1 Dollar American Innovation - Illinois
2024 year| Manganese brass clad copper | 8.100 g | 26.49 mm |
| Issuer | United States |
|---|---|
| Issuing entity | United States Department of the Treasury |
| Period | Federal republic (1776-date) |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
| Year | 2024 |
| Value | 1 Dollar (1 USD) |
| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
| Composition | Manganese brass clad copper |
| Weight | 8.100 g |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm |
| Thickness | 2 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Updated | 2024-10-09 |
| Numista | N#395534 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 26% |
Reverse
The reverse (tails) design features a large steel plow blade affixed to a right-handed beam and braces. Behind the plow is a stand of Big Bluestem prairie grass and a field of soil below.
Script: Latin
Lettering:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
STEEL PLOW
ILLINOIS
BZ
RG
Engraver: Renata Gordon
Designer: Beth Zaiken
Edge
The year of minting (2024), mintmark, and the inscription “E PLURIBUS UNUM” and stars are incused on the edge of the coins.
Script: Latin
Lettering: 2024 D E PLURIBUS UNUM
Translation: Out of many, one.
Comment
The American Innovation $1 Coin representing Illinois recognizes the steel plow. The invention of the steel plow sparked the migration of Americans to the Midwest United States in the 1800s and the beginning of agriculture’s industrial age.
In the early 1800s, Americans moved from the eastern United States to the Midwest. The land they encountered was covered with grassland prairies that proved challenging to plow. The wooden plows that easily cut through the sandy soil of the East Coast became stuck in the dense Midwestern sod.
Blacksmith John Lane in Homer Township, Illinois came up with a solution to fashion a plow from an old sawmill blade, polished so that soil didn’t stick. After field testing, Lane’s plow went into production, first on his farm and later in Lockport, Illinois. By the 1850s, his plow was a commercial success, although Lane never patented his invention.
Lane was one of a number of competing plow-makers during this era. The steel plow was first made commercially successful in 1837 by John Deere in Grand Detour, Illinois. The John Deere plow was also originally sourced from a sawmill blade. But instead of crafting them one at a time as Lane and others did, John Deere established a process for producing plows on an industrial scale.
Interesting fact
The Manganese brass clad copper used in the 2024 American Innovation - Illinois $1 coin is a unique feature, as most coins are made of a copper-nickel alloy or pure copper. The use of manganese brass gives the coin a distinctive color and durability, making it stand out from other coins in the series.
Price
| Date | Mintage | VG | F | VF | XF | AU | UNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 D | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2024 P | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2024 S | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 1 Dollar (American Innovation - Illinois) 2024 coin.
