Masterpieces: Coins As Art

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Perhaps one of the most beautiful things about numismatics is the art behind each coin. When browsing through U.S. coins, the change in style between each engraver, designer, and era is fascinating. A coin’s design can show the changing ideals of each period. The two most common symbols on U.S. coinage are Lady Liberty (the national personification of the United States) and the bald eagle (the national symbol). Both symbols represent U.S. ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The incorporation of symbols on coins is an art in itself—not to mention the true heroes, the designers and engravers who put in countless hours to turn a concept into reality.

National Personification

National personification is when the ideals and dreams of a nation are embodied by a human figure. Some of the most famous examples are Britannia (Britain), Germania (Germany), Hispania (Spain), and Columbia/Lady Liberty/Uncle Sam (United States). 

Columbia symbolizes the American ideals of liberty, freedom, and equality. She is present in many forms throughout American history. Perhaps the most famous example is the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France in the 1870s, which has arguably become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, symbol of America. Columbia is also present in many famous works of art, political posters, and on coins. 

Throughout the years, the depiction of Liberty on U.S. coins has transformed significantly. During its founding years, our nation needed currency. The most famous failed attempt was Continental Currency. Many designs were proposed, with almost all of them including the bust of George Washington. However, Washington was not pleased since he despised the British practice of putting the reigning monarch’s portrait on money. 

In the end, the U.S. Mint settled on the design of a symbolic representation of the nation. The Coinage Act of 1792 demanded that all circulating coins have an “impression emblematic of liberty” and include the inscription “Liberty.” The mint created designs with Liberty featuring flowing hair and ancient Roman symbols, such as the liberty cap and pole. However, during the mid-1800s, Liberty began to incorporate more “American” symbols, like the Union Shield. In the early 1900s, engravers began experimenting with more unconventional ideas, such as incused coins. Liberty began featuring more Native American designs, including wearing a chief’s headdress and other native symbols like the buffalo. The practice of using the symbolic figure of Liberty to fulfill the requirement ended in 1948 for all circulation coins, when the Roosevelt dime replaced the Mercury dime.

By the time the Indian Head cent design was nearing 50 years, people began to desire a new motif. Coincidentally, 1909 marked the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Many wished to honor him and his contributions to the nation by featuring him on the cent. For this to occur, the U.S. Mint considered the president to be a representation of Liberty. This sparked a change across the board. Liberty began to be phased out of our currency as former presidents made their way in. 

Modern Coin Design

National personification is only one of the few arts of numismatics. Another art is the manufacturing of billions of coins. Before the billions of coins are made and before the dies are created, the design for the coin is crafted. This task is mainly completed by one person, with the mint and several committees influencing them. The designer spends hours meticulously creating each detail on the coin, redesigning it multiple times in the process, and competing with other designers, with only one final design that will be chosen. 

Digital technology has revolutionized this process, allowing extreme precision and creating near-perfect copies of designs. However, early American coins are littered with varieties. Most are small, and although major varieties, like spelling mistakes, do exist, newer technology has nearly removed all these errors. Arguably, this has made collecting modern coins quite boring as the mint continues to cut down on errors during the minting process, but this is a testament to the rapid advancement of technology. However, even technology has yet to replace our designers. Each one of these designs have gone through countless hours of adjustments to arrive at the final design.

All in all, paper currency and coinage can reveal much deeper ideals and show the culture of the time. Not only do they show changes and trends, but they also show the countless hours spent designing them and the nearly forgotten artists who labor to create a seemingly everyday object for us.