2021-P Christa McAuliffe Silver Dollar Commemorative NGC MS69 Early Releases

Silver Commemorative Celebrates Life & Dreams of America’s First Teacher In Space

January 28, 1986 dawned to sun and frigid temperatures. Even at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the temperature was in the 20s. Despite an abundant supply of icicles, the launch of the space shuttle Challenger went off as planned. But at 11:39 am Eastern Time, just 73 seconds after lift-off, the spacecraft exploded, killing all seven crew members. The most famous of those crew members was Christa McAuliffe, a 37-year-old teacher from Concord, New Hampshire who was going to lead several lessons from space. Now, 35 years after that tragic disaster, the United States Mint is releasing a commemorative silver dollar that reaffirms McAuliffe’s commitment to education and the future.

One-Year-Only Commemorative Design

Struck in 26.73 grams of highly pure 99.9% fine silver, this one-year-only 35th Anniversary release shows a stirring profile of McAuliffe on the obverse. The coin’s reverse shows a smaller image of McAuliffe depicted with a group of students pointing towards the stars in a symbolic of gesture of the future. The words, “I TOUCH THE FUTURE” and “I TEACH” are engraved across the top edge of the coin. To the left of McAuliffe is the logo for FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science and Technology) along with seven stars representing each crew member killed in the explosion.

A Disaster Witnessed by Millions

Millions of American schoolchildren witnessed the disaster thanks to a special NASA satellite feed that was televising what would have been Christa McAuliffe becoming the first American teacher in space. It is believed that below-freezing temperatures negatively impacted the integrity of the rockets’ O-rings. This resulted in a structural failure when pressurized burning gas from the solid rocket motor reached the external fuel tank, which then disintegrated, ripping apart Challenger in the resulting explosion. Today more than 40 schools around the world are named after Christa McAuliffe.

High-Grade, Early Releases Certification

Each 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar available in this offer was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and comes graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) in near-perfect Mint State-69 (MS69) condition, a distinction that means these almost-flawless coins showcase impressive full strikes and indistinguishable imperfections — well above and beyond the quality of the vast majority of coins in the series. In addition, NGC has certified that these Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollars are Early Releases (ER) coins, a designation that means they were received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository within the first 30 days of their release.

Strong Demand is Anticipated

The Mint is releasing a combination of 350,000 proof and uncirculated versions of this coin. A strong demand is expected due to collectors, silver stackers, NASA enthusiasts, and teachers & student who vividly recall the disaster. This is an incredible one-year-only commemorative that pays tribute to a real-life American hero. Celebrate the life and dreams of Christa McAuliffe by making this silver coin a part of your collection today!

COIN HIGHLIGHTS:

• TRIBUTE TO FIRST TEACHER IN SPACE – This commemorative dollar pays tribute to Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, who was killed with the entire crew in the space shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Her portrait appears on the obverse while the reverse design shows her symbolically pointing towards the future.
• STRUCK IN HIGHLY PURE SILVER – Each 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar was struck by the Philadelphia Mint in 26.73 grams of highly pure 99.9% fine silver and measures 38.1 mm in diameter.
• UNITED STATES LEGAL TENDER – These 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollars are $1 legal tender in the United States.
• NEAR-PERFECT UNCIRCULATED CONDITION – Your 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar has been graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) in near-perfect Mint State-69 (MS69) condition.
• KEY EARLY RELEASES CERTIFICATION – NGC has certified your Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar is an Early Releases (ER) coin, meaning that it was among the first struck by the mint and was verified within the first 30 days of issue.
• LIMITED MINTAGE RELEASE – The U.S. Mint set the edition limit for the 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar to a combination of 350,000 proof and uncirculated coins.

Pay tribute to the 35th anniversary of the first teacher in space with the 2021-P Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar. Don’t wait, get yours now!