The 2002 West Point Bicentennial Silver Dollars were one of two commemorative silver coins issued by the U.S. Mint that year, marking the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
These silver dollars, struck in both proof and uncirculated versions, were made from 90% silver with a diameter of 1.5 inches. A maximum of 500,000 coins were authorized for release under the United States Military Academy Bicentennial Commemorative Coins Act (Public Law 103-328).
West Point was originally founded as a fort during the American Revolutionary War, with General George Washington recognizing its strategic importance. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed the law that transformed it into a military academy. Since then, it has produced some of the most notable figures in American military history, such as Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Douglas MacArthur. The academy remains operational today, and interestingly, the coins were struck at the West Point Mint facility itself.
The obverse of the silver dollar features a design of a cadet color guard in parade, with the Military Academy’s Washington Hall and Cadet Chapel in the background. This design, created by United States Mint sculptor-engraver James Ferrell, also includes the inscriptions “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “1802,” and “2002.”
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On the reverse side, the coin displays the West Point Bicentennial logo, designed by United States Mint sculptor-engraver John Mercanti, along with the inscriptions “1802,” “WEST POINT,” “2002,” “BICENTENNIAL,” “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “ONE DOLLAR.”
Proceeds from the sale of these coins, through surcharges, were donated to the West Point Association of Graduates, supporting the academic, military, physical, moral, and ethical development programs for the Corps of Cadets.
