U.S. Mint releases Harriet Tubman coins
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Photo: U.S. Mint
The U.S. Mint, a Treasury Department bureau that produces coins, is honoring Harriet Tubman with coins featuring her portrait.
Driving the news: Three commemorative tokens — $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins and half-dollar clad coins — serve to celebrate the life of the abolitionist, the bureau said this week.
Details: The coins were made available for pre-order Thursday and will be shipped out next month.
- They range in price from $47 to $718, or $836.25 for a set of three.
- There is a surcharge to the cost of each coin, which will go to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Ohio and the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in New York.
The big picture: Tubman, born in 1822, is best known for her role as a conductor in the Underground Railroad.
- Upon freeing herself from slavery, she returned to the South many times to help lead others out to freedom.
- Tubman was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, which led to more than 700 enslaved people being freed.
What they're saying: "Every coin produced by the United States Mint helps to tell a story that teaches us about America's history or connects us to a special memory," U.S. Mint Director Ventris Gibson said in a statement.
- "We hope this program will honor the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman and inspire others to learn more about this amazing woman."
Go deeper: U.S. Mint begins circulating Maya Angelou quarters
