When is it time to take dead presidents off our coins?
rec78
Posts: 5,763 ✭✭✭✭✭
I never liked the idea of dead president on coins. The founding fathers did not want portraits on coins. I do like the Lincoln cents. Commemorative coins are OK with any subject or person on them, but not general coins for everyday use. My main concern is: When do you take them off? I know that Lincoln is there until the cent is no longer made. What then? Do we move someone off another denomination to make room for Lincoln?, he deserves to be remembered for all time. Move JFK off the half-dollar? People liked JFK a lot, but he did not do very much to deserve a place on the half dollar.
The Washington quarter of 1932 was supposed to be a 1 year commemorative. FDR got on the dime for his work with the "March of Dimes". Are we stuck with Jefferson, FDR, Washington and Kennedy until the age of coinage is over?
I don't know of any other country with this dilemma.
Some other countries put their current leader on the coins for their reign and then take them off when they die. Other countries don't put the leaders on their coins to begin with, but no other country (that I can think of) than the US, puts dead leaders on coins and just leaves them there.
Comments
Take them off now. Two many better designs out there
I disagree - the men who made the United States should always be remembered. I'm talking about our founding fathers - not the later presidents.
The dead ones sure beat the hell out of the living ones!
Coins should be apolitical
The time is now. Right now.
1934.
The time was 1910 to take them off. It won’t happen now, though. Regardless of party, the politics involved guarantee it won’t happen. Various states already believe they “own” a denomination because their state is represented in some way obverse or reverse.
Coins have always, from the beginning, been a political tool. It will follow the prevailing politics of the times. They will become increasingly reflective of politics here in the years ahead.
Should have happened a long time ago. We are not a monarchy.
Just my 2 cents but; Washington takes sooo long to achieve and or change anything. If they started a committee today all the coinage would be obsolete before a decision would be made. Digital everything is coming.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/date-sets/hashtags-prefect-coin-grading-service-1879/album/7621
I think the Founding Fathers were more against living Presidents than dead Presidents. For example, many empires like the British, Spanish and Roman Empires would have living / current monarchs on coins, similar to Queen Elizabeth II. Imagine if we have living Presidents on coins during their terms in office!
Liberty obverse, Eagle reverse, with few exceptions.
It is time to put Liberty back on the nations coinage
Latin American Collection
I would like to see them removed from our coins... all of them. That being said, I think the PC garbage and commercialism that would replace them could possibly be worse. No confidence in the design by committee we seem to be tied to....Cheers, RickO
I agree its time for some thing new
Well, if you ever see current politicians on coins, you'll know we have a problem.
I think dead Presidents have only been taken off our circulating coinage once - when the Eisenhower dollar was discontinued. Am I forgetting someone else?
Immediately. I want to see the ideals of liberty and unity on our coinage. The caretakers, no matter how important at the time, can find another way to be remembered.
As often as people say they want to replace Presidents on coins with Lady Liberty, I haven't heard a single forum member support Congressman Barr's House of Representatives bill, HR-2535, to do exactly that. If we don't exercise our constitutional rights through our government representatives, all this discussion probably amounts to some navel gazing. So, I'd so it will take at least as long as it takes for concerned forum members to get in touch with their elected representatives
Let's put that Barber dude back on all the coins.
Smitten with DBLCs.
Who cares what design goes on modern circulating coins? They're small and minted by the billions in low relief, have virtually no intrinsic value, and are getting less relevant to transacting business every year. Commemorative coins are still minted every year in precious metals, and are the logical place for artistic expression.
Just my two Zincolns on the subject...
Completely agree with the design commission. I still like the idea of having our founding fathers on the coins - those who signed the constitution. None after that, however.
As on stamps and paper money.
When they're all dead for two years. Oh wait, that perpetuates the issue.
Dead Presidents is probably a compromise for not putting living leaders on the coins.
Having any type of historical figure other than liberty on a regular circulating coin is political these days. I think having historical figures on our circulating coins puts certain people on a pedestal when these people have had serious character flaws, like anyone else that's human. In my opinion, I would have the Barber Quarter and Barber Half Dollar be the official clad quarter and half dollars. The nickel would have a rendition of liberty as seen on 1882 J-1687 or 1689 which is basically the V nickel obverse with IGWT added paired with the "with cents" reverse to comply with statutory inscription requirements. I'd also replace FDR with the Mercury Dime. Charles Barber had a knack for creating low relief coins that could be mass produced well and always was looking to improve his technique. His coins would make the perfect modern low relief regular issue coins.
about 100 years ago, when they first started.
ASAP....
