The U.S. Mint’s modern commemorative coin program, established in 1982, has come out with a new addition to the collection. The Harriet Tubman commemorative coin has been in circulation since the beginning of 2024, and operations to continue making the coins will cease on December 31, 2024.
The prominent civil rights figure and social justice activist went from being enslaved to a leader and conductor of the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman has been honored and remembered throughout 2024 with the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin, celebrating the bicentennial of her birthday.
“Harriet is probably one of the most recognized figures from the era of the Underground Railroad, and that is significant for a number of reasons,” said Ventris C. Gibson, the 40th director of the U.S. Mint and the first Black director. “She’s inspired generations from that time until now, especially on equality, civil rights and social justice. And her life and legacy are part of our American story.”
Ventris C. Gibson, director of the U.S. Mint, holds a Harriet Tubman commemorative coin. PHOTO: U.S. MINT
“I always say that Black history is American history. And having her on a coin is as important an effort in preserving our history, and it tells a profound story,” Gibson added.
In 2022, Gibson was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the 40th director of the U.S. Mint and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Since then, she has dedicated herself to the preservation of United States history by bolstering the mint’s modern commemorative coin program.
“We made it a point to showcase not only commemorative coins that we’ve done in the past but also [those] that we have featured throughout history. The U.S. Mint has featured Black American trailblazers on coins and on medals,” said Gibson. “For example, we featured the Tuskegee Airmen. We featured Dr. Martin Luther King, Sojourner Truth [and], of course, President Obama. We had the American Women Quarters Program that focused on the first American women’s quarter ever in the history of the United States, a five-year program that featured 20 phenomenal women, and a number of them are African American.”
Gibson has served her country in more ways than one, as a U.S. Navy Veteran, associate deputy assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and as the director of administration for the National Labor Relations Board. Her dedication to her country is evident, not only in the positions that she has held but in how she continues to uphold Black history as American history through her work with the U.S. Mint.
“My journey has been largely from the military to the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Federal Aviation Administration to Health and Human Services and D.C. government, working for Mayor Bowser when she was first elected. That is what my career has been about: leadership in both human capital and administration and on the business acumen side of things,” said Gibson. “So I have close to 51 years of service. I keep trying to retire, but they don’t let me go, and that’s all right. I think I still have a lot to give.”
Gibson described the Harriet Tubman commemorative coin as a multifaceted investment. Not only does it highlight an extraordinary woman who shaped American and Black history, but it also highlights her in a way that can be capitalized on in a multitude of ways.
“So much can be learned from her and from her legacy. By memorializing her we ensure that many years from now, future generations will know about our culture and what contributed to the building of this great nation, and the sacrifices people have made. They will also recognize her heroism,” she said.
Gibson touched on the educational importance of the coin, emphasizing that the coin will not only be a commemoration of Harriet Tubman but also a starting block for discussion and education about who she was and the impact that she was able to have.
“When we’re teaching our kids, we need to teach them about the fact that she was a suffragist, the fact that she was a nurse for the Union Army and then became a scout and a spy,” said Gibson. “She was the first woman to plan and lead an expedition of 150 Black soldiers to ensure the freedom of 750 slaves at the Combahee River in South Carolina. That’s huge. And 54 years later, she actually engaged in the women’s suffrage movement. She had a profound effect on health care at that time and on justice and civil rights.”
The U.S. Mint’s dedication to education spans beyond the commemorative coin program, with it also having programs designed to educate children on the coin-making process, which attracts thousands of students every year. Kids can see how the coins are molded and distributed, and they can make their own coins.
“We provide coloring books, discovery sets, instructions on how to start collecting coins, etc. It’s a very widely publicized and highly valuable lesson, but more importantly, we also have two facilities, Denver, Colorado, and Philadelphia, that have tours, and the kids actually can make a coin,” said Gibson. “So, that’s pretty exciting for them. And it attracts thousands of youths every year.”
In addition to classroom education, the coin will also open the door to conversations surrounding financial literacy.
“I purchased her gold coin set for $700 a few months ago when it came out; it is now valued at over $900. And so, imagine holding onto that coin for a few more years. Then, I can have an opportunity to see what the value has been, but it also teaches us about Wall Street, what we can invest in, and what the market says,” Gibson said, adding, “That’s one area, of course; purchasing mutual funds is another, but if you’re a starting out, gold and silver are good to invest in, just as a starter, not a long-term strategy, of course, but just to get you started. Coin collecting is a great way to have a beginning of a financial investment.”
The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin will be in production through the end of the year. Gibson’s commitment to Tubman’s journey and commemoration is rooted in her love of her culture but also in her knowledge of Harriet Tubman’s story and plight for freedom.
Gibson said, “She not only had such strong faith but here’s what she said when she finally achieved freedom: ‘When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if they were the same and if I were the same person. And they were such glory over everything. The sun came through like that. Gold through the trees and over the fields. And I felt like I was in heaven.’”
The Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin comes in a set or in a $5 gold coin, a $1 silver coin, and a half-dollar. It will be available for purchase until supplies run out.
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