May 5, 2009 | CCAC, cents, CFA, coin design, US Mint
I learned that the 2010 Lincoln Cent reverse design chosen by the Commission of Fine Arts has been withdrawn from consideration. Apparently, the design closely resembles the one used on the Weimar Republic of Germany 50 pfennig coin. This coin features the motto of the Weimer Republic “Sich regen bringt Segen”, meaning “hard work brings it’s own reward.”
Similar designs were used throughout the Soviet bloc countries during the Cold War era.
Aside from being US Mint policy not to use desings that have appeared on foreign coins, the imagry of using socialist and communist symbols of the past makes the design a bad idea.
I have learned that the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee selected the shield design LP-13 (see the image). The design entitled “Shield of Union” resembles the pattern cent designed by William Barber. However, the CCAC did express their concern that the designs submitted were not as good as they could be.
Next month, the CCAC will look at new designs for the obverse of the 2010 Lincoln Cent. While I am not in favor of changing the Victor David Brenner design, I learned that the CCAC will be looking at keeping the portrait but making it larger on the planchet. Hopefully that is the only design change they make.
Image courtesy of CoinNetwork.com.
Feb 18, 2009 | CCAC, coins, history, quarter
It is being reported that the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee is considering changing the obverse of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coins (Public Law Number 110-456 [GPO: Text or PDF]). My source pointed that that the law does not specify what is to be on the obverse of the coin only that the 1998 George Washington design. Rather than recommend a design with Washington on the reverse, the CCAC is considering honoring Theodore Roosevelt on the obverse.
Theodore Roosevelt is credited with starting a modern renaissance of US coinage. When Roosevelt became president in 1901, he expressed his disdain for the sameness of the coinage designed by then chief engraver Charles E. Barber. Roosevelt want our coinage to reflect the greatness of the nation. He wanted a more modern classical design. Roosevelt enlisted the help of the greatest sculpture of the time, Augustus Saint Gaudens, to execute what Roosevelt called his “pet crime.”
Duriung Roosevelt’s presidency, he was directly involved with the redesign of the gold coinage using the designs of Saint Gaudens on the eagle ($10) and double eagle ($20), Bela Lyon Pratt’s incuse design for the half-eagle ($5) and quarter eagle ($2.50) coins, and Victor David Brenner’s Lincoln Cent. The other Barber designs coin were retired by 1916.
In addition to Roosevelt’s influence on coinage, he was instrumental in growing the number of national parks and protected areas in the United States. Roosevelt, who spent a lot of time in the Badlands in the Dakota Territory influenced his view by setting aside 42 million acres of national forests, 53 national wildlife refuges, and other areas including the Grand Canyon.
Roosevelt started the program that lead to the National Wildlife Refuge system and established the US Forest Service to help maintain these natural resources.
To honor Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation work and preservation of many national parks and refuges and his “pet crime” for his redesign of US coinage, it would be fitting to honor him on the National Park Quarters. As a fan of our 28th president and his work, I have advocated that Theodore Roosevelt be honored on US coinage. If the CCAC follows through with this recommendation, it would make the National Parks Quaters more palatable.
Image of Theodore Roosevelt is from the White House website.
Aug 9, 2008 | ANA, awards, Baltimore, books, CCAC, shows
I heard many reports of a successful World’s Fair of Money, I wish I was able to attend other days. Unfortunately, with it being two-and-a-half weeks after knee surgery, I was not able to recover in order to make a return trip. So I took the week off to recover and allow my knee to heal. But I had a few thoughts I would like to share.
First, congratulations are in order for Roger W. Burdette. On Tuesday, July 29, the US Mint announced that Roger was appointed to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. Roger was appointed to a four-year term as the member with a special background in numismatics. Roger is a noted numismatic researcher and author. His three-volume series, Renaissance of American Coinage have been met with critical acclaim.
To add to the acclaim for Renaissance of American Coinage, the third published volume, second in the series, covering 1909-1915 has won the 2008 Book of the Year from the Numismatic Literary Guild. With this year’s recognition, all three volumes have won Book of the Year honors (1905-1908 volume in 2007 and 1916-1921 volume in 2006). I highly recommend all three books for anyone with an interest in numismatics!
