Cycle of Coal: Pink Slip Coin

Minted in 2014, the second coin in our series represents The Cycle of Coal that for years West Virginia miners have endured. The thirty five stars represent the 35th state and the Pink Slip represents the instability associated with the coal industry.The reverse is symbolic of a modern day company store with a scrip facsimile that was a frequent method of pay to miners in early years.

This set of fine silver coins commemorating our state is the gift for silver and state lovers alike. Each coin in the series is one Troy ounce of .999 fine silver.  Buy the Set - Heritage Coin Collection

The first coin minted, WV Sesquicentennial, celebrates the state turning 150 years old. It is embellished with images symbolic of our great state, as well as hopeful images for the state's future. On the obverse, Lady West Virginia spreads joy across the landscape, with optimistic rays bursting from the sunrise in the background. Thirty-five stars on the edge of the coin encompass her, representing WV being the 35th state admitted to the Union. On the reverse, the coin is adorned with majestic mountains, the black bear, the rhododendron, Bernard Coffindaffer's three crosses, the phrase Wild and Wonderful, and the state motto Montani Semper Liberi, meaning "Mountaineers are always free." This coin was minted in 2013, with only 1,863 made, denoting the year WV became a state, 1863.

The Cycle of Coal: Pink Slip, the second coin in the series, insightfully exposes the reality of the plight of WV coal miners throughout history, their dilemma of being frequently laid off and underappreciated. On the obverse of the coin, the distraught coal miner holds his pink slip in the forefront, outside a mine marked Closed. His lunch pail rests beside him. The coin's reverse cleverly depicts scrip, the initial method of payment for the miners, this "scrip" being a modern day facsimile of our own company.

The third in the series, Honoring Anna Jarvis: Founder of Mother's Day, pays tribute to WV native Anna Jarvis, who is responsible for founding the national holiday Mother's Day. The obverse has a beautiful image of a Pioneer-era mother embracing her child, her confident, protective gaze conveying abiding motherly love as her child clings to her. The year 1908 signifies the first Mother's Day held in our state, long before it was celebrated nationwide. The reverse is cut from the same die as WV Sesquicentennial, the first coin, due to its popularity.

Further specifications for each coin: Size: 39 mm; thickness: 2.9 mm; strike: proof.

Only 50 sets available.