American Innovation 2024 $1 Coin Proof Set

The American Innovation® $1 Coin Program is a multi-year series featuring unique reverse (tails) designs that celebrate America’s ingenuity and honor the pioneering contributions of individuals and groups from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

One of the nation’s greatest strengths is its entrepreneurial spirit, which drives remarkable innovation and discovery. The United States Mint proudly commemorates this spirit with the 2024 American Innovation $1 Coin Proof Set™.

This set includes a clear plastic lens encasing four beautifully designed coins, making it a wonderful addition to any collection or an ideal gift for special occasions. The collection highlights significant American innovations and innovators from Illinois, Alabama, Maine, and Missouri.

These proof coins are crafted with sharp reliefs, mirror-like backgrounds, and frosted foregrounds, creating a distinctive cameo effect.

The 2024 American Innovation $1 Coin Proof Set features the following designs:

• Obverse (Heads): A dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile, featuring the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.” Designed by Justin Kunz, it includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, symbolizing industry and innovation. The edge-incused inscriptions are “2024,” “S” mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
• Illinois: Features a large steel plow blade affixed to a right-handed beam and braces, with a backdrop of big bluestem prairie grass and soil below. Inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “STEEL PLOW,” and “ILLINOIS.”In the 19th century, as America expanded westward, traditional wooden plows struggled in the tough Midwestern soil. John Lane’s steel plow revolutionized farming in the region, laying the foundation for what is now known as “America’s Breadbasket.” Its design was quickly adopted by other blacksmiths, transforming the lives of American farmers.
• Alabama: Depicts the Saturn V rocket lifting off with the Moon in the background. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “SATURN V,” and “ALABAMA.”On July 16, 1969, the world watched as the Saturn V rocket launched the Apollo 11 mission, enabling American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to become the first men to walk on the Moon. This historic achievement was a defining moment in the Space Race, with the Saturn V rocket, built at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, leading the way for all six Apollo Moon landings.
• Maine: Presents a profile portrait of Dr. Bernard Lown with his direct current defibrillator in operation below. The design includes the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “BERNARD LOWN, M.D.,” “DIRECT CURRENT DEFIBRILLATOR,” and “MAINE.”Dr. Bernard Lown was a Lithuanian American cardiologist who invented the direct current defibrillator in collaboration with engineer Baruch Berkovitz. This lifesaving device uses direct electrical current synchronized with the heartbeat to correct abnormal rhythms, which account for 40% of fatal heart attacks in the United States. The direct current defibrillator led to the development of other crucial cardiac devices used by millions today.
• Missouri: Depicts George Washington Carver gently smiling while examining a sample of his work in a laboratory, surrounded by the leaves, blossoms, and fruits of a peanut plant intertwined with scientific equipment. Inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “MISSOURI,” and “GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER.”Following the abolition of slavery, many formerly enslaved people became small-scale farmers but struggled on nutrient-depleted land due to single-crop farming. Through George Washington Carver’s informative pamphlets and his invention of the Jesup Wagon—a mobile agricultural school and laboratory—he delivered essential lessons on crop rotation and practical farming methods directly to those in need. His efforts significantly improved the livelihoods of many farmers and transformed Southern agriculture.