Possible origin of the Washington quarter.

[RWB]

Washington quarter fans might find this of interest ---

 

February 25, 1930

TO: Mr. [Ogden] Mills

 

Attached is a copy of H.R. 10203 to authorize the coinage of [three hundred thousand] $3 gold pieces in commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of George Washington. This is probably the beginning of bills for this celebration. Our usual argument against such coinage could hardly apply very forcibly against a coin for this occasion, and Miss O’Reilly suggests that the Department take the initiative in the matter and recommend to Congress the enactment of legislation which would authorize the coinage of a George Washington 25¢ piece. We have a Lincoln penny, and a George Washington quarter no doubt would be a popular move.

 

[A $2.50 gold coin was soon proposed in H.R. 9894 and S. 3219. Source: NARA RG 56, entry 191 box 032]

 

[CaptHenway]

And so the descent into dead Presidents on our coin reached the tipping point......

[KeyMan64]

$3 Gold Washington proposal....very interesting.

[BillJones]

$3 Gold Washington proposal....very interesting.

 

Interesting, but not very practical. The country was headed toward the depths of The Great Depression, and few people could have afforded paying more than $3 for a commemorative coin, let alone setting $3 aside in a collection. Add to that attitude that President Herbert Hoover and his is secretary of the treasury, Andrew Mellon, had toward commemorative coins, you had a bill that was "dead on arrival."

 

But yes, the Three Dollar Gold Piece was large enough to accommodate a creditable design, unlike the tiny gold dollars the mint had issued earlier. In that sense it was a decent idea, but given the state of the economy, not a good idea.

 

[DWLange]

Mary O'Reilly knew more about the operations of the Mint than anyone else on staff at the time, and it's likely she was aware of how much the engraving and coining departments disliked the SLQ then in production. Its dies wore out quickly and were a source of much extra work, so she may have tried to steer Congress toward retiring that design.

 

Smart lady...

[BillJones]

Yes, if Herman MacNeil had left his Standing Liberty Quarter alone instead of turning it into a war propaganda design it would have been a much better series. The 1917 Type I Quarter struck up pretty well, at least at the Philadelphia Mint, and the mint system probably would have been able to fix it elsewhere. But MacNeil needed Ms. Liberty to armed with chainmail and a shield with too many rivets to help "beat the Hum."

[johnny9434]

Mary O'Reilly knew more about the operations of the Mint than anyone else on staff at the time, and it's likely she was aware of how much the engraving and coining departments disliked the SLQ then in production. Its dies wore out quickly and were a source of much extra work, so she may have tried to steer Congress toward retiring that design.

 

Smart lady...

yes, behind every good man is a smart woman

[WoodenJefferson]

And...according to a recent poster who shall remain nameless, all of the secret Mason symbols incorporated into the Washington quarter design.

[RWB]

[Those who want to know more about O'Reilly and other "pioneering" women at the mint, go to Wizard Coin Supply's site and look for the Journal of Numismatic Research issue about the "Women Who Ran the Mint."

[cpm9ball]

And...according to a recent poster who shall remain nameless, all of the secret Mason symbols incorporated into the Washington quarter design.

 

It doesn't matter! Not many will remember his name one month from now.

 

Chris

[CaptHenway]

A George Washington $2 bill would have made perfect sense, using the 200 years/200 cents principle that seems to have been employed with the 1976 $2 bill. They would just have needed to use a design noticeably different than the $1 bill.

[RWB]

Well, I think the hanging bat on the reverse is different!