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
To all the people soiling themselves about Presidents on coins, don't worry. Soon enough we'll have more diverse and inclusive things coins like the "Famous Pioneers of Interpretive Dance Theory" series and the "famous Croatian American Shoemakers of the War of 1812" series... etc.etc.etc.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
History as we know it is now officially dismantled. I suppose Castro, Mao, Che and Xi will now be on our money. Oh and of course past presidents of our new buddy Venezuela.
To all the people soiling themselves about Presidents on coins, don't worry. Soon enough we'll have more diverse and inclusive things coins like the "Famous Pioneers of Interpretive Dance Theory" series and the "famous Croatian American Shoemakers of the War of 1812" series... etc.etc.etc.
I am concerned that it could be much worse than that. I prefer having the great men who founded and preserved our country memorialized in coinage and in other ways, too. I've had enough of re-writing history and destruction of the symbols of our heritage.
Yes, I realize that some of the Founders opposed having their images on coins because the practice was common in Europe and they were breaking away from the concept of royalty and the divine right of kings. However, they only had a few years to look back upon, while we have the perspective of a couple of centuries later.
It's a shame that everything has to be made political. Greatness should always be recognized.
"Move JFK off the half-dollar? People liked JFK a lot, but he did not do very much to deserve a place on the half dollar."
I like JFK but his presidency was brief and not that historic. Why does this coin even exist, except to irritate cashiers?
Not historic??? He seemed to handle the Cuban Missile Crisis pretty well.
Nevertheless, I'd like to see a symbolic representation of Liberty on our coins.
"Not historic??? He seemed to handle the Cuban Missile Crisis pretty well."
Even so, that alone does not make him coin worthy.
"I like JFK but his presidency was brief and not that historic. Why does this coin even exist, except to irritate cashiers?"
I was 12 when JFK was killed, at the time of his assassination, he was a much loved president. I don't remember the day or month when the JFK half dollar appeared, but they were saved by everyone.
Perhaps not but to say that the crisis is not historic is wrong IMO.
Im on the side of keeping dead presidents on coinage...
JFK was an attractive, charismatic man. he inspired the Apollo project, was the last pre-counterculture democrat to hold the White House and was tragically murdered in public while holding office - that makes him historic, but nowhere's near Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson's league...(fwiw, the fact he bowed to pressure from Khrushchev during the missile crisis and bartered away land based nukes in Turkey for the Soviets leaving Cuba is often overlooked in the telling of that story)...not trying to be too political here - just pointing out that he doesn't have the cred to be on a coin. FDR could possibly be considered legit due to his management of WWII, but that can be debated as well...
whole point being, IMO, while dead presidents deserve to be on coins - there should be a rule like major sports leagues have: ie you have to be 'out of the league' (in this case dead) for x number of years before consideration...at least 25 years IMO (>1 generation)
No, but I fully expect it will happen at some point. 5 years? 10 years? Pressure is clearly mounting from the PC crew. The drumbeat is getting louder.
If someone finds offense, it must be whitewashed. Sadly, it’s the world we live in today. 😫
Dave
I'm tired of our static coinage design choices, but prefer them to the hyper-change (no pun intended) of poor designs that we have seen in coinage over the last two decades. Wether Ms. Liberty or significant Presidents/historical figures (Benjamin Franklin), I am certain any new design chosen will be done so with the demands of production, art by committee and clutter in mind and will, therefore, suffer when compared to what we have today. Therefore, I'm fine with what we currently have.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
The designs are fine as is.
You could remove the Presidents.
Put the White House, Capitol, Statue of Liberty, etc.
There are so many other symbolic images that can be used.
Lately, the Presidents have received bad publicity, ie Jefferson, Washington.
Do NOT get me wrong, they were great Presidents, but the time for change is now.
Such is the case with the paper money, as well.
Keep it simple, removed the front image of the President (or Founding Father, like Ben Franklin) & put the dollar amount there.
Just my 2 cents.
Chris
So we can celebrate his audacious goal of landing on the moon among other things
This one no longer has JFK's bust on it so is it more acceptable?
If they remove the dead presidents, then IGWT will be fair game and then e pluribus unum next.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Just put Nixon on all of them and forget about it
Well you could go the “living” route, then you end up with This
Well... ...I think they took the VDB off in the spring of 1909.
That wouldda been a great time.
This perfectly sums it up for me.
It takes 10 years to rename a football team. With the way Washington works by the time a replacement was settled on the choice would no longer be the in thing and the current trend would start all over again. The replacements would be 100% worse or coins would be obsolete a d nothing would be accomplished
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.