U.S. Capitol Bicentennial Silver Dollar

The U.S. Capitol Bicentennial Silver Dollar is a 1994 United States commemorative coin issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. It is a modern commemorative, meaning it was sold directly to collectors by the U.S. Mint rather than released into everyday circulation, and it carries a nominal one-dollar face value.

The obverse depicts the domed U.S. Capitol crowned by the Statue of Freedom, ringed by stars, with the inscriptions LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and BICENTENNIAL OF THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL. The reverse shows a heraldic American bald eagle with a shield, grasping symbols of the nation, and the legends UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ONE DOLLAR, and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The coin is struck in 90% silver at the traditional silver-dollar size.

Congress authorized this coin to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States Capitol, whose cornerstone was laid by President George Washington in 1793. Proceeds from a surcharge added to each coin's price were directed to the U.S. Capitol Preservation Commission to support the building's care and related projects. As a single-year issue, the coin was offered only during 1994.

The program followed the standard 1990s pattern for modern commemoratives: the Mint produced both a proof version, with mirror-like fields and frosted devices, and an uncirculated (business-strike) version. Coins were sold individually and in sets, each accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and Mint packaging. Authorized production was capped well below a million pieces, and actual sales fell short of the maximum, as was typical for the era's commemoratives.

Identify the coin by its two designs and legends. The obverse centers on the Capitol dome with the Statue of Freedom on top, surrounded by stars, with LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST and the encircling phrase naming the Capitol bicentennial; the date 1994 appears on this side. The reverse carries a shielded eagle with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ONE DOLLAR, and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Specifications match the classic U.S. silver dollar format: 90% silver / 10% copper, about 26.73 g, roughly 38.1 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. A small mint mark appears on the obverse; the collector uncirculated strike typically shows a D (Denver) and the proof strike an S (San Francisco). Proofs have deeply reflective fields, while uncirculated pieces have a satiny, non-mirror finish.

As a 90% silver coin, each piece contains roughly three-quarters of a troy ounce of silver, so its baseline worth tracks the silver market. Common examples in original Mint packaging generally trade at a modest premium over that melt value, with proofs and uncirculated coins in the same broad price band for most dates of this type.

Because both versions were made in the tens to low hundreds of thousands rather than in rare numbers, prices stay accessible; typical retail figures for intact, certified-authentic coins sit in the low tens of dollars, moving up and down with silver. Top-grade certified examples (graded by services such as PCGS or NGC) and complete original sets can bring more. Treat any single figure as a range, and confirm against current silver pricing and recent sales.