CoinWeek Giveaway # 642 Sponsored by…1994-W VIETNAM MEMORIAL Silver Dollar PCGS MS70

Few modern U.S. commemorative coins carry the emotional weight of the 1994-W Vietnam Veterans Memorial Silver Dollar. This week’s CoinWeek Giveaway features a perfect PCGS MS70 example of that powerful issue. More importantly, it offers collectors a coin with a story that reaches far beyond silver, grade, or mintage.

This coin does not celebrate conquest. It does not show a battlefield victory or a famous commander. Instead, it shows something quieter and far more personal: a hand reaching out to touch a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

That single image gives the coin its power.

A Coin That Touches the Wall

The obverse, designed by John Mercanti, captures one of the most moving scenes in American memory. A visitor reaches toward the polished black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The names of the fallen stretch across the Wall. In the distance, the Washington Monument rises in silence.

The design works because it feels human. Many Americans who visit the Wall do the same thing. They touch a name. They take a rubbing. They stand quietly. They remember.

That act turns this silver dollar into more than a collectible. It becomes a small memorial that a person can hold.

The Tombstone Coin Tradition

The coin also connects to a new military tradition highlighted in 2009 Social Media posts. The Memorial Day connection goes beyond commemoratives.

According to viral social media posts circulating since roughly 2009, placing specific coin denominations created a modern military custom across American military cemeteries. Visitors often leave coins on headstones as a gesture that tells a family that someone came to remember.

A penny means someone visited the grave and paid respect. A nickel means the visitor went through boot camp or basic training with the veteran. A dime means the visitor served with the veteran in some capacity. A quarter carries the deepest message. It means the visitor was with the service member when they died.

This tradition grew especially meaningful during and after the Vietnam War. The country was deeply divided. Many veterans found it hard to speak openly with grieving families. So, a coin became a silent message. It said, “I was here. I remember.”

That is why the 1994-W Vietnam Veterans Memorial Silver Dollar feels so appropriate for Memorial Day. It links the coin in your hand to the coins left in honor at military gravesites.

Why This Giveaway Coin Matters

This example carries the PCGS MS70 grade. That means it earned the highest Mint State grade possible. For modern commemorative collectors, that matters. A perfect-grade coin offers the best version of the issue. However, the deeper appeal comes from the story.

The reverse shows three medals tied to Vietnam War service. Together with the obverse, the coin honors service, sacrifice, and remembrance. It asks the collector to think not only about history, but also about the people behind the names.

Many commemoratives mark anniversaries. This one does something more. It captures a gesture. It preserves a moment of grief, gratitude, and national memory.

That makes this week’s giveaway special. The winner will receive a beautiful modern commemorative silver dollar. Yet they will also receive a coin that speaks to every penny, nickel, dime, and quarter left behind on a veteran’s grave.

It is a coin about service. It is a coin about remembrance. Above all, it is a coin that says: we have not forgotten.

Read More about US Coins on CoinWeek

Entries into our Contest are accepted from May 23rd until 8 AM on Saturday May 30th, 2026

Links to Entry Forms,  Extra Entry Options and Terms are Below

The CoinWeek Giveaway is open to all US Citizens 18 yrs and older. Just submit your Email Address into the Entry Form – CLICK HERE, and you will recieve One entry into the Giveaway. Good luck and enjoy the contest! Get up to 6 Extra Entries into this week’s Giveaway……. Follow the Links below. NOTE: ALL Entry pages and Options links  OPEN in new windows, so once you have finished your entry, just close the tab and you will return to this Main Giveaway Page to continue selecting additional Entry opportunities !

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To see a list of the Names and states of most of the Past Winners of the CoinWeek Givaway , along with the coins and paper money that has have given away. For over 11 years CoinWeek has held the free coin giveaway weekly, bring new classic and interesting Ancient, World and US Coins and currency to our readers. Click Here to view the list

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