Black Lady Liberty on US gold coin

In April, the U.S. Mint is releasing a gold coin that will mark American currency history. For the first time, the coin will show a black Lady Liberty, rather than the white, European-esque woman gifted by France.

On Thursday, the Mint and the Treasury Department announced the 24-karat coin -– worth $100 at face value -– will be available for purchase on April 6th.

However, they won't be circulated like typical currency. The New York Times reported that only 100,000 coins will be produced and, depending on the value of gold, could be worth upwards of $1,000.

According to the U.S. Mint gold coins are produced and sold for collecting purposes only:

“Produced and sold for collectors, gold coins produced by the U.S. Mint are beautiful pieces of art in precious metal. Coins are produced in proof and uncirculated finishes, in varying composition ranging from one-tenth to one ounce and 22– or 24–karat gold.”

Image Credit: U.S. Mint

Whatever profit the Mint makes is directed back into the Treasury. Rhett Jeppson, the principal deputy director of the Mint, told the NY Times that the Mint returned $600 million to the federal government last year alone.

Image Credit: U.S. Mint

The Mint released a statement that the new coin, commemorating the Mint's 225th anniversary of coin production, is only one in an entire series “to reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States”:

“We are very proud of the fact that the United States Mint is rooted in the Constitution. Our founding fathers realized the critical need for our fledgling nation to have a respected monetary system, and over the last 225 years, the Mint has never failed in its mission.”

This is what the new gold coin will look like:

Image Credit: US Mint

The remaining coins of the series, which feature an Asian American, Hispanic American, and Indian American Lady Liberty, are scheduled to be released every two years.

Jeppson told the New York Times:

“Part of our intent was to honor our tradition and heritage, but we also think it’s always worthwhile to have a conversation about liberty, and we certainly have started that conversation.”

Jeppson continued to recount numerous women approaching him after the coin was revealed, telling him that the woman on the coin “looks like me when I was younger.” Jeppson said:

“I saw real value in that. That we see ourselves in the images in our coins.”

Jeppson's also referring to the woman on the coin as “allegorical liberty.” In other words, she isn't a specific woman from history, but a representation of the “idea of liberty,” according to the NY Times.

Image Credit: US Mint

Elisa Basnight, the chief of staff at the Mint, told The Philadelphia Enquirer that the coin is “groundbreaking”:

"Our hope is that this coin really gets people thinking and talking about what liberty looks like and represents to them.

Lady Liberty, depicted in coinage throughout the years, is modelled after our society's continued evolution -– and as we as a nation continue to evolve, so does its representation."

The Mint is also selling 100,000 silver medals for $40-$50, which serve as collectible recognitions of the gold coin featuring the black Lady Liberty.

Gilles Bransbourg, an American Numismatic Society curator and a research associate at New York University, told the NY Times that the new coin is creating a lot of “buzz”:

“It’s departing from any of the coins that have been produced so far. It sends a strong message that the Mint is departing from the tradition that will be perceived as very white.”

The coin is also clearly coming at a time when the country is, in its own way, departing from tradition. President-elect Donald Trump is notably the first elected president of his kind.

Image Credit: COINS Act

Other variations of “traditional” money include currency like the Susan B. Anthony $1 coin, the Helen Keller Alabama state quarter, the Sacagawea $1 coin, and the soon-to-be Harriet Tubman $20 bill.