When did Congressmen get involved with coin designs?

[Zoins]

... or have they always decided what designs went on our coins?

 

I know Congress has to authorize coins, but were they always actively involved in choosing the designs? At least lately, Congress seems to be pretty involved with choosing designs and they tend to be influenced by lobbyists. Here are a few things I've noticed recently:

 

(a) The Sac is still going to be made along side the Presidential dollars, however the Washington quarter eagle reverse disappeared when the State quarters came along. Was the Sac kept to satisfy political lobby groups in Washington DC? I imagine the Washington quarter reverse does not have an active lobby to support it.

 

(b) After the Westward Journey series of nickels, the familiar reverse of Monticello was returned. I heard this was primarily due to strong lobbying by the Monticello people who find the coin is a great source of advertising for people to visit the site. I assume they lobbied Congress and not the Treasury or US Mint itself.

 

© The US Mint Premodern Commemorative page says the program was stopped because Congress was concerned about the local nature of and objectionable practices related to issuance of commemoratives. I assume this means we'll never see local or state commemoratives from the US Mint again?

 

Before the Dead President era, were the designs for chosen by Congress or the Treasury/US Mint? If they were always involved with choosing designs, perhaps the change is due to lobbyists?

[Hoot]

The answer to your question (a good question) is very involved. I suggest that you pick up a copy of Don Taxay's U.S. Mint and Coinage and read it carefully. It is the single most worthwhile book in modern U.S. numismatics, so you simply cannot lose.

 

The short answer to your question is that Congress was very involved in choosing designs for the first coinage of this country. They were not as bothered with the details as the current Congress is, but they were quite involved with the coice of the earliest coinage of the Mint and the major effigies that were depicted on the coins. This remained true to a lesser degree through the early changes that John Reich made to coinage, although by then the influence was indirect.

 

Congressmen have always played a role in pressuring the mint to produce certain denominations in various metallic compositions, but the designs were largely left to the Mint and Treasury Department from around the time of Reich and William Kneass to the time of the changes that Roosevelt implemented. Since the early 1900s, Congress has had a progressively central role in implementing the changes in the designs that we see on coins. Now, they thinnk it's their job and not that of the Mint's.

 

Hoot

[Conder101]

I don't believe Congress got involved in the specific designs for the circulating coins until the Washington quarter in 1932. Before that time Congress passed laws that specified designs in very general terms (Wreath on the reverse, representation of Liberty on the obverse, coins larger than ten cents have to have an eagle on the reverse. etc. In some cases they specified which side various inscriptions would appear.) But the actual details of the design was left up to the mint, or the congressional committee on coinage would approve the design(s) created by the mint. At that point they may have added some suggestions.

 

With the Washington quarter I know the obverse was mandated to depict a bust of Washington. In the design competition it was specified that the source of the image should be the bust of washington done by Houdon, but I don't know if that requirement came from Congress or the committee judging the competition. With the Jefferson nickel I do not believe the Congress was involved, nor with the Franklin half. Congress DID get involed somewhat with the Kennedy half but the mint did still have some say in the design selection.

 

The first coin whose design, I believe, was completely set in the legislation that authorized it was the Ike dollar. (Obverse with profile bust of Eisenhower with LIBERTY date and IGWT on Obverse, reverse design based on the Apollo 11 mission emblem with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination.) About the only thing they left open was whether Ike faced left or right. And of course they have been involved to some extent with the designs of the coins since then.

[Oldtrader3]

Wasn't Congress involved with the design of the birth centennial, Lincoln cent in 1909?

[Hoot]

While I agree that Congress did not get involved in the details to the degree that they did in the late 20th Century to date, they were definitely involved in the major designs and their outcomes in the establishment of the first U.S. Mint and coinage. Taxay's U.S. Mint and Coinage has some juicy quotes on pages 57-62 that clearly demonstrate the involvement of Congress in deciding the major devices, legends, and attending inscriptions on the first U.S. coins. One could also clearly argue that post-colonial coinage, particularly the fugio cent, continental dollar, Massachusetts cent, Nova Caesarea, Washington protrait patterns, and Constellatio Nova patterns were all scrutinized and debated by Congress for their worthiness of devices and whether they should become sanctioned coinage of the U.S. Debate also heated up with the introduciton of the idea that each President, in turn, should be depicted on coins. The involvement of the early U.S. Congress in the selection of Liberty and early legends cannot be questioned.

 

Following this earliest period, the involvement was less, and left more to the influence of individual Representatives, Senators and their connections within the walls of the Mint, than to the Congress at large.

 

Hoot

[Zoins]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Don Taxay's U.S. Mint and Coinage is on my list. Seems like it would make for some interesting reading.

