US Commemorative Dollar Proof 1991-P Korean War

The Korean War is often called America’s Forgotten War, coming on the heels of World War II. As the first major conflict of the Cold War, the war finds its roots in the United States and Soviet Union diving the Korean Peninsula in half by the 38th parallel. The North would be led by a communist government while the South was led by a pro-Western anti communist government. Obviously, two other countries drawing an arbitrary line across a map did little to show the governing bodies who leads the country. Each government laid claim to the entire peninsula and neither regarded the border as a permanent fixture on the map. After many skirmishes along this border, the North Korean military forces invaded the South in 1950, thus beginning the Korean War.

The obverse of the Korean War Memorial Silver Dollar shows a military figure climbing upwards along a hill while holding a rifle. Below him are war ships and above are jet fighters. This would be the first war to have jet fighters meet in air to air combat. The coin also shows the inscription, “Thirty Eighth Anniversary Commemorative 1953 1991”. The obverse was designed by John Mercanti, the long time engraver of the United States Mint. The reverse of the coin shows a map of the Korean peninsula with the border clearly shown along the 38th parallel. Along with this it has a military insignia from the war. The reverse was designed by James Ferrell. The coin has been criticized for having a very cluttered design.

The Proof Korean War Memorial Silver dollar has a mintage of 618,488 coins. The unusually high mintage of the coin gives credence to the accusation that the coin is little more than a fundraising opportunity for the creation of the Korean War Memorial monument in Washington DC. Otherwise, it is a coin worth adding to any serious collector of modern commemoratives that pays homage to those that lost their lives in the fight for South Korea. If you have any questions regarding this or any commemorative coin, please call our knowledgeable staff at (800) 735-1311.

• Denomination: $1
• Year: 1991
• Diameter: 26.5 mm
• Mint Mark: P
• Thickness: 2 mm
• Grade: Ungraded