1990 1 Oz California Crown Mint Columbia Shuttle Round BU

In 1990, California Crown Mint created a silver round commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Columbia Shuttle's first manned space flight in April of 1981. Intriguingly, the obverse is a replica of a round minted in 1981. However, that round is paired with a reverse typically found on the 1981 US Assay Office rounds issued by Continental Coin. This raises the possibility that California Crown Mint may have minted the Continental Coin rounds from 1981. The mintage for the 10th Anniversary round is unknown, but the round is quite rare.

Obverse: The obverse features the Columbia space shuttle in flight. An image of the shuttle taking off is shown on the left, with busts of the astronauts Bob Crippen and John Young depicted at the lower right. Their names are engraved in the smoke created by the shuttle's take-off. An upper inscription reads "U.S. SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA", while the weight and composition of ".999 F.S. 1 TROY OZ 31.1 GRAMS" is inscribed to the right. Text describing the events surrounds the central images and reads "LAUNCHED FROM CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA • APRIL 12, 1981 • PERFECT LANDING AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. • APRIL 14, 1981 • 54 1/2 HOURS • 36 ORBITS • 150 MILES IN SPACE". The CCM mint mark "CM©90" is located at the bottom. 

Reverse: The reverse design features the heraldic eagle with a shield, an olive branch in the right talon, and arrows in the left, all echoing the Great Seal of the United States. The eagle holds a banner in its beak, which is inscribed "E PLURIBUS UNUM". Above the eagle are thirteen five-pointed stars representing the Thirteen Colonies, surrounded by 19 puffy clouds. The design is similar to the Great Seal reverses found on AMC rounds (e.g., AMC Harley-Davidson round), but there are distinct differences. The distinctions are evident in the lines pointing to the stars, the shape and detail of the feathers on the arrows, and the number of leaves and the presence of berries on the left-hand branch. Text on the left reads "FIRST MANNED SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION", while the dates "1981 1991" are found on the right. The phrase "10TH ANNIVERSARY" is inscribed at the bottom. The CCM mint mark "CM©90" is located at the bottom.