1996 XXVI Olympiad Rowing Commemorative Silver Dollar

The 1996 XXVI Olympiad Rowing Commemorative Silver Dollar was released by the United States Mint as one of sixteen special commemoratives struck to celebrate the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia. Four of these commemoratives were clad half dollars, eight were silver dollars and four were $5 gold coins.

The 1996 games contained a total of 10,320 athletes from 197 nations competing in 271 different events. In comparison, the start of the modern Olympics held 100 years earlier in Athens, Greece only saw 14 nations compete with 241 athletes in 43 different events. As one can imagine, the logistics behind the Atlanta Games were accordingly more difficult.

For one thing, special venues had to be constructed just for the Olympics. An example of this was the Centennial Olympic Stadium for which construction started just three years before the games in 1993. The 85,000 seat facility has since been converted to Turner Field and now hosts Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves.

Silver Dollar Information

The 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 102-390) authorized these coins along with the other fifteen coins released celebrating the Olympic Games held in Atlanta. A side effect of so many commemoratives released in such a short period of time was that mintage on these strikes were at record or near record lows.

The obverse of the Rowing Silver Dollar shows four men rowing and was designed by Bart Forbes. Included as well on the obverse were the inscriptions of XXVI OLYMPIAD, IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, 1996 and the 1996 USA Olympic Logo.

The reverse features the logo from the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games with a torch and flame and is the same design as seen on all four of the 1996 Olympic Silver Dollars. Seen as well are the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ONE DOLLAR, ATLANTA, 1996, E PLURIBUS UNUM and CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC GAMES. A mintmark of ‘P’ or ‘D’ is included as well indicating if the coin was struck at the US Mint‘s facility in Denver or the US Mint’s facility in Philadelphia. The reverse was designed by Thomas D. Rogers.

Proof Rowing Silver Dollars were struck in Philadelphia. The Uncirculated Rowing Silver Dollars were struck in Denver.

A surcharge collected on the sale of each Rowing Silver Dollar was distributed equally between the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Inc. and the United States Olympic Committee.

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