PCGS - The rush of United States commemorative coins that came along in the mid-1990s to honor the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia, also ushered in a handful of special silver dollars paying homage to the Paralympics. The 1996 Paralympic Games, held in Atlanta a few weeks after the Summer Olympiad, were the first Paralympics televised in the United States. Emerging from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 before becoming a full-fledged sporting events for individuals with disabilities in 1960, the Paralympics have long since grown into a major international sporting event on par with the Olympics.
Modern Silver Commemoratives, 1995-D $1 Paralympic, PCGS MS70There are two distinct different types of Paralympic Dollars spread over four different issues, counting Proofs and Uncirculated issues. They were authorized under Public Law 102-390, which was signed into law in 1992 by President George Herbert Walker Bush. "I am proud that the United States Mint, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and the United States Olympic Committee have worked together to develop a unique coin program that offers the potential of $100 million in profits to be evenly divided between the two Olympic committees," said President Bush upon signing the bill, which also authorized the other 1995 and 1996 Olympic coinage. "By working together to maximize the sale of these coins we will assist our Olympic athletes. This program will also have a positive economic impact and help create jobs for the people of Georgia."
Modern Silver Commemoratives, 1995-P $1 Paralympic, DCAM, PCGS PR69DCAMThe Uncirculated 1995-D and Proof 1995-P Paralympic Dollars were sold with a pre-issue price of $27.95 and $31.95, respectively; regular prices went to $30.95 and $34.95. The 1995 Paralympic Dollar was designed by
John Mercanti and William Krawczewics and features the identical obverse of two female Olympians, one blind and tethered to her guide. The inscription "TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT," "PARALYMPICS," "LIBERTY," and the date 1995 encircle the obverse motif, with the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" appearing in the lower center of the coin; the 1995 Paralympic Dollars are notable for their inclusion of the word "SPIRIT" appearing as a series of raised dots known as Braille, which is a universal written language read by those who are blind.
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Posted 10/22/2020 11:43 pm
