How would you organize/design it? My setup would go something like this: One Cent-small copper colored coin, same size and millage as current coin. Shall be same in design as 1909 cent (wheat comes back) Five Cents-metal composition to be changed to bring melt value below face value. Shall bear the portrait of John Adams and a reverse of USS Constitution at sea. Ten Cents (Dime)-small coin, silver in color, same size and millage as current coin. Shall bear portrait of Liberty (in the style of the Mercury Dime). Twenty-Five Cents (Quarter Dollar)-silver in color, same size and millage as current coin. Shall bear portrait of George Washington. Fifty Cents (Half Dollar)-Larger than a quarter in diameter, silver in color, smaller in diameter than a current half dollar, pentagonal, not circular. Unmilled edge. Shall bear portrait of John F. Kennedy. One Dollar-Gold in color, same diameter, greater thickness than current coin. Milled edge with mint mark, date, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Shall bear portrait of Liberty and a reverse of the all seeing eye. Two Dollars and Fifty Cents-Silver in color, roughly same diameter as old Half Dollar, slightly thicker. Edge unmilled, with mint mark, date (in Roman Numerals), and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Shall bear portrait of Liberty and a reverse of an American Eagle. The Following denominations of gradual length, but not height, increasing notes (like the Swiss Franc): $5-Shall bear portrait of Abraham Lincoln $10-Shall bear portrait of Alexander Hamilton $25-Shall bear portrait of Theodore Roosevelt $50-Shall bear portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. $100-Shall bear portrait of Benjamin Franklin $250-Shall bear portrait of Thomas Jefferson $1000-Shall bear portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt
I would make coins of all shapes and sizes, denominations and compositions. I would also make 2011/12 dated buffalo nickels and such, would be amazing I think, exactly the same as the old ones.
One cent - they wouldn't be made anymore except as part of proof sets (100% copper, new and old designs). Retailers would be encouraged to issue their own one cent trade tokens. Nickel - this would be the Native American coin, like a buffalo nickel but using a few different people's faces (probably steel but proofs in pure nickel). Dime - eagle obverse, grain reverse (cast iron, black coin). Quarter - I like the ATB series so that would go indefinitely (cupro-nickel, proofs in pure silver). Half - none, except commemoratives and proofs. Dollar - this is where the other presidents would be.
Not sure of size/shape/composition, except that I'd probably not want anything much smaller than the current dime or larger than the current dollar coin. I hate dead president portraits. I'd want Liberty portraits/figures, ideally different from, but as beautiful as, those used on the St. Gaudens/Liberty Walking/Peace/Winged Liberty coins. I'd like to drop the cent and nickel, and have .10/.20/.50/$1/$5 coins. $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 for bills. Let's face it: prices have gone up more than tenfold since our current system of denominations was established. It's time to renormalize. Of course, if you're good at math, it might be better to have a $1.80 coin. And if you're even better than that at math, maybe we could have coinage based on complex numbers, with the real part gold- or silver-backed and the imaginary part backed by the Fed... :devil:
I would do away with the penny, and possibly the nickel, and there would be no 50 dollar bill. The following would be on some form of coin/currency. James Madison, Abe Lincoln, Ben Franklin, George Washington, Martin Luther King, Andrew Carnage, Thomas Paine, and FDR
1c, Same as before 5c, Same as before, except for going back to the pre-2003 design of Jefferson 10c, Same as before, except that the size would be the same as the 1c ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 25c, Liberty and Washington, new eagle reverse 50c, Liberty and Kennedy, new reverse $1, Liberty and Franklin, new reverse, golden colored $2, Liberty and ______, new reverse, 25% silver and 75% nickel The 25c, 50c, $1 and $2 would alternate between Liberty and Washington, with 2 designs having the Liberty reverse and 2 with the President design ---------------------------------------------------------------------- $5, Liberty only, 25% silver and 75% nickel, bigger than $2 Green and blue- same size
-Denomination- get rid of the penny (would it be feasible to still make them for collector sale?) switch from dollar bills to dollar coins keep halves as collector sale only -Designs- I'd take the writing off the dollar coin rim and put it on the obverse or reverse somewhere. I'm not the most creative in the visual arts, so I can't think of much there except perhaps resurrecting some classic designs. -Other changes- ramp up production of the paper $2 to help replace the paper $1 -Precious metals- add fractional-ounce silver ASE's. Make bullion coin face value more plausible and make the fractional-ounce face values proportional (currently only the 1/4oz gold is out of line) Not sure about precious metal standards or the details thereof. Deviate from current gold/silver value for more-convenient denominations, or create new denominations? Keep the same ratio? Not sure. As for new silver/gold certificates - would use the classic blue/yellow serial/seal colors, with similar designs to current FRNs - change title/legal wording of course, maybe change the $5-and-up color schemes to better fit with the changed serial/seal color. Maybe small denominations would remain as FRNs, maybe they could only be redeemed in multiples to preclude a need for too-small fractional coins.
I'd ditch the dead president thing for good...it's ugly and boring. I'd also shake things up by banning the use of computer sculpting and require artists to do it all by hand again, bringing back a classical look instead of the stale, flat clipart we call coinage design today. Force the use of dollar coins, then re-design the current disgrace we have for paper money today with something pleasing to look at. Then, after that first day at the healm, I'm sure I'd be terminated for daring to think of change. Guy
in my case, removing the dead presidents would come from bringing back classic designs. scale down an old silver dollar design or a large-size bill design for their modern equivalents?
I would eliminate the cent as its too little money, legally making all transaction rounded to nearest 5 cents. Make 5 cents, dimes, quarters, dollar, and two dollar coins with Lady liberty on the obverse, and have a Fine Art commission choose a design which changes every 10 years. Let the mint have complete freedom as to composition to ensure the taxpayers do not lose money striking them. For currency, print $5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 bills. Forbid dead presidents or anyone who ever held public office. Honor scientists, inventors, musicians, and the like. If not these, them simply beautiful representations of Liberty like the Educational Series of notes printed in 1896 I believe. Make each note siightly different sized to prevent forgery, and make each denomination a completely different color. Its nice to dream how to fix everything. Chris
Coleguy, I'm with you on getting rid of the computer engraving on our coins. The grainey and simplistic detail, look about as good as the comic books you can pick up at magazine stores. Very childish, IMHO.
