U.S. Mint offering first Braille coin

WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Mint says it is accepting orders for its 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, the Mint's first coin with readable Braille.

The Mint said in a release it is accepting orders for the new coin, which was created to honor the 200th birthday of Louis Braille, who created the tactile writing system readable by the blind, CNN said.

Sales of the coin will result in surcharges for the National Federation of the Blind to aid the U.S. organization in its various Braille literacy efforts, the Mint added.

A portrait of Braille, who was born in 1809, is featured on the coin's "heads" side along with his name and inscriptions such as "Liberty" and "In God We Trust."

CNN said the coin's "tails" side features a picture of a child reading a Braille book and includes the inscriptions "United States of America," "One Dollar" and "E Pluribus Unum."