The United States Mint opened sales for rolls and bags containing the first American Innovation $1 Coin of 2025 on January 7 at noon EST. The reverse design of the coins in these products recognizes innovation by naval engineer Raye Montague from the State of Arkansas.
“I am pleased to announce the release of the American Innovation $1 Coin for the State of Arkansas,” said the Honorable Ventris C. Gibson, Director of the Mint. “Raye Montague was an American naval engineer credited with creating the first computer-generated rough draft of a U.S. naval ship. She was the first female program manager of ships in the United States Navy. We are honored to celebrate this major achievement with this coin.”
“Arkansas is thrilled to be featured on the $1 Coin and proud that Raye Montague—a native Arkansan, groundbreaking naval engineer, and the definition of American Innovation—will be the Natural State’s representative,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The following packaging options from the Mint’s facilities at Philadelphia and Denver are now available:
Introduced in 2018, the American Innovation $1 Coin Program is a multi-year series featuring distinctive reverse designs that pay homage to America’s ingenuity and celebrate the pioneering efforts of individuals or groups from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories.
The Arkansas American Innovation $1 Coin reverse design features Raye Montague visualizing a United States Navy Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, a ship she designed by computer. The grid pattern over the sea evokes the engineering and drafting techniques she digitized to accomplish her design. Included inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “ARKANSAS,” AND “RAYE MONTAGUE.” United States Mint Medallic Artist Eric David Custer sculpted, and Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designer Elana Hagler designed the image.
The obverse design of all coins in the American Innovation $1 Coin Program features a dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile with the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.” The design also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation. Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Justin Kunz created the design, which Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill sculpted.
Incused on the coin’s edge are “2025,” the mint mark (“P” or “D”), and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
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