IGWT - When the public and the Treasury proposed coinage designs
Zoins
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One of my favorite pairs of types are the Seated Liberty Dollars, with and without the motto "In God We Trust".
I just read the following background on this and thought it the process took was interesting:
- Morale was low during the Civil War
- Reverend Mark Richards Watkinson of Ridleyville, Pennsylvania petitioned Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Portland Chase to mention God
- Chase writes a litter informing Director of the Mint James Pollock to "declare our trust in God—in Him who is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords.""
- Patterns are made
- Patterns are presented to Congress
The following is of interest to me:
- James Pollock was the 13th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1855 to 1858. How many people go from Governor to Mint Director these days?
- Salmon P. Chase had "Salmon" has his first name. How many people have that name today?
Here's the section of Chase's letter where he writes "In God is our Trust" and then crosses out "is our" to result in "In God We Trust":
Here are some excerpts:
This is Mark Watkinson's actual request, which was not implemented.
Mark Watkinson wrote:
What I propose is that instead of the goddess of Liberty we shall have next inside the thirteen stars, a ring inscribed with the words perpetual union. Within this ring the all-seeing eye, crowned with a halo. Beneath this eye the American flag, bearing in its fields stars equal to the number of the States United. In the fields of the bars the words God, liberty, law.
The following is from a Stack's auction:
One of the lasting effects of the Civil War was the 1864 adoption of the motto "In God We Trust" on the nation's coinage. In 1861 when the nation's morale was at a low point, Reverend M.R. Watkinson of Ridleyville, Pennsylvania petitioned Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase urging the placement of a motto acknowledging "Almighty God in some form in our coins." Chase received this petition positively and instructed the director of the Mint to create designs and prepare patterns with various versions of the motto that he could take to Congress. On April 22, 1864, Congress passed a law that specified the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST on the newly created two-cent coin. On March 3, 1865, the Congress passed further legislation to authorize the placement of the motto In God We Trust on major silver coins and all gold coins. The motto first appeared on the silver dollar in 1866 and remained for every subsequent issue. Only two Proof 1866 dollars were produced without the motto sometime in the 1870s or even 1880s.
The following is some background on James Pollock:
James Pollock possessed a strong faith in God. Concurring with Secretary Chase's instructions, in his 1863 report to the Secretary of the Treasury, he wrote, "We claim to be a Christian nation—why should we not vindicate our character by honoring the God of Nations…Our national coinage should do this. Its legends and devices should declare our trust in God—in Him who is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." The motto suggested, "God our Trust," is taken from our National Hymn, the Star-Spangled Banner." The sentiment is familiar to every citizen of our country—it has thrilled the hearts and fallen in song from the lips of millions of American Freemen. The time for the introduction of this or a similar motto, is propitious and appropriate. 'Tis an hour of National peril and danger—an hour when man's strength is weakness—when our strength and our nation's strength and salvation, must be in the God of Battles and of Nations. Let us reverently acknowledge his sovereignty, and let our coinage declare our trust in God."
Comments
Here's a post on an 1890 letter from Mint Director Edward Leech regarding the "In God We Trust" motto scanned by Roger.
https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n45a11.html
Whitman has a new book (late 2019) on this very subject. My copy:
Salmon P. Chase was very religious. One of his uncles had been a leading American Episcopalian clergyman and Chase almost went in that direction himself. Another Uncle (a banker) convinced Chase that being a successful banker would enable Chase to do more to further the work of the Lord. Chase had also lost two wives to early deaths and that affected him quite a bit in a religious sense.
The new book also suggests that Rev. Watkinson never personally realized that he was the first proponent of that motto.
I know Bill Bierly. Nice guy. He was a regular at the coin shop I worked at in Chicago. He helped me with a writing project once that concerned the motto, and we used to discuss the patterns that have it.
TD
@Zoins -edit the title.
End Systemic Elitism - It Takes All Of Us
Splitting hairs, are we?
Thanks for the history lesson.... Always a great part of this forum. Unexpected treasures often turn up....and we learn something new while enjoying our hobby. Cheers, RickO