You know that Anthony de Francisi designed the obverse of the Peace Dollar and elected, because of his European training as a medalist, to present the motto IN GOD WE TRUST as IN GOD WE TRVST. If you don't, here's a refresher image of the obverse of a 1921 Peace Dollar (coinpage.com photo): http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-4782.html Ever since the first 1921 Peace Silver Dollar was struck (including the present) many non numismatists, upon seeing any Peace Dollar for the first time, think they've found a rarity. Are there other U.S. coins that bear a word composed with one or more Greek alphabet letters? Yes, but not on circulation coinage. Here's a few U.S.A. commemoratives that do (coinpage.com photos): 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary - Henry Kreis Designer (IN GOD WE TRVST on obverse): http://www.coinpage.com/large.php?tImageId=4496 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary - Henry Kreis Designer (E PLVRIBVS VNVM on Reverse): http://www.coinpage.com/large.php?tImageId=4497 1935-S San Diego - California - Pacific Exposition - Robert Aitken Designer (EVREKA on Shield on Obverse: http://www.coinpage.com/Commemorative%20Half-pictures.html The coin featured next is a 1935 (minted 1934-1938) Texas Centennial Half Dollar. The models were prepared by Pompeo Coppini. Two instances of Greek lettering exist on the obverse of this coin. Both mottos have "V" instead of "U" and so read IN GOD WE TRVST and E PLVRIBVS VNVM. Take a look: http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-1449.html Another Coin Designer's Artistic License which has bearing on one of our coin's mottos has to do with three Silver Dollars minted in 1995 commemorating the Atlanta Olympics. On the reverse side of the following three silver Dollar commemoratives (worldcoingallery.com photos) notice the motto reads E Pluribus Unum (scroll to reverse side of coin): http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/commems/us-260.html http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/commems/us-263.html http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/commems/us-264.html Yes, Upper and lower case letters. Did you know? More Coin Designer's Artistic License on U.S.A. coins in future trivia posts. Look for them... Clinker
Another interesting story and "showcase", Clinker. Thank you! And ... somehow it looks odd when the U is replaced with V in languages other than Latin. So "E PLVRIBVS VNVM" is fine (from my point of view anyway) while "TRVST" seems strange. In some of the cases you show, the V has a more or less rounded bottom. So it might as well be a U from a stylish font. The Connecticut commem shows what I mean: If you look at the words "Trust" and "Connecticut", the lower end of the U is somewhat round, unlike the lower ends of the W in "We". Mixing uppercase and lowercase characters, as we do in regular texts, seems quite normal to me. On coins it is not exactly common because this way - especially if the characters go along the rim of a coin - the text looks less balanced. LONGER TEXTS IN ALL CAPS ARE USUALLY FROWNED UPON AS THEY ARE HARD TO READ (except of course when it comes to software EULAs, hehe) But if a word or two are placed horizontally, as in the last examples, I would not even notice it ... Christian
