A Short Numismatic History of the United States
mrearlygold
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A Short Numismatic History of the United States
by Edward Elmer
Governments are inveterate despoilers of the freedom, wealth, and lives of their citizens. As consolation, the citizens usually receive little more than lofty words and pretentious sentiments from the political leaders in charge of the looting, murder, and enslavement. Less commonly, governments produce something concrete, such as a marble palace for the ruler or an alabaster temple for the commemoration of some supposedly noble public goal.
However, one of the few universal, tangible products of government which citizens experience directly is their government’s medium of exchange. Even this government product usually offers a lopsided exchange for the citizen. Base metals and paper are usually offered to the subject in return for his much more valuable and often unjustified faith in the validity of his government.
At the outset, the numismatic history of the United States is as singular as its political history. Just as the new government was remarkable for the powers its Constitution did not permit, so the new U.S. coinage was unusual for what it did not depict. There were no representations of any political figures, ancient or contemporary. Odd as it may seem to modern Americans, the faces of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson did not make it onto America’s earliest coinage. Such bygone greats as Caesar and Alexander were also notably absent.
Our early American predecessors seem to have bypassed the rich symbols that abounded on the coinage of preceding nations. There were no gods or goddesses, nor was the mint impelled to create a mythological parallel to the Roman she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Though the new nation was rich in folklore, none of its earliest coins depicted traditional examples, such as Washington’s felling a cherry tree or Franklin’s flying a kite.
Instead, the newly established mint adopted an exceptional course that reflected the American vision as novus ordo seclorum, a new order of the ages.
A Short Numismatic History of the United States
by Edward Elmer
Governments are inveterate despoilers of the freedom, wealth, and lives of their citizens. As consolation, the citizens usually receive little more than lofty words and pretentious sentiments from the political leaders in charge of the looting, murder, and enslavement. Less commonly, governments produce something concrete, such as a marble palace for the ruler or an alabaster temple for the commemoration of some supposedly noble public goal.
However, one of the few universal, tangible products of government which citizens experience directly is their government’s medium of exchange. Even this government product usually offers a lopsided exchange for the citizen. Base metals and paper are usually offered to the subject in return for his much more valuable and often unjustified faith in the validity of his government.
At the outset, the numismatic history of the United States is as singular as its political history. Just as the new government was remarkable for the powers its Constitution did not permit, so the new U.S. coinage was unusual for what it did not depict. There were no representations of any political figures, ancient or contemporary. Odd as it may seem to modern Americans, the faces of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson did not make it onto America’s earliest coinage. Such bygone greats as Caesar and Alexander were also notably absent.
Our early American predecessors seem to have bypassed the rich symbols that abounded on the coinage of preceding nations. There were no gods or goddesses, nor was the mint impelled to create a mythological parallel to the Roman she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Though the new nation was rich in folklore, none of its earliest coins depicted traditional examples, such as Washington’s felling a cherry tree or Franklin’s flying a kite.
Instead, the newly established mint adopted an exceptional course that reflected the American vision as novus ordo seclorum, a new order of the ages.
A Short Numismatic History of the United States
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
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...and an amazingly inaccurate "historian."
<< <i>Edward Elmer is an orthopedic surgeon practicing in South Texas.
...and an amazingly inaccurate "historian." >>
Really? What do you think is inaccurate?
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
A. There were no gods or goddesses, nor was the mint impelled to create a mythological parallel to the Roman she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Though the new nation was rich in folklore, none of its earliest coins depicted traditional examples, such as B.Washington’s felling a cherry tree or Franklin’s flying a kite.
A. The goddess Liberty appeared on all early US coins.
B. Mason Weems, in his Washington biographies (1800, 1806), invented more myths, including the cherry tree nonsense, about George Washington than Walter Breen did about numismatics.
…C. The arrival of this coin [1909 Lincoln cent]coincided roughly with the with the reign of our first modern, paternalist, global-interventionist president, Theodore Roosevelt. From this point forward, the Zeitgeist of the United States seems to have changed irrevocably. D. What had once been a nation ruled by the law of Liberty had now become a nation ruled by the law of men, and men inexorably replaced Liberty on the coinage from that point forward.
