Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-11-27
DEVICES ON COINS.
History of the Vignettes That Adorn
Our Metallic Currency.

History of the vignettes That Adorn
Our Metallic Currency.
The act Of April 2, 1892, which estab
lished mint in Philadelphia, then the
seat Of government, provided that upon
one side Of the gold and silver coins Of
the United States there should be an i'm
preston emblematic of liberty with an
inscription of the word sIibertyn and
the year of the coinage, and upon the
reverse the figure or representation of an
eagle, with the inscription Z United
States Of America"
The act of January, 1887, made sim
liar provisions, and when the silver bill
providing for the restoration of the idol
lar of our daddies'' was enacted, it was
provided that the same inscription
should be placed on the standard dollar.
But few people outside the mint under
stand the care and delicacy required to
produce well-fnished coins; but the
work of coming or perfecting
piece is as nothing compared with
the designing and engraving Of
die. The extremely limited
space presented by the surface of coin
for display of artistic establishment is
of itself a very unfavoranle condition
imposed upon the inventive faculty of
the artist, and when the more rigid imi-
tation upon the relief is considered, it is
obvious that the artist has to work with
fetters on his hands to an extent unknown
in any department of art. 1t has often
been the case that artists of well known
reputation, but having no experience in
the engraving of coins, have had designs
Of great artistic merit rejected simply
for the reason that such designs were not
i adapted to the purpose for which they
were intended.
The device on our coins emblematic OF
liberty, is, no doubt, devised from SINH
lar device on the coins of the Roman re-
public, anterior to Augustus, and has
much Of classic authority in its favor.
Its adoption does not seem to have been
determined by any specific act or instruc-
ton, and, in fact, the journals of the
Senate and other proceedings Of Con-
gress show that the head Of the Presi-
dent was at first intended as device for
one side of the coins.
The first coins struck were cents, in
1898, on which the emblem was female
head, with hair flying wildly behind. In
1895 the cap Of Liberty was introduced,
supported on wand projecting behind
the head. In 1896 or 1897 the cap was
discarded.
The first silver coins were struck in
1894. The head of Liberty, with flow
ing hair and without the cap, formed the
diverse. This style was maintained,
with slight notifications until, about the
year 1908, when more pleasing head Of
Liberty, with hair dressed and cap, was
adopted. The device was taken from
life, and was considered model in good
taste of the fashion Of the time. The in
scription of the word Liberty was at that
time transferred from the margin of the
coin to the band of the cap.
The first gold coins struck in 1895
were ornamented with head of Lib
erty and q cap head-dress, CORE
spending with the fashionable head
dress Of that period. This contin-
ued until 1907, when the head
dress on the gold coins was made to con-
form to that on the silver. Upon the
change Of standard in 1884 the liberty
cap of the goddess was removed from
the head, and the hair confined BY
band inscribed with the word liberty.
The next change took place near the
end OF the year 1888, the hair being
looped up behind and entwined with
braids, couple of stray curls hanging
loosely upon the neck, and the front Of
the head embellished with q tiara in
scribed, Liberty" Since then the
changes in the artistic devices upon
coins have been few and unimportant.
The reverse of all our larger coins has
always presented to q certain extent the
heraldic elements forming the arms Of
the union, and no doubt in accord,
ance with the almost universal usage
of the independent sovereignties of pre-
senting device on the reverse of their
coinage bearing heraldic illusions more
or less elaborate to the arms of the gov
ernment or sovereign authority. In the
various changes, made from time to
time, every effort has no doubt been
made to present as beautiful coins as the
limited space would permit, and also to
secure designs which would present no
difficulty in mechanical execution. The
head of I" Liberty . on the standard dol
lar, designed by young English en-
graver, is chaste and beautiful, and is
considered by artists the best executed
head that has ever appeared upon United
States coins. 1t is so well distributed as
to be susceptible of easy work under the
die, and like its predecessor Of 1908 was
taken from life Chicago Inter Ocean.
Shakespeare and Death.