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Don Everhart, retired Lead Sculptor at the United States Mint, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Coin design at the World Money Fair in Berlin on Saturday, February 3, 2018.

Everhart created more than 100 coins and medals for the United States during his nearly 14-year career at the U.S. Mint. Several of the coins he designed won awards, including the common reverse for the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative which won the Krause Coin of the Year in 2016 and the 2015 March of Dimes Commemorative $1 reverse which won the Krause Coin of the Year’s “Most Inspirational” coin in 2017.

Born in York, Pennsylvania in 1949, Everhart graduated from Central York High School and went on to study art at Kutztown State University. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree of Fine Art in Painting. Everhart started his sculpting career at The Franklin Mint, where he worked from 1975 to 1980. For the next two decades, he worked as a freelance artist and created figurines, plates, coins, and medals for companies, such as Walt Disney and Tiffany, and international mints, such as the Royal Norwegian Mint and the British Royal Mint. One of his most notable works is a 24-piece bronze installation for their Sports Hall of Fame.

Everhart has said that his work at the Franklin Mint was his training ground.  He made calendar medals, bicentennial medals and medals for various popular series offered by the Franklin Mint during his years there.

Freelance work included two medals for the Medallic Art Company’s Society of Medalist series including “Dance of the Dolphins,” which depicts dolphins jumping in formation, as well as “The Fossil Record,” #125 depicting a dinosaur on one side and its fossil on the other.  This piece was so popular that the Society of Medalists issued a series of six medals as #128 depicting different dinosaurs and their fossils.  This was among the last of the long series by the Medallic Art Company that began with the work of Laura Gardin Fraser and Paul Manship in 1930.

Don Everhart has the distinction of being the only artist who the Medallic Art Company commissioned to sculpt more than two medals in the entire 65 year history of the Society of Medalists.

In 1994 the Franklin Mint sponsored an exhibit of contemporary Medallic Art at the American Numismatic Convention.  Many numismatists there were introduced to Everhart’s work for the first time through his small hand-held sculpture, “Croc Rock” which depicts five crocodiles and through “Chameleon.”  The exhibit and Don’s work made an impression on many people attending the show.

Everhart joined the Mint in 2004. While the 50 State Quarters Program was already underway, he designed three of the 50 State Quarters coins honoring Nevada, New Mexico, and Hawaii. Everhart sculpted three additional state coins (Idaho, Montana, and California), as well as the 2009 quarter honoring the District of Columbia.

Everhart also played a significant role in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. His designs include the Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas; Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming; Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial in Ohio, and Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Everhart also created a number of high-profile commemorative designs for the U.S. Mint. He designed the 2016 National Park Service 100th Anniversary gold $5 (both sides), the 2010 American Veterans Disabled for Life Silver Dollar reverse; and the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Silver Dollar “Founding Father” reverse. His e 2015 March of Dimes Commemorative Silver Dollar reverse won “Most Inspirational” in the 2017 Coin of the Year awards.

Everhart also designed several Congressional Gold Medals, including the 2005 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King medal obverse; the 2005 Dalai Lama medal obverse, both sides of the 2006 Dr. Michael E. DeBakey medal; both sides of the 2008 Constantino Brumidi medal, and both sides of the 2007 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi medal.

Everhart designed and sculpted the 2014 Shimon Peres medal obverse; the 2015 Jack Nicklaus obverse; the 2014 American Fighter Aces reverse, and 11 of the 2007 and 2008 Code Talkers series of Congressional Gold Medals honoring Native Americans for their military service. Everhart also has the distinction of designing the reverse and sculpting both sides of the first curved coins produced by the U.S. Mint.

Everhart estimates that during his career he made between 1400 to 1500 coins and medals.  He remains active in retirement and now takes privately commissioned work ranging from monumental bar reliefs to medals and coins issued by private and world mints.