The Democratic advocate., 1884-11-29
Devices on Coins.

DEVICES Oh CO1uS.
The act of April ?, 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 impression en-
blematic of liberty, with an inscription o!
the word Liberty and the year of the
coinage, and upon the reverse the figure or
representation of an eagle, with the inscrip-
ton Omitted States of America, says the
Chicago Inter Ocean.
The act of January, 1897, made similar
provisions, and when the silver bill provid-
ING for the restoration of the ''dollar of our
daddies" was enacted, it was provided that
the same inscription should be placed on
the standard dollar But few people out
side the mints understand the care and
delicacy required to produce well-hnlshed
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 very uufavor-
able condition imposed upon the inventive
faculty of the artist, and when the more
rigid limitation upon the relief is consider
ed Ii is obvious that The artist has 10 work
/ with fetters on his hands TO an extent un-
known in any other department Of art. 1t
has often been the case that artists OF we'll
known reputation, but having no-e@peri=
enco in the engraving Of Guns, have had
designs of great artistic merit rejected SIM
ply for the reason that such designs were
not adapted f6l The purpose for which they
! were iatended,
le'~Ihe device on our coins emblematic of
liberty, is no doubt devised from similar
device onthe coins of the Roman republic
anterior to AIgusttls,. and has much of
classic authority in its fa7or> Its adoption
does not seem to have been determined by
any specific act or instructions, and, N taes.
the journals of the Senate, and other pro-
ceedings of Congress, show that the head
of the President was at first intended as
the device for one side of the coins.
The first coins struck were cents, in
1898, on which the emblem was a 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 dis
carded
The first silver coins were struck in
1894. The head of Liberty, with flowing
hair and without the cap, formed the OBJ
verse. This style was retained, 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 con-
sidered a 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 I4iberty and a
cap head-dress, corresponding with the
fashionable head-dress of that period.
This continued until 1907, when the head
dress on the gold coin 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 looped up behind and entwined
with braids, couple of stray curls hanging
loosely upon the neck and the front of the
head embellished with tiara inscribed
'Iibeyty," 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 prevented
to certain extent the heraldic elements
forming the arms of the Union, and no
doubt in accordance with the almost uni
versaI usage of the independent sovereign
ties of presenting device on the reverse
of their coinage bearing heraldic illusions,
more or less elaborate, to the arms of the
government 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 de-
signs which would present no difficulty in
mechanical execution. The head of Lib
erty on the standard dollar, designed by
young English engraver, is chaste and
beautiful, and is considered by artists the
best executed head that has ever appeared
upon United States coins, 1t is SO we'll
distributed, as to be susceptible of easy work
under the die, aud, like its predecessor "a
1903, was taken from life.
CHINAs sToNE,AGE.-Ssa
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