I was able to spend a lot of time in the area where the international mints were located. I visited with the Royal Mint and was able to purchase the The Royal Shield of Arms and Emblems of Britain Brilliant Uncirculated Collection and a 2008 One Ounce Britannia Bullion £2 coin. What was more interesting was interesting was talking with the 20-something Royal Mint employees. Not only were the accents intriguing, but they were more excited about going shopping. They noticed the same thing that I did many years ago when traveling to the UK, the numbers of the prices were the same but in different currency. So they were excited to pay $45 instead of £45 for jeans. At the current exchange rate, clothes were half-price. I hope they returned to London with a suitcase full of nice clothes!
Sometimes, it is easy to ridicule the Royal Canadian Mint for the large number of non-circulating collectable legal tender (NCLT) coins they produce. When viewing their catalog or other online images, some of the coins have a comical look to them. However, when seeing them in person in their display case. I was not impressed with the coin that is a recreation of an old milk token and some of the full color coins, but those that use color as an access where very beautiful.
My only regret was not picking up a stuffed moose and beaver that was offered at the Royal Canadian Mint booth. They were very cute, albeit expensive, and were dressed in the traditional Royal Canadian Mounted Police dress uniform. My niece and nephew would have loved these fuzzy buddies as gifts.
At the table for the Austrian Mint after Austrian Railway commemoratives caught my eye, I had a conversation with a heavily accented mint employee about their coins. While they have not produced any colorize coins, that will change in the future. It is felt that using color accents on coins help promote interests with new collectors. Interestingly, this Australian Mint employee said that the US Mint may be the last mint to issue colorized coins. He felt that the US Mint takes a parochial view on coin design that make significant change reticent. Although he understood the political process behind US coinage, he cited the lack of bimetallic coinage as part of that inability to think beyond their comfort zone. It was an interesting conversation.
Finally, I was able to meet Bob Van Ryzin, editor of Bank Note Reporter and host of Coin Chat Radio. We talked a little about Coin Chat Radio and how they would handle broadcasts from the show. I also ran into Dave Harper, editor of Numismatic News and World Coin News. I promised him I would not tell everyone that I found him eating cake at the Industry Council For Tangible Assets (ICTA)—so don’t say anything! The few times I met Dave, he always seems to be happy. I guess it helps when you have a great job like his!
Next for the ANA is the National Money Show next March in Portland, Oregon. I have been to Portland once and enjoyed my time. It is a nice city with a small-town feel that is appealing. Besides, Oregon has no state sales tax, which makes shopping that much cheaper!
Jun 19, 2008 | CCAC, CFA, coin design, coins, dollar, US Mint
Simcha Kuritzky, Treasurer of the Montgomery County Coin Club and past president of the Maryland State Numismatic Association, attended the June 18, 2008 meeting of the Citizen Coinage Advisory Committee. The agenda was to review the possible reverses for the Native American $1 Coins.
Simcha reported that for the 2009 reverse, the CCAC chose the design representing the three sisters: maize, beans, and squash, which are grown together. As required by law (Public Law 110-82 [PDF]), the date will be removed from the obverse and placed on the edge so that all circulating dollar coins will have edge lettering.
There were three reverses that had substantial support: a woman planting seeds with three corn plants in the background; three woman’s faces with the respective plants intertwined in their hair; and three sets of plants with a shining sun. The first and last designs had the most support from Native American groups. The main arguments at the meeting were over the novelty of design: the three faces design was a fresh approach and some members wanted greater artistic vision, while others were concerned that most people wouldn’t understand the design. The woman planting design had support because it showed agriculture (as opposed to nature) and women’s roles in the native economy, but the plants were small and may not show up well on the actual coin.
The designs and CCAC recommendation will be submitted to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for their opinion. The Director of the US Mint as proxy for the Secretary of the Treasury will make the final decision.
May 17, 2008 | CCAC, CFA, coin design, gold, US Mint
Today, I noticed that the US Commission of Fine Arts posted the final minutes from their April 17, 2008 meeting. The CFA is part of the coin design bureaucracy that is required to approve, reject, or recommend changes to coin designs. These minutes approve of the 2009 Double Eagle gold coin US Mint Director Edmund Moy proposed the design to the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.
