It seems that among collectors and numismatists there is a great deal of support for returning to the original notion of depictions emblematic of "Liberty" on our coinage and currency, instead of the current practice of deceased historical figures. I support this notion as well, particularly since we all know that humans are all flawed. It never seems to occur to a congressperson to propose this idea, and so we end up with ludicrous notions like not-even-deceased Reagan on the dime, Shoshone teenage slave woman and her illegitimate child of a Frenchman on the dollar, etc. Although there seems to be a great deal of support among the knowledgeable for allegorical figures of Liberty on future coin and currency designs, I am unaware of any legitimate petition drives with that goal. Does anybody know of any? Where do I sign? How does one begin such a movement? It seems to me that, absent a serious political statement in favor of such a concept, members of congress will only continue to view changes in coin design as potential billboards for their own political ideologies. What do you think?
While it is not addressed to your specific cause - there is a similar campaign underway. They say there is strength in numbers - care to add to what we have ? Time For A Change In Our Change
Thanks for the info and pathway to this movement. You're right! It does not reflect my specific concern, but some change must first occur if we, the people, are ever to wrest control of design issues away from special interests, on the right (Reagan) or the left (Sacagawea). About twenty years ago I spoke at a social gathering with a high-level assistant of my congressman about the issue (getting dead historical figures off the coins). The subject came up during a feminist-lead discussion of women heros of the nation. SBA was mentioned, as was the largely unsuccessful effort to introduce a coin with her image. It had never occurred to the congressional assistant that our coinage had ever been otherwise. See! It's ingrained in the American consciousness now. I sent this guy picture of great American coins of the past. Never got a reply. We all need heros, but we don't need to carry them around in our pockets. My own feeling is that we need to promote the ideals of our nation on our coinage, not our heros, who in the final analysis are all flawed.