[astrostu]

I don't have quite as general a knowledge as the folks who've replied so far, but I can answer some of your specific observations:

 

(a) This was inserted by the representatives from (one of the) Dakotas, who claims Sacagawea as being from their state and believes that - somehow - her removal from a coin will lower tourism. Considering that no one associates Sacagawea with either of the Dakotas, this is one of the lamest pieces of !#@%$ to come out of Dakota since another piece of legislation that got voted down in a referrendum this November.

 

(b) The Virginia senators got it mandated that they return to Monticello because they see it as free advertisment for their state (on both sides of the coin). While this is more reasonable than Dakota's claim, I think it's still stupid -- has anyone really looked at the back of a 5-cent piece and thought, "oh wow, that building looks really cool, I think I'm going to hop on a plane and visit it!"

 

© I don't know about this one.

 

But I think that it's because of the precedent with Lincoln in 1909 that coinage has become more politicized to the point where you have lobbies from any given state demanding it stays because they claim that that particular design or person is from them, and so it's an insult to remove it. However, this point has been discussed before on this forum, so I'll leave it at that.

[RWB]

At various times, members of Congress - mostly the former House Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures - have reviewed proposed designs or insisted on large numbers of samples for "review." Some of the designs, such as the $4 stellas, Metric and Goloid dollars, Metric Double Eagle are well known, others include lesser known 1896 metallurgical tests, 1912 CuNi tests, and 1965 metallurgical tests. During the 1896 tests, members of congress visited the Philadelphia Mint and left with pockets full of experimental cent and five-cent pieces.

 

In the 19th century, the Mint was generally willing to cooperate with Congressional VIPs, and readily ran off proof sets, gold dollars and other goodies.

 

For existing coin denominations, it was only the Sec of Treasury and Mint Director who had to agree on a new or altered design, although Congress was occasionally consulted.

 

Wasteful projects are not termed "pork barrel" for nothing - and there have been quite a few commemorative coins demanded by Congress that have little national merit. Take a look at some of the self-serving commemoratives as mentioned in Dave Bowers’ Coin World column.

[WoodenJefferson]

The United States Mint was created by Congress on April 2, 1792, within the Department of State. The Mint was made an independent agency in 1799, and under the Coinage Act of 1873, became part of the Treasury Department. It was placed under the auspices of the Treasurer of the United States in 1981.

 

This is the only office within the Treasury Department older than the Department itself. It was established on September 6, 1777. The Treasurer was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds.

 

Today, The Treasurer advises the Treasury Secretary and Deputy Secretary on matters relating to coinage, currency and the production of other instruments issued by the United States. Additionally, the Treasurer consults with and advises the Director of the U.S. Mint and the Director of Bureau of Engraving and Printing on matters concerning general coinage and currency policy. In coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education, the Treasurer serves as one of the Department’s principal advisors and spokespersons in the area of financial education. In each of these capacities, the Treasurer represents the department on major media programs and in other public fora. The Treasurer serves as an important surrogate representative of the Treasury on behalf of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary.

 

Got that? About as clear as a cup of mud.

 

Also, the Director of the Mint can change the metal or percentages of different metal contents but in no way can the director alone change the design features.

i.e.: Jefferson nickel in 1942 (to silver) and Lincoln Cent in 1943 (to steel)

[DC Dawg]

Wasn't Congress involved with the design of the birth centennial, Lincoln cent in 1909?

No. That was President Roosevelt's idea. Just like the Saint-Gaudens Eagle and Double Eagles. Roosevlt also was the driving force behind the Bella Lyon Pratt design of the half-eagle.

 

When Victor D. Brenner was sculpting Roosevelt for his innaugural medal, Brenner showed Roosevelt a bronze bust Brenner did of Lincoln. Brenner, an immigrant, was very impressed with Lincoln and what Lincoln did and stood for. Brenner convinced Roosevelt to have a coin designed to honor Lincoln. Roosevelt liked the idea and ordered the Mint the work Brenner.

 

Charles Barber, then the Mint's Chief Engraver, did not like the intrusion on his "turf." But Roosevelt was the president, very persistent, and since it was more than 25 years since the design of the Indian Head Cent, Roosevelt and the Mint did not have to ask for permission from Congress. Roosevelt made the plans to coincide with Lincoln's 100th brithday.

 

The change in other coins were influenced by Roosevelt's ideas for classic US coins and impressed on the Mint to use the law that said that congress has to approve changes if a particular type of coin was minted for less than 25 years. That, along with the death of Charles Barber and the promotion of George Morgan to chief engraver, allowed the Mint to design new coins. The only coin that required specific legislation was the Peace Dollar--but that is another story!

 

I love this stuff!

 

Scott

[RWB]

The Coinage Act of 1891 required Congressional approval for design changes more frequenty than 25 yr, but after that time, the change could be made administratively by the Director and Sec of Treasury. All of the nre designs from 1907-1921 fit into this latter categroy. The Peace dollar required no legislative approval since the coin was authorized in 1878. It was simply another change of design approved by the Mint Director and Sec of Treasury.