We are days away from the end of the year and the end of another decade. With the United States Mint’s production schedule coming to a halt for 2019, one of the last items to be released is the fourth and final design for the brand new American Innovation $1 Coin program this year. Last but certainly not the least for the program, Georgia.
The multi-year series was announced last year and introduced to customers with “introductory coins”. The program’s intention is to honor innovation and innovators with $1 coins from each State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Being released in rolls and bags in uncirculated finishes from both the Philadelphia and Denver branches of the United States Mint on December 19th, the Georgia coin design features the Trustees’ Garden which was founded and started in 1734 by James Oglethorpe. A British soldier, member of Parliament, and philanthropist who founded the colony of Georgia, Oglethorpe is a considerable figure for the state. The Trustees’ Garden itself is considered to be one of the first, if not the first, agriculture experimental gardens in the United States. The garden spans 10 acres in Savannah and featured plants from around the world. This was because colonists were interested in, at the time, figuring out what crops worked best in the climate of Georgia. Overall, the Trustees’ Garden was chosen by the Mint as it “reflected the scientific and commercial aspirations of the trustees and their backers in England.”
The reverse of the design features a hand planting seeds. The inscription “TRUSTEES’ GARDEN” is shown with a variety of plants growing from it as it did in the garden. Those plants include an orange tree seedling, sassafras, grapes, white mulberry, flax, peaches, olive, and a young shoot that was thought to be too small to be identified. The inscription “GEORGIA” is seen following the top arc of the coin design while “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” is seen at the bottom portion.
The obverse design features the representation of the Statue of Liberty that has been seen on 2018’s introductory coins in addition to the already released versions of the 2019 $1 coins.