Speaking of Presidents...STOP the dollar coin with them on it!

Talked with our state Senator today while he was home over the week end, and expressed these exact same things to him. Found him to be very interested in knowing how people felt about this effort to have Presidents on coins.

 

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You make some wonderful points Andy. Are these Franklin commemoratives gonna be made out of silver and struck in very low relief like the new coins or are they gonna be made like the originals?

 

When I started the thread, I strongly believe that no person, (maybe with the exception of our founding fathers), should grace American circulated coinage. My fear is that as a previous post stated, "will turn our coins into a banana republic."

When I see a Morgan, or a walking liberty, or even some of the concept dollar designs depicting Liberty...that's the message I want our coins to convey which was exactly the intention of Teddy Roosevelt when he proposed changes to our coinage.

I don't want some discussion later stating, "What in the world is this loser doing on our dollar?", because that will be a step closer to a banana republic.

Our founding fathers took the ultimate risk (their lives) for this great country and if anybody deserves to be on American circulated coins, it is them...NOT others that benefited from their ground work.

 

Yeah, I want to echo the sentiments of those who want to see the presidents taken off the coins. If collectors want to collect presidents, all you have to do is order the presidential medals from the Mint. I've got the entire collection, including Clinton, lol. I'm a huge Reagan fan, btw, but I'm against putting him on a coin because it just continues the cycle of putting presidents on coins.

If this legislation passes, what will happen after the series ends a couple of presidents from now? The set would always be incomplete because the nation is always electing presidents.

I recently purchased two of the "concept dollars" off eBay. They are beautiful. One has the flowing hair liberty (a bit antiquated), the other has the statue of liberty. On the back is the Eagle, close to what was depicted on the seated liberty series. I think if these designs could be modernized, they would be perfect for the dollar. I never have understood why Sacagewa was ever chosen for the dollar. I mean, I think if we are going to have a woman on a coin, we should have lady liberty, (like on the platinum bullion coins) or maybe Ann Coulter. She would look good on a coin I think.

 

My letter:

Hello Rep. Castle.

I'm a coin collector and admire your interest in coins and what you are doing with the presidential dollar coin proposal. But, I'm against it for the following reasons:

1. It could become very political as various groups will favor or shun certain presidents.

2. It continues to elevate presidents on coinage, when most collectors and others agree that the ideals of liberty and America's greatness are best portrayed on our coinage. Most of these presidents would turn in their grave if they knew they had been "idolized" on coins like the monarchs and rulers of the past. (It goes against Washington's vision)

3. The series will be forever incomplete. Our nation will continue to elect presidents long after this series ends. It will be incomplete.

4. The first lady coins will be too difficult to obtain for the average collector.

PLEASE consider revising your legislation for a series of four (one a year) designs depicting the ideals of liberty, freedom, and America's greatness as a nation. OR, you could propose one design that doesn't feature any living person, but rather a modernized conceptual design of national pride and freedom.

 

Great letter kiyardo...I would encourage all numismatics to copy and paste those exact arguments into a letter addressed to their representative. Remember, letters show the passion of the public as the thought process is, "If this person feels this strongly, I wonder how many others feel this way?"...especially when it makes perfectly good sense and rantional!

To write to YOUR representative, click here:

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

 

All of our presidents have been exceptional men... Like them or not, they have all helped move us along - some more than others, but I think any one would be a prime example of what it takes to bend a rule... that said, you can't bend a rule for every example of the standard, even when your 'standard' is a pool of exceptions.

I think the recent changes are definitely opening the doors to more possibilities

 

My own feeling is that if we MUST have a president on a coin, he should be dead for at least 100 years so as to avoid political discussion. If I had my druthers, we wouldn't have ANY president on a coin so as to avoid the debates such as we're having on this thread.

How 'bout birds instead? Right now, as I type this, I'm listening to a delightful Mockingbird which raises my depressed spirits due to this never-ending Arizona rain. There's over 800 species of birds in North America, so there would be few limits to the variety of coins thus produced. I can see ten bird coins produced over 80 years, so collectors would have a lifetime supply. With errors and varieties, we would never suffer for lack of type collections!

 

"You make some wonderful points Andy", NOS.

Thanks NOS. I always considered myself as a Mensa type of guy with a heavy Brooklyn accent. Now if only my wife would agree.

As far as the Frankies, GD made my day on that one.

