NASA to Present Louis Braille Coins Flown into Space to NFB

July 24, 2009 By Coin Update Leave a Comment

NASA plans to present two Louis Braille Silver Dollars to the National Federation of the Blind. The two coins flew into space on space shuttle Atlantis’ mission to the Hubble Telescope in May 2009.

The ceremony will take place on July 31, 2009 at 6:00 PM EDT at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. The coins will be accepted by Marc Maurer, the President of the NFB.

The Louis Braille Bicentennial Commemorative Coins were issued by the United States Mint to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille System of writing for the blind and visually impaired.

The obverse of each coin features a portrait of Braille designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Phoebe Hemphill. The reverse of each coin features a scene of a young child reading a Braille book designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Joseph Menna.

The coins went on sale at the United States Mint on March 26, 2009 and are expected to remain available for the rest of the year. The proof version of the coin is priced at $41.95 and the uncirculated version of the coin is priced at $33.95.

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