1996-S $1 Nat. Comm. Service, DCAM (Proof)

The 1996-S National Community Service Silver Dollar

The 1996-S National Community Service Silver Dollar (MS #9740, PR #9741) was one of several commemorative coins authorized by Public Law 103-328 and released on July 12, 1996.

The coin's obverse was designed by Thomas D. Rogers, Sr., while the reverse was the work of William C. Cousins. Rogers loosely based his obverse design on Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ original concepts for the Double Eagle. In this rendition, rather than a torch, Liberty holds a lamp and a book in her right hand and rests her left hand on a federal shield. While Liberty’s toes were present in Rogers’ original model, the detail was removed at the request of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). Ironically, the CFA later criticized the modified design, claiming that without the grounded detail, Liberty appeared to be "floating." After retiring from the Mint, Cousins discussed this bureaucratic meddling during a presentation at the ANA's National Money Show in Portland, Oregon, where he wryly noted, "Sometimes, you can't please everybody."

Cousins’ reverse lacks the faux-Beaux-Arts aesthetic of the obverse, opting instead for a simpler presentation of the federally mandated inscriptions. The phrases "SERVICE FOR AMERICA" and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" are positioned inside a wreath.

Original Sales Performance

Sales for the National Community Service Dollar were underwhelming. The uncirculated version had a mintage of just 23,463 pieces, while the Proof version sold 101,543. These figures fell significantly short of the 500,000 mintage authorized by law. That same year, the market was saturated; collectors were faced with multiple commemoratives honoring the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, as well as a silver dollar honoring the Smithsonian Institution (MS #9742, PR #9743). The sprawling, two-year Olympics program proved to be a sales disappointment, while the Smithsonian coin fared only slightly better than the National Community Service issue.

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