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MLK Coin
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Front: “You Don't Have to See the Whole Staircase · Just Take the First Step” · “Martin Luther King Jr.” · 1929 · 1968
Back: “If You Can't Fly, Then Run. If You Can't Run, Then Walk. If You Can't Walk, Then Crawl. But Whatever You Do, Keep Moving Forward.”
At a glance
- Theme: faith to take the first step and keep moving
- Good for: a hard start, a long recovery, a goal that feels too big
- Gift for: a graduate, a teacher, a pastor, a leader, someone rebuilding after a setback
- Finishes: Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
- Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA
The meaning
You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. It is one of the best known lines tied to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who asked a whole country to move toward something it could not yet see.
The back comes from a speech he gave to students: if you can't fly, then run; if you can't run, then walk; if you can't walk, then crawl; but whatever you do, keep moving forward. Speed doesn't matter. Direction does.
The design
The front shows a portrait of Dr. King with his name and his dates, 1929 to 1968, and You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step around the edge. The back carries the full keep moving forward passage, set in a ring of stars and rays.
On good days and hard days
- On good days, it reminds you to take the next step, even when you can't see where the staircase ends.
- On hard days, when progress is slow, it reminds you that crawling still counts. Whatever you do, keep moving forward.
Carry it
Keep it in your pocket during a long recovery, a first year in a new job or a goal that will take years. When you can't see the end, it reminds you of the next step.
Give it
It is a meaningful gift for a graduate, a teacher, a pastor or a community leader, and for anyone rebuilding after a hard season. It also fits Black History Month and MLK Day.
Specs
- Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm), about the size of a silver dollar
- Thickness: 2.7 mm
- Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
- Material: brass alloy (Antique Bronze) or solid copper (Antique Copper)
- Made: die struck, minted in the USA
- Each coin is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two coins look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make your coin one of a kind.
Questions
What does “just take the first step” mean?
It means you don't need to see the whole path before you begin. Faith and courage come from starting, and the rest of the staircase appears as you climb.
Is it a good graduation gift?
Yes. The message fits anyone at the bottom of a new staircase: a graduate, a new teacher, a first job.
Other coins honoring great leaders
- Abraham Lincoln Coin: I am a slow walker, but I never walk back
- Theodore Roosevelt Coin: do what you can, with what you have, where you are
- Winston Churchill Coin: it is the courage to continue that counts
- Alexander the Great Coin: there is nothing impossible to him who will try
- Marcus Aurelius Coin: your life is what your thoughts make it
Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.
Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.