In 1993, the US Mint produced the Philadelphia set that included three gold and one silver coin along with a silver medal.
Of particular interest, the Philadelphia Mint produced all of the coins and the medal.
The gold coins included the $25 at one-half ounce of gold, the $10 at one-quarter ounce and the $5 at one-tenth ounce.
The silver coin, of course, was the beautiful Walking Liberty design on the silver American Eagle.
But, the silver medal showcased the mint’s artistry through the 200 years from the first cent of 1793 to the current day coins of circulation and commemoration.
The medal’s obverse shows the medallic artist’s rendition of the 1914 oil painting by John Ward Dunsmore called “Inspecting the First Coins.”
The medal’s reverse includes either the obverse or reverse of fifteen separate coins from throughout the Mint’s history.
At the bottom, the oldest coin, the 1793 one-cent, displays the obverse with Liberty and her flowing hair. (#1)
Just above is another cent, the Lincoln cent with its reverse showing the wheat ears from its early years. (#2)
Next, the Jefferson nickel shows the design from its first year, 1938. (#3)
Moving upward, another design displays the reverse of the buffalo five-cent coin. (#4)
Next, winged Liberty graces the front of the 1916 Mercury dime. (#5)
Another ten-cent coin comes next showing the torch, olive branch and oak branch reverse of the Roosevelt dime. (#6)
Into the 25-cent coins, the reverse of the capped bust quarter dollar displays the eagle with its wings spread. (#7)
For a more contemporary coin, the first Washington quarter of 1932 shows President Washington’s bust. (#8)
In another presidential display, the next coin shows the first 1964 half dollar with President Kennedy’s portrait. (#9)
Moving back in time, the next coin shows the Walking Liberty obverse design of the half-dollar in its first year, 1916. (#10)
Moving downward, the bicentennial reverse design of the Eisenhower dollar shows the Liberty bell with the moon in the background. (#11)
Another dollar coin, this time a commemorative, illustrates Lady Liberty with Ellis Island in the background from 1986. (#12)
In the middle of medal, the reverse of the Heraldic Eagle coin from the early years of the Mint displays the eagle with thirteen stars overhead and the shield with thirteen bars. (#13)
The next coin shows the obverse of the gold American Eagle with the design of Liberty by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. (#14)
Last, the artist added the obverse of a recently produced commemorative gold coin, the 1992 XXV Olympiad $5 gold with a sprinter running in front of the American flag. (#15)
The reverse of the Philadelphia bicentennial medal clearly shows the artistry of the US Mint on each of these coins.
In reality, the 15 coins’ sizes range from 17.9 mm to 38.1 mm, however all 15 are clearly displayed on the medal which is only 38.1 mm in diameter.
