint commemorative coins of
the century and millennium and honoring a library.
The stunning bimetallic coin, the first ever issued by the Mint,
contains an inner core of platinum encircled by an outer ring of
gold. The coin's obverse, designed by the Mint engraver/sculptor
John Mercanti, features the hand of Minerva raising the torch of
learning over the dome of the Jefferson Building. The coin's reverse,
designed by Mint engraver/sculptor Thomas D. Rogers, Sr., contains
the seal of the Library of Congress encircled by a laurel wreath.
The
commemorative silver dollar's obverse, designed by Thomas D. Rogers,
Sr., is an open book superimposed over the torch of learning, symbolizing
the vast knowledge provided by the Library. The reverse, designed
by John Mercanti, is an architectural rendering of the dome of the
Jefferson Building.
To
purchase the coins, visit the Mint's
Web site or call 800-USA-MINT. A portion of the proceeds from
the sale of coins is authorized to be used by the Library of Congress
Trust Fund Board to help support the Library's programs.
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