American Innovation™ $1 Coin – Connecticut
- Year of Issue: 2020
- Authorizing Legislation: Public Law 115-197
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Background
The American Innovation $1 Coin representing Connecticut honors the Gerber Variable Scale.
Joseph Gerber was born in Austria in 1924. Following imprisonment in a Nazi labor camp at the age of 15, he and his mother escaped to the United States and settled in Connecticut. While in college, he invented the Gerber Variable Scale, which many consider the most revolutionary engineering tool since the slide rule.
By the 1950s, the variable scale was one of the most widely used tools for engineers and architects worldwide. Though calculators and computers have replaced it, Gerber’s scale was integral to the scientific advancements of the 20th century.
Characteristics
The obverse (heads) design features a dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile.
The reverse (tails) design depicts the Gerber Variable Scale being used to increase a geometric shape by 200 percent, a shape which resembles the state of Connecticut.
Obverse Inscriptions
- IN GOD WE TRUST
- $1
Reverse Inscriptions
- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- GERBER VARIABLE SCALE
- CONNECTICUT
Incused (edge) Inscriptions
- 2020
- Mint mark
- E PLURIBUS UNUM
Mint and Mint Mark
Specifications
| Composition | Weight | Diameter | Thickness | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Manganese-Brass
88.5% Cu
6% Zn
3.5% Mn
2% Ni
|
8.1 g |
1.043 in.
26.49 mm
|
2.00 mm | Edge-Lettering |
Artist Information
Obverse- Sculptor: Phebe Hemphill, Medallic Artist
- Designer: Justin Kunz, Artistic Infusion Program
- Sculptor: Renata Gordon, Medallic Artist
- Designer: Richard Masters, Artistic Infusion Program