C. Theodore Roosevelt was out of office and on safari in Africa when the Lincoln cent was introduced. TR was president from Sept. 1901 to Mar. 1909. (Also, the use of “zeitgeist” is questionable.)
D. Utter nonsense unless you think the goddess Liberty on the dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar is really a man in drag.
E. In 1916, Americans got their first Roman god on their coinage. Mercury’s image replaced Liberty on the dime.
E. As almost any beginning coin collector knows, the goddess Liberty is portrayed in Weinman’s 1916 dime design. The wings denote liberty of thought. It is not and never was the Roman god Mercury.
…F. In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt became president. He wasted no time remaking the U.S. government according to his vision. The worship of a new, secular god swept over the shores of the Potomac. G.Shiny new temples of white stone sprang up all over Washington. Hordes of ambitious new priests made their pilgrimage to serve in these temples, and most were loath to depart whence they had come. Some were elected, but most were appointed. H. Progressive tithes were exacted from the country at large with the imposition of graduated income taxes.
F. Franklin Roosevelt was elected President in November 1932. He did not take office until March 1933.
G. Apparently Dr. Elmer is referring to the Lincoln memorial (dedicated in 1922) and/or the Jefferson Memorial (planned in the 1920s and completed in 1942). If he is referring to government office buildings, there was active construction from the teens through the 1960s and later. The largest of these is the Ronald Reagan Building (1998) – the second largest Federal government building after the Pentagon in Arlington, VA.
H. The income tax was progressive (graduated rates based on income) when it was adopted by Congress in 1913 after ratification by the states of the 16th amendment. Dr. Elmer implies this was something “new” under Franklin Roosevelt.
Dr. Elmer had a nice idea in providing a short, if highly opinionated, numismatic history. But there are so many basic historical errors large and small throughout, it’s a waste of time to list them all.
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
<< <i>I was simply noting some of the factual mistakes. Dr. Elmer could easily correct the historical and numismatic errors himself, if he wished to do so. >>
If you say so
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
There is a difference between allegorical figures representing abstract ideas such as liberty versus gods and goddess from mythology.
The great Seal sh'd on one side have the Arms of the United States of America, which Arms should be as follows: The Shield has six Quarters, parti one, coupé two. The 1st. Or, a Rose enamelled gulps and argent for England: the 2d argent, a Thistle proper, for Scotland: the 3d. Verd, a Harp Or, for Ireland: the 4th Azure a Flower de Luce Or for France: the 5th Or, the Imperial Eagle Sable for Germany: and the 6th Or, the Belgic Lion gules for Holland, pointing out the Countries from which these States have been peopled. The Shield within a Border Gules entoire of thirteen Scutcheons argent linked together by a chain Or, each charged with initial Letters Sable as follows: 1st N. H. 2d M. B. 3d R. I. 4th C. 5th N. Y. 6th N. J. 7th P. 8th D. C. 9. M. 10th V. 11th N. C. 12th S. C. 13 G. for each of the thirteen independent States of America.
Supporters, dexter the Goddess Liberty in a corselet of armor alluding to the present Times, holding in her right Hand the Spear and Cap, and with her left supporting the Shield of the States; sinister, the Goddess Justice bearing a Sword in her right hand, and in her left a Balance.
Crest. The Eye of Providence in a radiant Triangle whose Glory extends over the Shield and beyond the Figures.
Motto. E Pluribus Unum.
Legend, round the whole Achievement. Seal of the United States of America MDCCLXXVI.
On the other side of the said Great Seal should be the following Device. Pharoah sitting in an open Chariot, a Crown on his head and a Sword in his hand passing through the divided Waters of the Red Sea in pursuit of the Israelites: Rays from a Pillow of Fire in the Cloud, expressive of the divine Presence and Command, beaming on Moses who stands on the Shore, and extending his hand over the Sea causes it to overwhelm Pharoah.