The Booker T Washington 1946-51, US Silver Proof Half Dollar

Order your 'Booker T Washington 1946-51, US Silver Half Dollar' for just £39.95!

In 1946, the American educator and author Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915) became the first African American to be honoured on a coin.  Born into slavery, he was emancipated at the age of nine, and later became one of the leading figures in the movement to educate freed slaves, believing that they should learn practical skills to enable themselves to make a living during the reconstruction era.  

After purchasing a former plantation and transforming it into the permanent campus of the Tuskegee Institute (later Tuskegee University), he went on to develop other schools and colleges and became an advisor to the President on issues connected with race and education. 

In 1946 the Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial Commission asked if a commemorative coin could be struck to help raise funds for the purchase and maintenance of his birthplace in Franklin County, Virginia. Permission was granted and the coin was struck between 1946 and 1951.

The design, by Issac Scott Hathaway, depicts a portrait of Booker T. Washington on the obverse with his name, the words “United States of America”, the motto “E Pluribus Unum” (‘Out of many, one), the denomination “Half Dollar” and the yeat of issue.  Hathaway’s reverse design comprises an image of the Hall of Fame at New York University and a log cabin.  The inscription reads “Booker T. Washinton Birthplace Memorial. From Slave Cabin to Hall of Fame.  In God We Trust. Franklin County VA. Liberty”

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Metal:

90% Silver

Weight:

12.5g

Diameter:

30.6mm

Issuing Authority:

US Mint

Denomination:

Half Dollar

Year of issue:

1946-1951