WWI dollar designs unveiled

Utah artist LeRoy Transfield designed both obverse and reverse of the World War I silver dollar to be issued in 2018.

Designs were unveiled Oct. 9 for a 2018 commemorative silver dollar marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

A ceremony was held in Washington, D.C., during the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Artist LeRoy Transfield created both obverse and reverse designs.

The Orem, Utah, artist calls the obverse “Soldier’s Charge.” The Mint describes it as a stone-like soldier gripping a rifle.

Barbed wire appears on both sides of the coin. The reverse is called “Poppies in the Wire.”

Now retired United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Don Everhart sculpted both designs.

“Our team at the U.S. Mint is proud to have the honor of crafting the coin that will commemorate the contributions and the history made by American men and women – of all walks of life – who bravely stepped forward 100 years ago to defend the interests of the nation and that of her allies,” said Thomas Johnson, Chief of the United States Mint’s Office of Corporate Communications.

Also at the ceremony were Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, U.S. World War I Centennial Commission Chair Robert Dalessandro and World War I re-enactors.

Next year, up to 350,000 of the silver dollars can be sold. The issue price of each coin will include a $10 surcharge. Funds raised will go to the United States Foundation for the Commemoration of the World Wars to assist the World War I Centennial Commission in commemorating the centenary of World War I, according to the Mint.