Braille Coin Coming in Spring 2009
On February 28th, 2006, the House approved a bill for the development of a commemorative braille silver dollar. On July 2, 2008, the design for the forthcoming coin was revealed at the National Federation for the Blind's annual convention in Dallas.
The new design depicts Luis Braille with the word liberty above. On the flip side, there is a picture of a young boy reading a braille book. The word independence appears on the book shelf behind him and the braille word for braille is inscribed above him.
Of course, this is not the first U.S. coin to depict braille. Alabama's state quarter, issued in 2003, celebrates the life of Helen Keller and spells out her name in Braille. But this new commemorative coin will be the first to carry readable braille.
The braille coin will be released in Spring 2009 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. The U.S. Mint will produce 400,000 coins and will add a $10 surcharge to each coin. The funds raised from sale of the coins will benefit the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) and promote Braille literacy.
If you want to stay informed about the release of the braille coin, sign up for NFB's updates:
NFB Exclusive Campaign List
Learn more about Louis Braille at AFB:
Louis Braille Biography