JEFFERSON’S LIBERTY FIRST SPOUSE SERIES ERROR The 2007 Thomas Jefferson First Spouse, $10, ½ once .999 fine gold commemorative, has a major error. Thomas Jefferson’s Epitaph on the reverse is misquoted. Punctuation is missing from the Epitaph on the United States Mint’s version, by sculptor-engraver Charles Vicker, of President Jefferson’s grave marker at Monticello. Vicker’s design has the Epitaph from the tomb enlarged and floating in front of the obelisk. According to Jefferson the words engraved are the most significant accomplishments of his life. The Epitaph is one of the worlds most famous notably because Jefferson penned the Epitaph without mentioning his eight year achievement as third president of the United States. It is because of Jefferson’s omission that the author of the Declaration of American Independence makes a bigger than life statement shouting from the grave that he was the President of the United States by the absence of its mention. His epitaph, written by him with his insistence that only his words and “not a word more” be inscribed on his obelisk tomb marker, reads: “HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.” BORN APRIL 2, 1743. O.S. DIED JULY 4, 1826. The United States Mint has left out the quotation marks that denote the Epitaph to be Jefferson’s own words. The text is not ended by a period. Omitted after DIED JULY 4, 1826 is the period. Yet the period occurs after BORN APRIL 2, 1743(.) The Vicker version reads: HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA BORN APRIL 2, 1743. O.S. DIED JULY 4, 1826 It is ironic that the coin minted to honor one of America’s great linguists lacks punctuation. Imagine a Declaration of Independence without a semicolon in the preamble separating the suffering of mankind; from governments long established with despotic designs. Imagine a declaration without clear sentences ending with periods that lay forth an Introduction, Preamble, Indictment, Denunciation and Conclusion to influence the founding fathers to sign his version of Republicanism, a declaration of independence.
An omission such as this seems trivial to me. Capt. Renault, "I'm shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on in here".
I think is was left out to make it look simplier and more symetrical. BTW this post sounds like something to get a ebay coin pumped up in price.
can anyone explain to me what the o.s. after his birthdate is? I have been curious since I first saw it, and now that we're tearing this apart, I thought I would ask.
The O.S. stands for "old style" versus "new style" date. It's the difference in Julian and Gregorian dates.
