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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
On the eve of Memorial Day, the U.S. Mint is remembering America's fighting men and women.
Wednesday in Philadelphia, Mint director Henrietta Holsman Fore led the ceremonial first strike of a new series of commemorative coin: a silver dollar honoring the U.S. Marine Corps. The piece will be minted at the Philadelphia facility, and is scheduled for release this summer.
The front of the coin features an engraving modeled on Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's picture of Marines raising the U.S. flag during the battle of Iwo Jima. That famous image is also the subject of a sculpture by Felix de Weldon, which honors fallen Marines at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
The back side of the coin bears the Marine Corps insignia and the words "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful), the Corps motto. (Click here to see the design.)
"The coin design is simple and heroic," said Fore in a statement. "The Iwo Jima image is the storied symbol of the Marine Corps' heroism, courage, strength and versatility. It exemplifies Semper Fidelis to an appreciative nation every day around the world."
Congress authorizes the minting of two commemorative coins annually, produced by the U.S. Mint.
The Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Silver Dollar is the second such coin to be produced in 2005. The first was a silver dollar honoring early Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.
The pieces are intended as collectible keepsakes, as compared to actual money in circulation. As such, they cost more than their face value. The Marshall dollar, for example, retails for about $35.
The price of the new Marines coin was not announced, but profits from the sale of each dollar will help pay for the creation of a National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia.
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When is a quarter worth $1,000? Click here for story.
New gold coin to make a mint. To read more, click here.
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