New coin design

I came up with a design for a new coin. It could go on the penny in 2009, the nickel in 2006, the quarters when they finish, or it could be a new dime, half dollar, or dollar coin. I think it sounded pretty nice. Anyways heres how it goes

The Obverse has Ronald Reagan on it, with the usual "Liberty" and "In God We Trust" with the date and the mint mark.
The Reverse has an Bald Eagle in flight somehow, possibly holding a olive brance or, or maybe it could be dangeling an American flag from its talons.

I think he should get the Quarter or the Dollar bill though. Washington is on both, and yes he is THE father of America, to me Reagan is the father of MODERN America. What do y'all think?

 

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For right now Joe, you might want to take a few more of those High School history classes and then submit the idea to one of your state legislators to get their oppinion. You never know, by then you could have changed your mind, and you sure wouldn't want a bunch of money floating around the country with somethiing you really don't like, now do you?

 

I'm In AP US History, which is a college credit course, and I'm in the 11th grade. I love history, and know a good bit about it. I think my idea is a great one, but thats probably because it was indeed just that, my idea.

 

I agree with Old Dan.

Keep studying U.S. History, and you just might decide there are others equally, or more deserving to be on the obverse. Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, etc.

 

I also think that Wilson would be good, but I still like Reagan more.

 

Joe, maybe you could sketch something for us to show what you have in mind. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something that would express your idea.

 

I agree. Truman, Wilson, Roosevelt, etc. are very deserving to be on our coins, as well as many others. Thing is, if they were on a coin the vast majority, especially the younger generation, would look at the coin and say "Who's that?" Put Reagan on a coin and I'd bet my house that the majority would all recognize that profile.

 

I got the front done. Its not very detailed though. I drew it on Microsoft Paint. I cant figure out how to attach it though! I click on "Manage Attachments" then I click browse and select the file, then I click "Add this file" and then "All Done" and It doesn't add it. ???

 

Lets hope that worked

 

Grr! It worked, but its little. I'll explain it. The face is of course Ronald Reagan's. To the right of him, the word "Liberty" is written vertically. And next to the right side of his neck is the mint mark. To the left of him, at eye level is the year. And below that, is "In God We Trust" the words are stacked on top of each other so that each word has its own line.

 

Here! I got a better link! Click on it, then click open on the thing that pops up, and then you can see it. Its big! http://members.boards.ie/cccp^/Front%201.jpg

 

I like it, Joe... perhaps LIBERTY should be aligned around the periphery of the right side of the coin instead of being vertical. I think that would give it a bit more cohesive look and would give a more "rounded" feel.

Now, work on the reverse of the coin. Since Reagan was from the modern era, perhaps the eagle should reflect a more modern style than a "heraldic" or traditional style (such as was depicted on the Morgan Dollar). I think a modern stylized version would look good - something with a large wingspan and a very bold look. Something that would really fill up the reverse of the coin almost like the reverse of the Walking Liberty, but more modern.

You have some good ideas - keep 'em coming!

 

I started to work on the reverse, but my computer froze and I said ah to hell with it for now. But I will start again. And I'll take your ideas into consideration. Also, about what you said about "Liberty"...I tried to make it go around the edge, like on the dime, but its really hard to do on Paint, so I made it go vertical.

 

Joe,

That's fine. I like to see people interested enough that they take time to think about things like this. Our country's history is fascinating and a lot of that history is "embodied" in our coins. Many people don't take the time to ponder what the designs on our coins mean.

I am a fan of the symbolic depiction of LIBERTY on our coins (e.g., Walking Liberty, Morgan Dollar, Peace Dollar, etc.), but I'm also a fan of Presidents being depicted on our coins. If not for some of these men (Jefferson and Lincoln just to name two) everyone in this country would be living a very different life (if they would be living, at all).

So, I think it's wonderful that young people like yourself take an interest in history and coins. And I think it's great that you took the time and effort to create your idea and share it with the rest of us.

What a wonderful country we live in that anyone can speak his mind about a President. In this case, Ronald Reagan. Some liked the man, some didn't. In my opinion, I thought he was one of the finest to ever serve in the office and I believe he should be memorialized on a coin (or currency for that matter).

Anyway, BRAVO for speaking your mind and expressing your opinion.

 

Ok, I'm almost done with the back, but right now, I'm taking a break. These these take a long time. The front took me almost 2 hours. Anyways, the design of the back looks like this:

It has an eagle in flight, but about to land. In its left talon, it is holding some arrows, and in its right talon, its reaching for an olive branch. Thats about all I have done.

 

As much as I am a historical fan of our founding fathers all the way up to Reagan, I really don't beleive "real" people should grace American coins. Looking back at the wishes of our founding fathers, THEY didn't want actual people (living or dead) on American coins and hence the reason why American coins all the way up to Lincoln in 1909 did not display actual historical figures.

Now don't get me wrong...Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, (you know the good ones) definitely have their place in our country's history, but even Washington was against his likeness on U.S. coinage.

American coins should represent Liberty, Grace, Majasty, and Freedom. With that said, I just hope someday the mint designs something like this:

http://home.earthlink.net/~smalldollars/dollar/2000ml.html

I love this coin. Even managed to pick up this for my collection. Why are Silver Eagle Dollars so popular? Why do we marvel at $20 gold coins? Why is it that Morgan Dollars are one of the most collected out of all American coins. Why do people love the Buffalo Nickel?

Liberty, Grace, Majasty and Freedom!

 

Thats what the US Presidents (at least the ones worth enough to be put on a coin) represent.

 

Great post Ed Zak!

 

Ahhhhhhhh...that is where the discussion becomes a problem. For every Reagan fan out there, there is a Clinton fan and neither would want to see the other on American coins. [Personally, if Hillary ever gets on a dollar coin, I may have to find another hobby...but that's just me so all of the Hillary lovers, just relax]

Every President to grace American coins (with the exception of Washington and Jefferson) caused a stir. For the lovers of Kennedy, there were just as many who resented him. Remember, when Kennedy was shot, his poll numbers were at his all time low, hence one of the reasons why he took a trip to Texas to pump up these numbers. Matter of fact if he wasn't killed, he may never come close to replacing Franklin on our 50 cent coins.

See where the discussion is going? Lady Liberty, Buffalo Nickels, etc., all caused a stir when they were introduced as us Americans really don't like change in our money...but no where near the ruckus (in the south) when Lincoln graced the penny (for an example). For the good of the coin community, we have to keep politics out of coins...just as our founding fathers wanted.

 

There has been talk about putting each and every President on the Golden Dollar, like the state quaters.

The half dollar is over 25 yrs. old and can be changed according to the law. I would like to see the Presidents on the half dollar, 5 every year.
The Kennedys and Golden Dollars aren't even released in circulation any more.