The CFA approval reads as follows:
Confirmation of recommendation on the 2009 Double Eagle Gold $20 ultra-high relief coin based on 1907/08 design by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Mr. [Thomas E.] Luebke [Secretary] said that the proposal had been circulated to the Commission members for a vote prior to the Commission meeting due to the U.S. Mint&rsqou;s tight production schedule and the similarity of the proposal to a historic coin design; he asked the Commission to confirm the recommendation. He said that the Mint’s proposal was to reissue a coin from 1907 designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens: the original high-relief design was minted for one year, then adapted by the Mint to a low-relief coin that was issued from 1908 to 1932. The only proposed changes to the 1907 design would be to update the minting year, which will continue to be rendered in Roman numerals; to add a rim which will improve the production process; and to add the phrase “In God We Trust” which was historically included on the coin from 1908 onward. Upon a motion by Mr. [Earl A.] Powell [Chairman] with second by Ms. [Dianna] Balmori, the Commission confirmed its recommendation to approve the updated design with the comment that the Roman numerals for the issue date be as similar as possible to the original design in scale, spacing, and character.
As for the necessary legislation to allow the Mint the produce these coins, H.R. 5614 passed the House of Representatives on May 15 with a unanimous vote. The Senate’s version, S. 2924, is still in committee.
Dec 12, 2007 | CCAC, CFA, US Mint
The US Mint has announced that they are seeking applicants for two openings to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). The CCAC advises the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the US Mint as to the design of numismatic products produced by the US Mint. CCAC’s recommendations are submitted to the US Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) for final decision.
“The CCAC is composed of 11 members: one specially qualified in numismatic collection curation; one specially qualified in the medallic arts or sculpture; one specially qualified in American history; one specially qualified in numismatics; three individuals representing the interests of the general public; and four individuals recommended by the Leadership of both the House of Representatives and Senate. CCAC members serve terms of four years and are Special Government Employees; therefore, they are subject to various applicable conflict of interest laws and ethics regulations.”
In this announcement, four year appointments are for the representative specially qualified in numismatics and one from the general public. Interested parties should send a cover letter, a resumé or curriculum vitae outlining relevant experience, and an indication of which position is being applied for to the US Mint by fax to 202-756-6525, or by mail to the United States Mint, 801 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20220, Attn: Greg Weinman. Applications must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2008.
Oct 29, 2007 | CCAC, commemorative, US Mint
The US Mint announced that the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) will hold a public meeting on November 13 at 9:00 AM (ET). CCAC Meetings are held at United States Mint Headquarters, 801 9th Street NW, Washington, DC. The agenda will include the presentation of new design candidates for the 2009 Abraham Lincoln $1 Silver Commemorative Coin.
Anyone interested in participating in the meeting should call 202-354-7502 for updated information on meeting time and location. Members of the news media are welcome. I wonder if bloggers count as news media?
Sep 27, 2007 | CCAC, cents, coin design
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee met on September 25 to discuss the proposed reverse designs for the 2009 Lincoln cents. Enacted into law as part of the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-145 [GPO: Text, PDF]), the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial 1-Cent Coin Redesign calls for four reverse designs to honor his birth and early childhood in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois, and his presidency in Washington, DC.
According to reports, the CCAC decided on two reverse designs for each category. These recommendations will be sent to the Commission of Fine Arts for their decision. Remember, the selection by the CCAC is their consensus recommendations. The CFA can, and has, overruled the CCAC and has recommended redesigns of the recommendations. It is this bureaucracy that has produced the unfocused three-element reverse of the Florida quarter and the hanging astronaut on the Ohio quarter.
In the image to the right, the bottom two drawings were recommended for the design representing Lincoln’s birth and early childhood. The drawing on the upper-left is one of the recommendations for the design representing Lincoln’s formative years. The upper-right drawing is one of the recommended designs representing his professional life in Illinois. Without seeing the other designs, I am not sure what to think about them.
Although the CCAC is a government committee, obtaining the designs for public examination are difficult, if not elusive. Images are not published on the CCAC or CFA websites. The CCAC does make some of the images available to the media who chooses not to publish them. The image published here is from the Associated Press as published in the Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I appreciate their publication of of this image. I will be sending a note to the CCAC requesting these images. Stay tuned!
