USA Wins Most Inspirational for 2017 Dated Boy’s Town Silver Dollar
The U.S. Mint’s Boy’s Town Centennial silver dollar won “Most Inspirational Coin” for coins dated 2017 in the Krause Coin of the Year Awards (COTY). The winning commemorative silver dollar coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of Boys Town, an organization dedicated to helping children.
A century ago, Father Edward Flanagan rented an old mansion to give displaced children a home. He believed that every child could be a productive citizen if given love, a home, an education and a trade. His boys home, which eventually became known as “Boys Town,” has grown exponentially in the past 100 years. It is one of the largest non-profit organizations in the country, dedicated to serving at-risk children and families of all backgrounds and religions. Today, more than two million children and families benefit from Boys Town Programs each year.
The Boy’s Town Silver Dollar was designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Emily Damstra and was sculpted by Joseph Menna, who was recently named the Mint’s Chief Engraver. Upon accepting the award, U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder stated: “[H]onoring the Boys Town Centennial Silver Dollar as the Most Inspirational Coin speaks volumes about the ability of our artists to convey emotion—I am so proud of them. I feel this coin represents America at its best—because we are truly at our best when we focus on helping others.”
The coin’s obverse depicts a young girl sitting alone and gazing upward into the branches of an oak tree looking for help. The empty space around the girl is deliberate and meant to show the child’s sense of loneliness, isolation, and helplessness. Inscriptions include “BOYS TOWN,” “When you help a child today…,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “LIBERTY,” and “1917–2017.”
The reverse features an oak tree offering shelter and a sense of belonging to the family holding hands below it, which includes the girl from the obverse. Inscriptions include “…you write the history of tomorrow,” “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “ONE DOLLAR,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
The Boys Town Silver Dollar is 90% silver and 10% copper. It measures 38.10 mm in diameter and weighs 26.73 grams. The Philadelphia mint made 31,610 proof coins and 12,234 uncirculated coins. Both bear the P Mint mark.
Under the Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Program Act (Public Law 114-30), each silver dollar coin includes a $10 surcharge to be paid to Boys Town to carry out its cause of caring for and assisting children and families in underserved communities across America.