 

Fabulous idea!...I think the first one should be a Robin

At the moment I have a pair of bluebirds, a mockingbird and an adorable Carolina wren taking turns at my mealworm feeder. Sorry I can't share my sunny 70+ degree day with ya MorganFred but at least you have some fine feathered company.

 

How about if we leave the animals in the forest where they belong, as well as the presidents in the past where they belong,,There are plaenty of symbols of what America used to stand for, that perhaps If ressurected on our coinage would bring back a little of what we once were, Liberty Bell, Declaration of Independence,Winged Liberty, walking Liberty, I dont even mind the Indian head coins, but our coinage is dull ,unimaginative and stuck in a rut,,, Time for a change and I think the pride of America can be better shown in the era before presidents faces graced our coins,

Im all for remembering our founding Fathers, the people who have fought and Died for freedom, who have advanced freedom of a people who call themselves Americans, but give them their own coins in a commemorative ,, and Let America show the attributes of those people in the coinage of this Nation. Freedom,Liberty, and the Independence that was won .

Rick

 

hehe Robin...

I can only hope nothing ever happens to make anyone consider putting my mug on a coin... but if they do - let it be known my left profile is my preference.

you know, just in case... It shows my ear bling.

 

No personal remarks please. Did you know that with stamps someone has to be dead 10 years before they can be put on except for presidents? Well what you are basically saying is to remove the exception for presidents and extend the 10 year dead rule 10x over!!!!!!!! How about Washington who kick started this country or Lincoln who brought it back together after it was horribly split during the Civil War?!

Now secondly I think you guys are right about it being dull but right now when you think about it the way the coins are made are that they are downright goofy looking!
Here is something you guys should read! I got it from
http://www.coinclub.com/wwwboard/messages/23697.html
Here is a good excerpt:
There have been several further reworkings since then, notably in 1971, 1982 (during the switchover from copper alloy to copper-plated zinc blanks), 1984, 1986, and multiple times in the 1990s. Usually the intent was to tweak the design in a way that would further extend die life. Unfortunately (warning, warning - rant coming!) the easiest way to do that is to lower the relief. The result is that most U.S. coins today have flatter, IMHO less-interesting and almost cartoonish portraits. Look at nickels from say 1980 vs. 2003 or 2004, for example, and compare the relief on Jefferson's head. Or worse yet, consider the so-called "spaghetti hair" treatment that the Mint has given George Washington on the state quarters!



So I think before they go on redoing all the designs they need to bring back that grandure that they had 20 years ago and earlier! Not to mention the mint lustre today on them is garbage.

 

Actually I didnt notice the next message but it has a great link... http://www.coinpeople.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10 Talks about the presidents on coinage too so I think I am staying on track with the topic...

 

Well, looks like you're agreeing with me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe both Washington and Lincoln have been dead for over 100 years. Yes, I am saying adopt the stamp's 10-year-dead rule for coins by a factor of ten and make it especially applicable for Presidents, but also for any other public figure who might be considered for a coin. Exceptions: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickie Mantle (NOTE: They all must be NY Yankees); they have to be dead for only five years.

 

President Reagan has appeared on coins - the 1981
commemorative medal-coins that were issued by the Hutt River Province Principality to commemorate his inauguration.

 

Ahhh see we both have our bias's. I think it would be nice to put every president on circulating coinage who was murdered in office while serving his country.

 

There's only been 3 Presidents of America who were
murdered - Abraham Lincoln (in 1865),William McKinley (in 1901),& John F. Kennedy (in 1963).
Yes,they have all been on coins.

 

Four including James Garfield.

 

Commemorative coins, for me, are wide open. Put Daffy Duck on a coin...I don't care. Anybody that is interested in buying them, go for it!

Circulated coins that are used in day-to-day transactions are a totally differant matter. Everyday our Constitution is argued for what the framers intended. The fact is there is enough historical evidence that even the founding fathers, right down to Washington, DID NOT WANT real people on our coins.

We should honor their intentions and pull politics right out of the discussion so that they only thing we should be arguing is what design better depicts freedom, liberty, majasty and beauty.

...And if they put Presidents on coins...when will it end? 4 coins per year would result in year #11 catching up to the current living President. Who knows? It could be Hillary! Think about that!

Darn it...I should have posted a poll and sent the results to Rep. Castle.