Social reform movements and numismatics

[Nutmeg Coin]

I was wondering how all the post Civil War social reform movements affected our coinage and currency? In the war's aftermath "the Salvation Army", suffrage and abstemious societies proliferated. Anthony Comstock was a significant personality who was given a commission by the usps to seize and interdict any vice-oriented literature or activity. Bare breasts on coinage and currency were short-lived for the cause of modesty and idyllic designs. Compared to contemporary numismatics in other countries, why was US coinage and currency more diverse and creative?

[DaveG]

I don't know if social reform movements had any effect on coinage and currency, but one reason the US had such diversity in our 19th century currency was that we had so many types of currency (United States Notes, National Bank Notes, Gold Certificates, Silver Certificates, Coin Notes).

 

Countries like France and England only had one kind of currency (at least the Brits did after they prohibited their country banks from issuing currency; and not counting Scotland).