I'd like to see Teddy Roosevelt on a circulating coin.

My favorite president of the 20th century is TR, hands down.
He did a lot for the country and coin collecting and deserves to be honored on a circulating coin.
I'd have no objection if he took over the dime from FDR, even less objection if he took over the half dollar and the reverse reflected his important contribution to the national parks system.

 

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+100!

 

What? The guy got his face carved into granite that took them 14 years to do at Mount Rushmore, I think that's a fair trade off.

And besides, he did land on one coin that's circulated.



:yes:

 

TR on the quarter and MLK on the dime.

 

That would never happen. Washington is on the quarter because it's a small denomination that is highly used, so being our first president and very important one, he was put on the quarter for that reason, so his mug is seen more often.

As for MLK and how important he was to Civil Rights, I think FDR did just as much for this country, dealing with the depression and being our leader during WWII. I mean, the guy won 4 terms, that's how popular he was and I think the country really did want him to stay longer because the mess he was in really required someone in the same leadership position to see through the mess. 8 years only could have turned catastrophic with a new guy coming into office unless he followed the same principles FDR did. So FDR should not be replaced. If any presidents are replaced, I'd rather go back to Mrs. Liberty, she's so much more pleasant to look at on circulated coinage.

 

id like to see john adams on the penny, i mean lincoln already on the dollar, reagan on the dollar coin. no more dollar bills id prefer coins to bills. also make a $2 with mlk on it

 

I'd like to see Teddy on a circulating coin also. Also, you would have thought MLK would have been a no-brainer. JFK gets assassinated and he is on a coin the following year. It's been over 40 years since MLK was gunned down and no coin yet, not even a commemorative. You would think with all of the other crap they decided to honor on a commemorative coin, MLK would have ranked up there somewhere.

 

I still favor the traditional liberty designs like the merc, SLQ and the walkers. I'm tired of dead people on our money-no beuaty in the design(like IKEs, SBAs, and the present incarnation of Jefferson.

 

As much as I would like to see TR on a circulating coin, I don't think it will ever happen. Each President currently on a coin was put there for a reason and it seems to me that it would be very difficult to get Congress to remove one. Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington are extremely "historic" Presidents and there is no way they would ever be voted off a coin. That leaves FDR and JFK...two very popular 20th century Presidents. As great of a President as some think TR was (and Reagan for that matter too)...there simply isn't a place to put them on coins.

If you think about it, there has never been a President replaced on a coin. Ike was on the dollar for a while...but the large dollar is what killed that coin, not the person on it.

 

I agree with you coinhead especially about Ike. The man was one of the best,
as a general and a president that warned us of the"indsustrial military machine"
but his head just wasn't right for a big coin. The only thing uglier was the"Booby Head"
and the pathetic "trolley" on the Memorial cent. Shield fom the 1800s IHC would
have been much better. Just my opinion.---John

 

I'm a Republican (former Democrat) and I have to agree...if we can commemorate the Old San Francisco Mint, we should be able to find a place for Dr. King.

I agree with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" message 100%. We may not be perfect, but much of Dr. King's vision is in the process of being realized...beginning in the Military and extending throughout society. The problem is that his message is often misinterpreted by "Americans of Color"...the corollary isn't necessarily true. Just because you're a person of Color, doesn't necessarily mean you are a person of "High Character"...the same is true for all races.

I honor the life and sacrifice of Dr. King greatly. I have a dream that everyone will one day strive to achieve the ideal he set forth for humanity...irrespective of Race.

 

In my mind...he should have replaced George Washington on the Quarter when the ATB series began....too late now. :headbang:

 

Here's a commemorative I have from the 2003 National Wildlife Refuge Series:

 

It is amazing that we have a national holiday commemorating MLK's birth, but that he has never been depicted on a US commemorative coin. He has been on a commemorative stamp, but not a coin...very odd.

 

Heck yes! I'd prefer him on the dime. I don't much like FDR. I feel that a lot of the programs he implemented have hurt our country in the long run, and I feel that it was a huge abuse of power to keep running for president, longer than the traditional two terms (the law wasn't passed until after his presidency, but it was an upstanding tradition and expectation).

 

Dr. King was an amazing person, completely regardless of his race. I absolutely hate the way we distinguish the amazing things people have done. If a white person does something to better the world, we call that person a good person, a person of history. If an African American person does the same, all of the sudden this person is an amazing African American, or a person of black history? Why do we make that distinction? Amazing people are amazing people. It just bothers me that we still distinguish skin color, when it has absolutely nothing to do with great historical moments. MLK shouldn't be known as a hero for the African American people, he should be known as a hero for the American people. He made this world better for everyone.

 

Is there any petition we can sign to get Martin Luther King on a commemorative coin any time soon? I mean, if we wait until the 100th anniversary of his birth, that is too long (17 years). If anyone has any leads, I think we here on Coin Talk have enough support to get the ball rolling.

 

The half dollar/national parks idea is a very good idea one but unfortunatley too late.

 

The National Park quarter program is ending in nine years (maybe more), so since I doubt the mint would go back to the pre-1998 reverse, the quarter would likely be free for anything.