Saratoga National Historical Park

Saratoga National Historical Park is located in the state of New York, and it is a historical park that commemorates the site of the Battle of Saratoga, the decisive battle that changed the course of the American Revolutionary War. What happened here became a very important turning point in America’s achievement of independence.

On the reverse of the coin is a close-up depiction of John Burgoyne handing his sword to Horatio Gates in surrender (surrendering his sword). By capturing in close-up the moment when the defeated commander hands his sword to his victorious opponent, it symbolically shows the outcome of the battle.

Handing over one’s sword is traditionally a symbolic act signifying surrender. This scene, in which the British commander Burgoyne handed his sword to the American Gates, encapsulates the victory America won at Saratoga. This victory became the occasion that led France to join the war in support of America, changing the whole course of the Revolutionary War.

This battlefield was designated as a nationally protected site on June 1, 1938. This was to preserve the memory, over the long term, of the place where one of the most important victories on the road to independence took place.

This coin from the ‘America the Beautiful’ series lets you encounter, on a small disc, how a single victory could become a turning point that changed the destiny of a nation.