The obverse depicts the historic Liberty Flag mounted on a vertical staff. The flag displays an arm holding a drawn sword, with droplets falling from the blade, symbolizing sacrifice and the willingness to fight for independence. Surrounding the design is the inscription “1st FLAG OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE,” with the commemorative dates “1836 – 1986” below. The imagery references early revolutionary banners used during the Texas struggle for independence from Mexico.
The reverse carries a circular legend reading “.999 FINE SILVER” and “ONE TROY OUNCE.” Centered within a recessed matte inner field appears the date “1985” or "1986" above a silhouette outline of the State of Texas. The polished outer ring contrasts with the textured interior field, emphasizing the raised lettering and central devices.
1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round Overview
The 1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round, part of the Texas 150th Anniversary Collection, is a 1 oz .999 fine silver commemorative marking the 150th anniversary of Texas independence. The obverse depicts a flag mounted on a vertical staff, bearing an arm holding a drawn sword with droplets falling from the blade, encircled by the inscription “1st FLAG OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE” and the commemorative dates “1836 – 1986.” The reverse carries a Texas-silhouette device within a “.999 FINE SILVER · ONE TROY OUNCE” legend, struck in two separate dated variants — “1985” and “1986.”
1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round Attribution
Mint is attributed to World Wide Mint (Bloomington, MN) on the basis of reverse-die linkage shared across the full Texas 150th Anniversary Collection; see the mint page for the underlying reasoning. Distributor is John Grayson (San Benito / Harlingen, TX), confirmed through period Coin World and Texas Monthly advertisements and corroborated by a firsthand account naming Grayson as a wholesale source supplying multiple area dealers; see the collection page for full sourcing.
1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round Historical Significance
The obverse legend “1st FLAG OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE,” paired with the bloody-arm-and-sword device, identifies this design with the flag raised by Philip Dimmitt at Goliad on December 20, 1835 — commonly called Dimmitt’s Flag or the Goliad Flag. That date marks the Goliad Declaration of Independence, in which a group of Texian settlers at the Presidio La Bahía declared independence from Mexico more than three months before the formal Texas Declaration of Independence was adopted at Washington-on-the-Brazos in March 1836. The flag’s severed arm clutching a bare sword was a deliberately militant image, signaling that the settlers intended to win independence by force rather than through negotiation or petition.
Though less famous today than the Alamo or San Jacinto, the Goliad Declaration represents one of the earliest organized breaks from Mexican authority during the Texas Revolution, and its flag’s claim to being the “first” flag of Texas independence rests on that priority in time — a distinct historical thread from the mission itself, which is depicted separately on the 1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round in this same collection.
1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round Notes
- Two struck date variants exist: “1985” and “1986” on the reverse, reflecting the original and reissue years noted in the period sales brochure for the full 8-coin set
- Not to be confused with the separate 1985-86 Goliad Texas Silver Round in this collection, which depicts the Goliad mission building rather than the Dimmitt flag associated with the Goliad Declaration
- See the Texas 150th Anniversary Collection page for the complete set, pricing, and distributor background
1985-86 Texas Liberty Flag Silver Round References
- World Wide Mint (Bloomington, MN), The Texas Stacker
- John Grayson (San Benito / Harlingen, TX), The Texas Stacker
- Texas 150th Anniversary Collection (1985–1986), The Texas Stacker
- Texas Stacker Archives
