2016 Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Images

The U.S. Mint this week published images of the silver dollars and $5 gold coins commemorating Mark Twain’s life and legacy. Their designs were only just unveiled last Saturday, Nov. 28, at an event celebrating the 180th anniversary of Twain’s birth.

Featuring portraits of the famed author and scenes from his books, the 2016 Mark Twain Commemorative Coins will launch in collector finishes of proof and uncirculated and in quantities of up to 100,000 $5 gold coins and 350,000 silver dollars.

$5 Gold Coins

The U.S. Mint at West Point will strike the gold coins. Below are images of the proof and uncirculated editions. Their obverses or heads sides feature a portrait of Mark Twain with the inscriptions IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and 2016.

The reverse or tails side depicts a steamboat on the Mississippi River.

Silver Dollars

The U.S. Mint at Philadelphia will strike the silver dollars. Below are images of the proof and uncirculated versions. Their obverses feature a portrait of Mark Twain holding a pipe with the smoke forming a silhouette of Huck Finn and Jim on a raft in the background.

The reverse features an assortment of characters leaping to life from Mark Twain’s works: The knight and horse from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, the frog from The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Jim and Huck from Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

As mandated by law, the Twain coins will be sold by the U.S. Mint with included surcharge amounts of $35 for each gold piece and $10 for each silver dollar. The collected funds will benefit museums and educational program dedicated to Mark Twain.

Prices and release dates for the coins are not yet known.