George Washington Tribute Collection

The George Washington Tribute. George Washington was named Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and took a leading role in the American Revolution.  In 1787, he was president of the convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution.  Two years later, he was elected the first President of the United States.There are four coins with different portraits of Washington, one stamp, and one bank note. The first coin is the 1932-1964 Washington Silver Quarter. This coin was introduced in 1932 to honor the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth. The portrait was based on a bust of Washington made in 1785 by Jean Antoine Houdon. An eagle is on the reverse. The .900 silver coin was struck only until 1964.

A modified portrait of Washington was used on the State Quarters starting in 1999. One of these coins is also included. The reverse is a one-time-only design from the State Quarters series.

The third coin is the 1982 George Washington commemorative Silver Half Dollar. The first modern commemorative coin, it was issued to honor the 250th anniversary of Washington's birth. The obverse shows Washington in military uniform and astride a horse to show his role as commander of American forces in the American Revolution. The reverse depicts Mount Vernon, Washington's home in Virginia. The coin was struck in .900 silver.

The final coin is the 2007 Washington Presidential Dollar - the first coin in the Presidential Dollars series and the first golden Dollar coin issued as a commemorative in U.S. history. The reverse depicts the Statue of Liberty.

The 1¢ Washington stamp shows a portrait of George Washington. It was issued on August 26, 1954, as part of the Liberty issue. It has been out-of-issue and not available from post offices for more than half a century.

The final piece of this collection is a stunning $1 Silver Certificate bank note that features a portrait of George Washington. The last $1 Silver Certificate was issued in the Series of 1957, so this Silver Certificate is now about 50 years old. Silver Certificates circulated along with other types of paper currency such as U.S. Notes and Federal Reserve Notes. They feature a blue Treasury seal and blue serial numbers on the front. Each $1 Silver Certificate was backed by $1 in actual silver in the U.S. Treasury, and the bearer of the note was allowed, by law, to exchange it on demand at the Treasury for the $1 in silver.