Same Old, Same Old

[Mokiechan]

How can we redesign our coins in a way that makes them a true ambassador to the World.

 

I was laying in bed last night, unable to sleep, because I could not get the idea of coin design change out of my mind. To say I am tired of our Presidents is probably too mild. In fact, I just wish all those Presidents would just go away to be replaced by a whole set of new historical figures to truly represent the greatness of our Nation.

 

The Sacagawea Dollar is a prime example of this concept. We have a American Indian Woman, a reportedly brave and intelligent woman, who helped guide Lewis and Clark on their momentous journey of discovery (and even birthed a Baby while doing all this). That is a historical figure who truly represents, even if her story is partly myth, the greatness of America.

 

So here goes, my replacements for the Presidents:

 

Lincoln Cent - Let's keep Lincoln on the Cent as he truly rose to the occasion during the most critical time of our Republic and should be honored by all Americans as long as we exist.

 

Jefferson Nickel - Let's show our respects to the international community by honoring Lafayette for his contributions to the American Revolution.

 

Roosevelt Dime - Let's keep with the Polio them by honoring Dr. Jonas Salk for taking those marching dimes and turning them into a vaccine that positively impacted millions of Americans.

 

Washington Quarter - Let's pay homage to the great American writers and honor Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). His writing captured the our spirit our rural lives and our profound sense of adventure during our during those formative years before we became a world power.

 

Kennedy Half - Let's save this coin for another World War II hero, General Douglas MacArthur. He said to the Philippine people during the darkest hours of World War II that "I Shall Return" and he did. Showing the World that American's live up to their promises.

 

Just stirring the pot. Happy Collecting Everyone.

 

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[Thane]

Great ideas! I could live with all of your ideas.

 

My problem with any change in design is usually with the reverse, so I've got suggestions there on your coinage suggestions.

 

CENT: Lincoln obverse. Change design to one based on the seated statue inside the Lincoln Memorial. On the reverse, each year highlight a different historical event from during his presidency, and not necessarily well-known. Do this in perpetuum ... I would start with the execution of 38 Mankato Sioux in 1862 (wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_War_of_1862 I'm sure there are better references out there!) ... what a rich and mostly unknown history lies there! Starving Sioux, broken treaties, honorable and dishonorable war, revenge, mass pardon and yet mass execution, political calculus in honoring the Sioux and appeasing the settlers, etc. etc.

 

NICKEL: Curious idea to honor Lafayette for French involvement in the American Revolution. We're friends with the British now, eh? Normally it's only in bad taste to honor your own war heroes against now-friends ... And what was France's primary motivation? Money? Trans-Atlantic trade domination? But I'll roll with ya. REVERSE: Honor L'Enfant for planning out Washington, D.C. How? Maybe a design including both the Washington Monument and L'Arc de Triomphe??? Help???

 

DIME: Salk on the obverse; "polio vaccine", a needle, and the CDC on the reverse.

 

QUARTER: How about we eliminate the penny and put Lincoln on the quarter?

 

HALF: This coin no longer exists in circulation (banks only order boxes when collectors ask, the armored trucks don't dump boxes unasked either, unlike golden dollars). So what's it matter? MacArthur was basically fired for insubordination, by the way ... In keeping with the themes of ambivalence and controversial heroes, how about OBVERSE: Robert Oppenheimer and a mushroom cloud. REVERSE: Cold War with opposing maps of USSR and USA and ICBMs pointed either direction. There must be some motto out there (7 words or less) about "Achieving Peace Through the Fear of Mutual Destruction" ... I'm partway serious ...

 

DOLLAR: Unfortunately, we're stuck with the prezzies. Once you make Andrew Johnsons, the bar has already been set ... When they're done, go back to Sac's. We can blow ourselves to smithereens in war, cook our world to death in energy consumption ... but we won't be here in eighty years without women, children and nature.

 

FIVE DOLLAR COIN: Hopefully, after hyperinflation sets in and before we go to an all-electronic-money society, we'll see a $5 coin getting used more than $5 bills. How about Rockefeller for the obverse and the railroad for the reverse?

 

 

[Mokiechan]

Thane,

Thanks for the input, I was hoping to stimulate some debate or ideas and you had done that in spades. Maybe even Martin Luther King on the Half since he was also assassinated in 1964. The reverse could say 'I have a Dream" superimposed over

the reflecting pool.

 

 

[9sec93lx-migration]

I'm all for a redesign of our circulating coins too. But where my real passion lies is with our bullion coins, more specifically the SAE. While I truly love the coin, after 25+ years enough is enough. How about changing the design once in awhile. The obverse is beautiful, but I never really liked the eagle on the reverse. I much prefer the more realistic eagle from the Walking Liberty coin that gave it's obverse to the SAE, another artistic masterpiece.

Countries like Canada, Australia and China change their designs yearly. How about keeping the SAE obverse and changing the reverse to something different on a yearly basis, like our platinum coins, Sacagawea's or others already mentioned. Is a little creativity too much to ask. Let's let some of our home-spun artist's have a chance for a moment in the sun. Just my .02 worth.