The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-12-23
Dsyices ON American Coins.

SSSduIteucu mtnI III HliduclpHld,
then the seat of Government, provided
that upon one side of the gold and
silver coins of the United States there
should be an impression emblematic
of liberty with an inscription of the
word "liberty" and the year of the
coinage, and upon the reverse the
figure or representation Of an eagle,
with the inscription UNITED States of
America.
The act of January, 1887, made
similar provisions, and when the silver
bill providing for the restoration of
the dollar of our daddies" WAS en-
acted, it was provided that the same
inscription should be placed on the
standard dollar. But few people out
side the minis understand the care
and delicacy required to produce we'll
finished coins but the work of COIN
ing or perfecting piece is as nothing
compared with the designing and
engraving of u die. T1e extremely
limited space presented by the surface
of coin for a display of artistic
establishment is of itself a very
unfavorable condition imposed upon
the inventive faculty of the artist,
and when the more rigid limitation
upon the relief is considered. it is
obvious that the artist has to work
with letters on his hands to an extent
unknown in any other department of
art, 1t has often been the case that
artists Of well known regulations, but
having no experience in the engrav-
ing of coins, have had designs of
great artistic merit rejected simply for
the reason that such designs we're not
adapted to the purpose for which they
were intended.
The device on our coins emblematic
of liberty is 10 doubt devised from a
similar device on the coins of the
Roman republic, anterior to Augustus,
and has much of classic authority in
its favor Its adoption does not seem
to have been determined by any spec
ific act or instructions, and In fact the
journals of the senate and other pro-
ceedings of congress show that the
head of the president was first intend
ed as the device for one side of the
coins.
The first coins struck were ten cents,
in 1898, on which the emblem was
female head, with hair fyirg wildly
behind. In 1895 the cap of liberty
wss introduced, supported on a wand
projecting behind the head In 1895
or 1897 the cap was discarded.
The first silver coins were struck in
1874. The head of liberty with how-
ing hair and without the cap formed-
the observe. This style was maintained,
with slight notifications, until the
year 1903, when a 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 inscription of the word
liberty was at the 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 liber-
ty and a cap head dress, corresponding
with the fashionable head-dress of IT, 81
period. This continued until 1867,
when the head dress on the gold coins
was made to conform 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 Topped up behind and |
eDtwined with braids. a couple of |
stray curls hanging loosely upon the
neck, and the front of the head
embellished with tiara inscribed
elderly" Since then the changes in
the artistic devices and designs upon
coins have been few and unimportant.
The reverse of all our larger coins has
always presented to a certain extent
the heraIdic elements forming the
arms of the Union, and DO doubt in
accordance with the almos! universal
usage OF the independent sovereignties,
OF presenting a device on the reverse
Of their coinage bearing heraldic
illusions more or less elaborate. to the
arms of the government or sovereign
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 diff
Guilty in mechanical execution. The
head of Liberty" on the standard
dollar. designed by young English
anprayer is ehasta ard hoonf;f,l Oh