At Ground Zero, a 9/11 Family Met the U.S. Mint Director. Three Days Later, a Coin Followed
CoinWeek Exclusive | Twenty-five years after losing an FDNY firefighter at the World Trade Center, one family’s encounter with U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis gave a new American coin an extraordinary personal history.
On September 11, 2026, Daniel Sassa stood at the World Trade Center site, remembering a family member whose life ended there 25 years earlier.
The man was a New York City firefighter. He was among the 343 members of the FDNY who died on September 11, 2001.
For Sassa and his family, the anniversary was deeply personal. The passing years had not diminished their loved one’s sacrifice or the place he continued to hold in their lives.
Yet amid the solemn 25th-anniversary ceremonies, an unexpected encounter would create a remarkable connection between their family, the United States Mint, and a newly issued American half dollar.
Sassa met Paul Hollis, the 41st Director of the United States Mint at the Ceremony. On this encounter Sassa remarked, “Meeting Director Hollis on such a somber day was a profound honor. During our conversation, I made sure to thank him personally for the Enduring Liberty Series and for the deliberate choices he made to honor and remember the lives of everyone we lost that day. It was a moment I won’t forget.”
The meeting itself was brief in the larger context of the day’s remembrance. However, according to Sassa, Hollis contacted him again later that evening.
Three days later, the Director personally mailed him a special 1776–2026-W Enduring Liberty Half Dollar. Struck at the West Point Mint, the coin carried a distinctive September 11 privy mark , ALWAYS REMEMBER. Those two words spoke directly to the family’s loss.
What began as a personal gesture would become an unusual chapter in modern American numismatic history.
When a Coin Becomes More Than a Coin
The United States Mint has commemorated countless people, places, and events throughout its history. Presidential portraits, national anniversaries, military service, and historic achievements all appear on American coinage.
However, the story behind Sassa’s half dollar is different.
This coin commemorates an event that profoundly changed the nation. More importantly, it reached someone whose family endured that tragedy firsthand.
In correspondence with CoinWeek on October 20 and 21, Sassa shared the history of the presentation and the coin’s subsequent certification.
His family has requested privacy concerning their loved one’s identity. CoinWeek is honoring that request.
The firefighter’s name is not necessary to understand the significance of his service. Nor does his sacrifice require a public identification to give this story meaning.
Instead, the family’s experience offers a personal connection to a coin created for national remembrance.
And the circumstances surrounding its presentation provide a provenance that collectors rarely encounter on modern circulating coinage. To our knowledge this may be the first time a sitting U.S. Mint Director has ever presented a coin directly to an average, everyday citizen.
Paul Hollis and a Personal Gesture of Remembrance
Paul Hollis became the 41st Director of the United States Mint on January 5, 2026.
Unlike many government officials, Hollis arrived at the position with more than three decades of professional numismatic experience. A lifelong collector, author, and former Louisiana state legislator, he understood the importance of preserving history through coins long before becoming Mint Director.
That background adds another dimension to his encounter with Sassa.
When the Mint created its special September 11 Enduring Liberty Half Dollars, Hollis helped communicate their purpose to the American public.
In announcing the West Point issue, Hollis observed that the events of September 11 had transformed ordinary actions into extraordinary acts.
Those words resonate with the story of the 343 FDNY firefighters who died that day.
They were public servants performing their duties under unimaginable circumstances. Their courage became part of the nation’s history, while their families continued to live with the loss.
According to Sassa, Hollis later discussed the family’s encounter on social media on October 10, emphasizing its personal significance.
However, the most lasting expression of that encounter may be the coin he sent.
The gesture connected the director of the institution responsible for producing America’s coinage with a family whose sacrifice formed part of the history the coin sought to preserve.
September 14, 2026: Two Stories Converge
The date on which Sassa says Hollis mailed the half dollar carries an additional numismatic connection.
On September 14, 2026, the United States Mint announced that it had shipped 250,000 special Enduring Liberty Half Dollars to Federal Reserve Banks for distribution into circulation.
The West Point Mint struck these coins with a W mintmark and a distinctive privy containing the date 9-11-01, surrounded by ALWAYS REMEMBER.
The coins would enter circulation randomly, creating an opportunity for Americans to discover one in everyday transactions.
However, the Mint had already made an earlier presentation with special meaning.
On August 21, it presented 2,983 West Point Enduring Liberty Half Dollars to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The precise quantity was no coincidence.
The Memorial preserves the names of 2,977 people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and six people killed in the February 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Together, those losses total 2,983 lives.
The Mint’s presentation recognized each of those individuals.
Sassa’s half dollar, however, followed a different path. According to his account, he received it directly from Director Hollis rather than through the Memorial’s allocation.
That distinction gives the piece its individual story.
The coin belongs to the same West Point issue honoring the victims. Yet its documented history, once fully verified, would connect it directly to a Mint Director’s personal tribute to an FDNY family.
An NGC Holder Preserves the Story
Sassa also recognized the importance of documenting the coin’s history.
According to his correspondence, Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) certified the piece on September 28, 2026, assigning it a grade of MS 67.
The coin reportedly resides in an NGC holder with the America250 U.S. Flag label and a custom pedigree identifying its connection to Director Hollis and the World Trade Center’s 25th-anniversary remembrance.
The pedigree includes the wording:
- Pres. By Mint Dir. Hollis
- WTC 9/11 25th Anniversary
- NGC certification number: 8915854-001
The grade recognizes the coin’s high Mint State condition. However, the grade alone does not explain why this example deserves attention.
