Mint Reveals 2020 Native American $1 Coin Design

The reverse design for the 2020 Native American $1 coin was unveiled by Patrick Hernandez, U.S. Mint chief administrative officer, Oct. 5 during the Alaska Native Brothers and Alaska Native Sisters Convention at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage.

The theme of the 2020 coin design is Elizabeth Peratrovich and Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Law.

The design features a portrait of Peratrovich, whose advocacy was considered a deciding factor in the passage of the 1945 Anti-Discrimination Law in the Alaskan state legislature. The foreground features a symbol of the Tlingit Raven moiety, of which she was a member.

Inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “ELIZABETH PERATROVICH,” “$1” and “ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW OF 1945.”

“This coin will be a lasting tribute to Elizabeth Peratrovich and her relentless efforts to tear down the wall of discrimination against Alaskan Natives,” said Hernandez. “We will proudly produce this coin that honors her bravery and determination.”

The design was created and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill, U.S. Mint medallic artist.

The coin’s obverse features the central figure, Sacagawea, carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” It was created by sculptor Glenna Goodacre.

The year, mintmark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the coin’s edge.

The Native American $1 Coin Program is authorized by the Public Law 110-82 to recognize the important contributions made by Native American tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States. The public law mandates that a new reverse design, with an image emblematic of one important Native American or Native American contribution, be issued at a rate of once a year.