Benjamin Franklin Scientist Silver Dollar (2006)

The 2006 Benjamin Franklin Silver Dollar was issued for the 300th anniversary of the birth of this important figure in American history. Different silver dollar designs were released featuring Benjamin Franklin in his younger years as a scientist and his older years as a statesman and Founding Father.

The obverse of the Benjamin Franklin "Scientist" Silver Dollar features an image of him as a young man flying a kite, representing his experiments with lightning. Inscriptions read "Liberty", "1706 – 2006", "In God We Trust", and "Benjamin Franklin Scientist". The reverse features Franklin’s famous political cartoon featuring a snake cut apart with the caption "Join, or Die". This was intended to communicate that colonial unity was a matter of life and death. Inscriptions above read "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum", and below "One Dollar".

Proof and uncirculated versions were produced at the Philadelphia Mint, as a nod to Franklin’s ties to the city. The uncirculated version of the Scientist coin was included in a Coin & Chronicles Set, which included newly released U.S. postage stamps featuring Franklin and a reproduction of the 1758 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack.

Mintage:

P Uncirculated	P Proof
58,000	142,000

Weight: 26.7300 g
Composition: 90% Silver (0.7736 ounces of silver)
Diameter: 38.1 mm