2000
The one dollar coin features a portrait of Leif Ericson on the obverse, (the explorer thought to have landed in the area now known as North America five centuries before Columbus). The reverse side of the coin is his ship proudly sailing the seas. (500,000 minted)
Another one dollar coin commemorates Ericson as well… in this coin the explorer is shown in profile. The reverse side has the giant from the Icelandic Coat of Arms, along with a dragon, an eagle, and a bull. (150,000 minted)
A one dollar coin featuring the Library of Congress has a rendering of an open book with a torch shining over it… the torch is to represent seeking knowledge on the obverse. The dome of the Jefferson Building is on the reverse. (500,000 minted)
The Library of Congress is also commemorated in a ten dollar coin. This one shows Minerva (the Roman goddess of wisdom) holding the torch over the dome of the Jefferson Building. The reverse has a laurel leaf surrounding the Library of Congress seal. (200,000 minted)
2001
A one dollar coin that features the American Buffalo shows a proud, stoic Native American man in profile on the obverse side. On the reverse side is a rendering of an American buffalo (or more accurately, bison) which used to roam free all over what is now the United States. (500,000 minted)
The other three coins for 2001 were to honor the nation’s Capitol Building. A Clad fifty cent piece shows a picture of the original Capitol building surrounded by an outline of the way the building looks now. On the reverse side are the sixteen stars (representing the sixteen states at the time) and the words “32 senators, 106 House members”. (today, there are 100 senators and 435 House members.) (750,000 minted)
Two other coins feature the Capitol building. The silver one dollar coin has the original Capitol building at the forefront with an image of the present day building underneath on the obverse. The reverse, which is a banner inscribed with the words “U.S. Capitol Visitor Center” draping a Bald Eagle. (500,000 minted)
The gold five dollar coin on its obverse shows a beautiful engraving of a Greek Corinthian column, while the reverse features the original Capitol building. (100,000 minted)
Written by Angela Sangster, Copyright 2010 CoinCollectorGuide.com