Its importance rests on the circumstances surrounding its presentation.
Collectors have long understood the value of provenance. An ownership trail can connect an ancient coin to a historic collection, an early American rarity to a famous collector, or a modern issue to an important event.
In this case, the connection is particularly direct.
Sassa’s coin links a 2026 United States Mint issue to a family that lost a firefighter on September 11, 2001, and to a personal gesture by the sitting Mint Director during the tragedy’s 25th anniversary.
That is the history the family hopes to preserve.
Lady Liberty Returns to the Half Dollar
The coin’s underlying design carries its own historic importance.
For 2026, the United States Mint replaced the familiar Kennedy Half Dollar design with a special one-year Enduring Liberty design celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
The Obverse – Lady Liberty had last appeared on the circulating half dollar in 1947, the final year of Adolph A. Weinman’s Walking Liberty series.
The Franklin Half Dollar followed in 1948. The Kennedy Half Dollar arrived in 1964.
Consequently, Liberty’s return in 2026 marked a major change in American circulating coinage.
Artist Donna Weaver designed the new obverse, while Mint Medallic Artist John P. McGraw sculpted it.
Rather than depict Liberty as a full standing figure, the design focuses closely on the Statue of Liberty’s face. Her eyes look forward, beyond the viewer.
The obverse carries the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the dual date 1776 ~ 2026.
For the special West Point September 11 issue, the ALWAYS REMEMBER privy adds a second historic date to Liberty’s portrait.
The reverse carries an equally meaningful message.
Designed by Beth Zaiken and sculpted by Darla Jackson, it depicts a larger hand passing Liberty’s flaming torch to a smaller hand.
The symbolic transfer represents the responsibility of each generation to preserve freedom for the next.
Surrounding the design are the words:
KNOWLEDGE IS THE ONLY GUARDIAN OF TRUE LIBERTY.
The inscription comes from James Madison.
For a nation observing 250 years of independence and 25 years since September 11, the connection is especially appropriate.
The torch passes forward. Liberty looks toward the future. Meanwhile, the privy mark asks future generations to remember the lives and sacrifices of those who came before them.
A Subtle Detail on Liberty’s Portrait
Sassa has also identified a small but intriguing feature on his coin.
While examining photographs taken before encapsulation, he noticed two thin, nearly vertical marks beneath Liberty’s eye. Their placement creates the visual impression of tears descending along her cheek.
The resemblance has particular emotional significance in the context of his family’s history.
However, the cause of the marks remains undetermined.
They could reflect contact marks, another form of surface disturbance, or a characteristic associated with the coin’s manufacture. At present, there is no confirmed basis to classify them as a mint error or die variety.
Until experts examine the piece, the marks remain an observation rather than a discovery.
Even so, the visual coincidence adds an unexpected detail to a coin already connected to a deeply personal story.
The 2026-W Enduring Liberty September 11 Half Dollar — Specifications
- Denomination: Half Dollar (50 cents)
- Date: 1776 ~ 2026
- Mint: West Point Mint, New York
- Mintmark: W
- Design: Enduring Liberty Half Dollar
- Special Privy Mark: 9-11-01 encircled by ALWAYS REMEMBER
- Composition: Copper-nickel clad; 8.33% nickel, balance copper
- Weight: 11.34 grams
- Diameter: 30.61 mm
- Thickness: 2.15 mm
- Edge: Reeded
- Circulation Distribution: 250,000 coins shipped to Federal Reserve Banks
- Memorial Allocation: 2,983 coins presented to the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Obverse Designer: Donna Weaver
- Obverse Sculptor: John P. McGraw
- Reverse Designer: Beth Zaiken
- Reverse Sculptor: Darla Jackson
- Sassa Family Specimen: Reported NGC MS 67, America250 U.S. Flag label, custom presentation pedigree
- NGC Certification: 8915854-001
Two Privy Marks, Two Different Issues
Collectors should also understand an important distinction within the 2026 September 11 program.
The West Point coins carry the inscription ALWAYS REMEMBER.
However, the Mint also created a separate Philadelphia issue for direct sale to collectors. Those P-mint half dollars carry the words NEVER FORGET around the same September 11 date.
The Philadelphia coins entered the Mint’s collector program through rolls and bags. By contrast, the West Point issue included the Memorial presentation and the coins shipped for circulation.
The mintmark and the wording of the privy therefore distinguish these two issues.
CoinWeek previously explored their history in its feature, ‘NEVER FORGET’: U.S. Mint Releases Special 2026 9/11 Enduring Liberty Half Dollar.
Sassa’s coin now adds a personal chapter to that larger national story.
A Promise That Extends Beyond 2026
Twenty-five years have passed since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
For younger Americans, that morning belongs to history books, documentaries, photographs, and the memories of those who experienced it.
For families who lost someone, however, September 11 is also part of their own lives.
The passing years have brought new generations, new milestones, and countless reminders of those who never came home.
That distinction gives the Enduring Liberty Half Dollar much of its emotional force.
The United States Mint intended the September 11 privy to preserve the memory of sacrifice. The design itself asks Americans to pass the torch of liberty and knowledge to another generation.
Yet the coin sent to Daniel Sassa carries another story.
It recalls a meeting at the World Trade Center site, a personal gesture by the Director of the United States Mint, and a firefighter whose service remains important to his family a quarter-century after his death.
Its history cannot be measured by its face value or numerical grade.
And perhaps that is where this story finds its most lasting meaning.
