The 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary 5-ounce, proof silver dollar was named the Best Collectible Silver Coin at the 2023 Mint Directors Conference (MDC). U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson accepted the award at the event in Ottawa, Canada, on October 17. The MDC, founded in 1962, is held every two years, and mint directors, suppliers, and retailers attend the event to exchange information and discuss the development of coin production and the future of the industry.
2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary silver dollar. (Photo: U.S. Mint)
The curved silver dollar, issued to commemorate the first manned moon landing, features an astronaut’s footprint on the obverse. The reverse is a rendition of the 1969 “Buzz Aldrin on the Moon” photograph reflected in Buzz Aldrin’s visor, with Neil Armstrong’s reflection, Aldrin’s shadow, the American flag, and the lunar ladder in the center. Buzz Aldrin’s helmet and visor frame the scene.
A version of this article appears in the December 2023 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).