***Serial number is chosen at random, the picture in this listing is a stock photo.***
The Nevada Limited Early Release Goldback captures the virtue Spes, or Hope, taking flight in a hot-air balloon during the Great Reno Balloon Race, one of Nevada’s most spectacular traditions. What began in 1982 with just twenty balloons has grown into the world’s largest free hot-air balloon event. Every year in the early days of September, families and visitors come together to watch more than a hundred colorful balloons fill the Reno sky.

Spes stands in the basket of the hot-air balloon, gazing outward with a hopeful, serene expression. Flying beside her is Nevada’s state bird, a mountain blue bird. The UV-reactive artwork illuminates the balloon’s colorful pattern, ignites the burner, and reveals more mountain bluebirds soaring nearby.

As a tribute to this remarkable festival, the enduring principle inscribed along the bottom reads: “Hope Rises.”