Honor World Braille Day with Coins

January 4 is World Braille Day, an annual holiday that honors the globally used form of written language that is read by running fingertips over patterns of raised dots. Louis Braille, who went blind as a child due to an accident, invented this form of communication in 1824.

Originally based on the French alphabet, braille is now interpreted in more than 130 languages and is used worldwide by those with low vision. Braille is encountered in more and more places everyday and can be found on everything from book covers to store signage, and it has also been used in coinage inscriptions.

The first coin minted with raised dots intended as braille was a 1981 Isle of Man one crown commemorative issue honoring the “International Year of Disabled Persons.” The reverse carries a bust of Louis Braille and incorporates braille. This piece ushered in a variety of other coins around the world also sporting braille inscriptions.

However, the first circulating United States coin with braille didn’t come along until 2003, when the Alabama 50 State Quarter depicting author and disability rights activist Helen Keller was released. The braille on this coin reads “HELEN KELLER” and opened the door for future U.S. coinage employing this writing system upon which so many people depend.

In 2009, the United States Mint commemorated the 200th birthday of Louis Braille with a silver dollar. The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Dollar is anchored by an obverse portrait of the pioneering Frenchman and paired with a reverse image of a young child reading a book in braille. Incorporated alongside the reverse design is a readable braille inscription stating “braille” in the coded contraction “Brl.”

While the number of coins struck with braille steadily grows, a collector can work on building a set of coins that include this revolutionary writing system. Such a collection would never be truly complete as more nations issue coins with braille and would serve as a numismatic tribute to the language that has served generations of people around the world.