The Braille Dollar coin is the first U.S. coin that has actual readable braille on it. The Braille Bicentennial Dollar commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the French man who invented the universally-accepted reading system for the blind. Braille was born in 1809 in the tiny village of Coupvray, in the Brie region of France.
The obverse ("heads" side) of the Braille Dollar coin features a handsome and gentle portrait of Louis Braille, designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by U.S. Mint Sculptor/Engraver Phebe Hemphill. Braille lost his sight at the age of 4 after suffering an accident in his father's leather-working shop. Braille's father was a harness-maker, and one day when his father was away, young Braille went into the shop and tried to use the tools, just as he had seen his father do.
Unfortunately for the 3 year-old child, his hand slipped and a sharp tool, probably an awl, plunged into his left eye. The injured eye became infected, which spread to Braille's right eye. Shortly after the little boy turned 4, he had permanently lost his sight in both eyes.
Braille's School Years
Louis Braille was a highly intelligent child who distinguished himself greatly in the small village school he attended, easily outperforming the sighted children in his classes. The village teacher had heard of a program in Paris for blind children called the Royal Institute for Blind Youth. Braille's parents scraped together some money, and with the help of a scholarship, the boy was able to go to Paris to attend.
However, when he arrived at the Institute shortly after his tenth birthday, the young Braille found himself living in a poor, run-down old building, eating a substandard diet and subjected to the discipline of a harsh, often indifferent headmaster. But the teachers took a genuine interest in the blind children who were their students, and Braille once again distinguished himself.
Blind 15 Year-Old Invents the Braille Alphabet
Braille had a natural talent for music and a sharp, inquisitive mind. He was soon experimenting with new ways to communicate the alphabet and musical symbols to the blind. Braille tried embossing leather with alphabetic and other raised symbols that could be felt with the fingertips.
His breakthrough came when he was 13. An army captain by the name of Charles Barbier had developed a method of embossed lettering for use on the field by the military. Called "night writing," the system enabled soldiers to read battlefield missives in the dark without having to light a match or lantern and thus reveal their positions.
Barbier had modified his system for use by the blind, but it was too complex and didn't allow for punctuation, capital letters, and numbers. The 13 year-old Braille began working on the Barbier system, adapting it to the real needs of blind readers. By the time he was 15, Braille had completed the basic alphabet that bears his name.
Braille - Beautiful Simplicity
The beauty of the braille system of writing lies in its simplicity. A braille character consists of 6 raised dots, arranged into a 3x2 pattern called a braille cell. Meaning is derived based on which dots in the cell are raised. The entire braille alphabet is expressed through the various raised dots of this simple 3x2 cell.
Louis Braille went on to become a teacher at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, where he spent his career. Because living conditions at the Institute were poor, Braille's health suffered gravely. By the time he was 26, he had tuberculosis. Braille was only 43 when he died of this disease in 1852.
Although Braille's ingenious system of writing was used at his school and among many in the blind community in Paris, it wasn't until after Braille's death that his system gained wide exposure and acceptance. Today braille has been adapted to nearly every language in the world.
The Braille Commemorative Coin
The Braille coin was officially issued on March 26, 2009 at a pre-sale price of $31.95 for the Uncirculated version, and $37.95 for the Proof coin. Mintage is limited to 400,000 total coins across both options. $10 from the sale of each coin, for a maximum of $4 million, will benefit the National Federation of the Blind and its programs to promote literacy among blind people. On April 27, (if the Braille coin doesn't sell out by then), the pre-sale period will expire and the coins will cost $33.95 and $41.95 for the Uncirculated and Proof versions, respectively.
Although braille-like designs have appeared on U.S. coins before (on the Alabama State Quarter's tribute to Helen Keller, and the Paralympics Commemorative Dollars dated 1995 and 1996), the braille was too small and in too low of a relief to be readable by the blind. The 2009 Braille coin fixes this lapse by providing the fully tactile braille letters BRL, which stand for "Braille," as part of the design.
The reverse ("tails" side) was designed by AIP Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by U.S. Mint Sculptor/Engraver Joseph Menna. It depicts a blind child reading a book written in braille, along with the genuine braille inscription across the upper field.
It is hoped that the issuance of this coin will raise awareness of the issues faced by the blind in everyday commerce, and further public awareness of the braille system of writing and how indispensable it is to those who depend upon it. You can learn more at the National Federation of the Blind.
Public Law 109-247 is the legislation that enables and describes the Louis Braille Bicentennial Commemorative Dollar.