Living Presidents on our coins?

She looked kinda dead to me. :rolling:

 

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I am totally against any notion of people or presidents, living or dead, gracing our coins. How long has it been? 59 years since Liberty or some depiction of her graced one of our circulated coins?

If you really want to bring back the majesty of beautiful coin designs, we have to give up this idea that a "mug" of a person (who may not be deserving of such an honor) should grace our coin designs.

What do collectors want and like? Well, if you look at the most demanded and collected coins of all time, they all pretty much do not have a real person on the obverse. Even though I collect Lincolns, I collect them because as a kid, that is what I started with and pretty much it is hard to give up what you first fell iin love with. Even with that, I would rather have the Flying Eagle grace our cents, than "old Abe". Look at the Buffalo nickel. Can you tell me there are more Jefferson collectors than Buffalo/Indian collectors?

So...take politics out of coins and go with a beautiful design such as one of my favorites. I liked it so much, I have this dollar in a MS68 grade in a ICG holder that I bought at the last FUN show!:

 

Some of the most beautiful coins and currency had an Indian, Eagle, Miss Liberty, or a Bison.

The 1899 $5 silver silver certificate was the best looking and designed note ever made. Following this closely was the black eagle $1 and the bison $10.

IMHO the best coin designs were the flying eagle cent, followed by a close second for the IHC. Buffalo Nickel, walking liberty half, morgan and peace dollar, mercury dime and the standling liberty quarter.

Personally, I have never been a real fan of coinage and currency with a real person's face on it. Miss Liberty, the Indian Chief, etc were based on real people. I believe the indian chief was One Papa.

I would rather see something which symbolizes freedom on our money instead of something which is more like propoganda for the state.

Coin design has more or less become a joke. New coins are poorly designed and will not last. The designs wear unevenly and the relief isnt enough to let them circulate for a long time. Even the Lincoln Cent has changed. The older Lincolns had a higher relief and rims, now they are basically flat. Coins made 5-10 years ago are looking worse than ones which have circulated for 40, 50 or even 60 years. On occasion, I still come across a lincoln cent from the teens and twenties in circulation. Sure there's lots of wear, but everything is still legible.

 

Another example of why living people especially those that look like rigor mortis should not be on coins.

 

When the mini dollar that was to eventually become the SBA, and the golden dollar that eventually became the SAC were being debated a poll was conducted with a large number of possible themes to be depicted. In both polls an allegorical representation of Lady Liberty was by far the runaway winner. (By a three to one margin or more over #2 place.) In the first poll I think Anthony came in something like 28th, and in the second poll Sacagawea was something like fifth. In both cases they put it up for a vote, and then made a political decision.

 

Beautiful coin Midas, wish I had one just to look at and dream of the mint someday producing coins that looked like this one.

 

This is very similar to the 1977 dollar coin design by Frank Gasparro, and should have been used.

 

This seems to be the same story over and over. For years collectors have been asking in every way possible for a return to coins depicting Lady Liberty but it seems to just fall on deaf ears.

 

[QUOTE='Ol Silver]This seems to be the same story over and over. For years collectors have been asking in every way possible for a return to coins depicting Lady Liberty but it seems to just fall on deaf ears.[/QUOTE]

When you have politicians making the dicision and 95% or more of them aspiring for the White House and maybe being one of the few to grace our currency. I think it clouds their judgment and gets them thinking what a shame it would be if we coin collectors didn't get a chance to own a coin with their portrait if they aspire to greatness in other than their own minds!

 

I think it would be a great idea for a series of coins depicting all your presidents, just think of the interest it could generate amongst young collectors History teachers could use them to bring lessons to life :thumb:
There is nothing wrong with some inovation all I hope is that the designs would be well thought out and not follow the 'Churchil' route LOL

De Orc :smile

 

Well thought out! Let history be your lesson.
Hey after seeing that churchill I'm going to get one! It is a ugly coin but I admire the man, some presidents portraits I think would set more ugly in my mind no matter what the actual coin looks like.

 

Hahahahahaha! "peace" on an American coin...

 

ditto...

Besides would want the Ford coin in my collection, since he was president when I was born.

P.S. What's the point in voting in a poll about a subject of which you have no opinion? I always thought the whole point of an opinion poll is to determine how many people hold each opinion among those that have one.

 

Just think, Bill Clinton could be on two coins. First as President and again as Spouse. You could have them mounted and wear them as ear rings.

 

And you think the SBA is an Ugly coin?

 

Chances are Ford will be gone before they get to him (Born in 1913).

Some peoples opinion is "I don't care either way" .

 

Of the currently living former presidents:

Gerald Ford, age 92
George H.W. Bush, 81
Jimmy Carter, 81
Bill Clinton, 59

Currently living former first ladies:

Lady Bird Johnson, 92
Betty Ford, 87
Nancy Reagan, 84
Barbara Bush, 80
Rosalynn Carter, 78
Hillary Clinton, 58

Yeah, I didn't know Lady Bird Johnson was still alive either, until I checked it on http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com ). Little piece of trivia for you... if Ford lives another 2 years, he'll beat Reagan's record as the longest-lived US president.

Maybe I'm just picky about semantics, lol, but to me there is a fine distinction between "No opinion" and "I don't care." Myabe to some they see that as the same thing. Still, if you have no opinion, I see no point in registering that you don't. I've always found it funny that when US Today had call-in polls, where you had to pay 50 cents to register your opinion, they still got people to respond "No opinion" or "I don't know." Who would pay to let people know they don't know what they think or don't care about the question, lol?!

Anyway, not trying to supress anyone from expressing their opinion, or lack thereof... just something I always found odd.

 

Same here, but there is (usually) no such distinction for the purpose of a poll like this. If you don't care, you simply don't press the Vote button here ...

Now No opinion could also mean something like who cares, in the US such $1 coins will just not circulate no matter who is on them, so the "general public" will hardly ever see any of these.

Christian

 

Agree...in order for $1 coins to succeed, they need to scrap the dollar bill that circulates no more than 16 months before they are pulled and destroyed costing US Taxpayers $500 million each year to produce. Of course a coin would last longer (35 to 50 years easily) costing a bit more up front, but its return on taxpayer's investment would far exceed the cost of printing and producing $1 bills each and every year.

But then again, the same people that object to using $1 coins are the same morans that write checks in the express lane at your supermarket for a feakin' candy bar...idiots! Makes you want to take a IKE dollar and throw it at these people.

 

I think that coins should not have all the presidents for there is no point for the average person to know all the president's names. We have our milestone presidents like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Both Roosevelts, Truman, or Reagan when the time comes and in my mind that is about it. I am sure a good "historical" case could be made by someone on another president or two that I overlooked. I really like the idea that symbols of freedom be used on our coins. Historically it would be good for the citizens of this nation to remember who helped shape this nation but what's the point to all of it if we forget what democracy is all about. Perhaps we should have a get out and vote theme coin.