May 12, 2007 | CCAC, coins, commemorative, gold, US Mint
It was a busy week for me and the US Mint. While I was toiling to help another government agency from failing on one job, the Mint was demonstrating why it is the world’s largest manufacturer of numismatic items. So let’s look at the news…
On May 4, the Mint announced that it will begin to take orders for the Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Silver Dollars on May 15, starting at noon. This coin commemorates the historical significance of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School following the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the US Supreme Court. For more about this coin, read my article “Little Rock Central High Commem Design.”
The Mint quietly dropped the discussion of producing fractional American Buffalo 24-karat Gold Coins and extended the potential release date until June. It is suspected that the Mint may require congress to pass necessary legislation in order to authorize the production fractional Buffalo coins, although this has not been confirmed by the Mint. Uncirculated 2007 Buffalo coins can be purchased from dealers and on the secondary market.
Earlier this month, the Mint advertised that they would sell the First Spouse gold coins by the set at $1,675.95. But the Mint announced this week that they will begin to sell First Spouse gold coins individually started at noon on June 19, 2007 for the Martha Washington and Abigail Adams coins. Jefferson’s Liberty coin will be for sale on August 16 and the Dolley Madison coin on November 15. No set will be offered. Individual coins will sell for $429.95 as proof coins and $410.95 as uncirculated coins.
The Mint also announced that the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) will meet Tuesday, May 15, at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott Hotel at 9 A.M. On the agenda is the design of the Congressional Gold Medal to honor the Dalai Lama as well as the proposed design for the 2008 American Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins.
Time to go take some pictures so I have some fun stuff to talk about.
All images from the US Mint.
Apr 6, 2007 | CCAC, dollar, Eagles, errors, US Mint
As I celebrate the start of another year of life on this rock we call Earth, I unbury my head from my work responsibilities to catch up on the news and events of the week. It seems the US Mint has been busy, so let’s get started.
The Mint published a Hot Item consumer advisory discussing the altering of the edge lettering on the George Washington Dollar Coin. Although I discussed this in my posting “NGC Warns About Altered Washington Dollars,” the Mint adds the potential for this being a criminal act. According to the Mint:
Although altering and defacing United States coinage generally is not illegal, doing so violates a Federal criminal statute (18 U.S.C. § 331) when the act is accompanied by an intent to defraud. Accordingly, a person is committing a Federal crime if he or she intentionally alters an ordinary Presidential $1 Coin to make it look like an error coin for the purpose of selling it at a premium to someone who believes it to be a real error coin. Under this statute, it is also a Federal crime to sell at a premium an ordinary Presidential $1 Coin that one knows has been altered so it looks like an error coin to someone who believes it to be a real error coin. Penalties include a fine and up to five years in prison.
The Mint announced that the Secretary of the Treasury appointed thre new members of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). The CCAC advises “the Secretary of the Treasury on the themes and designs of all US coins and medals. The CCAC serves as an informed, experienced and impartial resource to the Secretary of the Treasury and represents the interests of American citizens and collectors.” The three appointees are
- Gary Marks, the City Manager of Whitefish, Montana and the Commissioner of the Montana Quarter Design Selection Committee
- Michael Brown, Vice President of Public Affairs for Barrick Gold Corporation and former Special Assistant to US Mint Director Donna Pope from 1981 to 1989
- Reverend Dr. Richard J. Meier, a hobbyist and current Pastor of the Alpine Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois.
The Mint also began to take subscription orders for the uncirculated American Silver Eagle coins. These coins will be dated with the “W” mint mark to be sold for collectors. Silver Eagles without the mint mark will continue to be available for the bullion market and sold through dealers. As a reflection of the rise in the price of silver, the 2007-W coins will cost $21.95, up $2 from last year.
Finally, as a celebration of my birthday, I would like my readers to consider joining other numismatists and collectors to promote the hobby. If you are not a member of the American Numismatic Association, take this opportunity to join. If you have access to a local coin club, why not join others in your community. There are national clubs based on your interest, so consider joining them. Finally, if you know of a collector who is not a member, whether they are a young numismatist or otherwise, get them to join. It is fun and will help promote the hobby as it is showing a lot of growth. Just join!
I learned that the 2010 Lincoln Cent reverse design chosen by the Commission of Fine Arts has been withdrawn from consideration. Apparently, the design closely resembles the one used on the Weimar Republic of Germany 50 pfennig coin. This coin features the motto of the Weimer Republic “Sich regen bringt Segen”, meaning “hard work brings it’s own reward.”
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