page_title: Standing Liberty quarter
section_title: Modification
hierarchical_section_title: Standing Liberty quarter / Modification
caption_attribution_description: English: Detail from Hermon MacNeil's statue Intellectual Development, Evanston IL. Erected in 1916 and in public domain due to pre-1923 display, see here
context_page_description: The Standing Liberty quarter is a 25-cent coin that was struck by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1930. It succeeded the Barber quarter, which had been minted since 1892. Featuring the goddess of Liberty on one side and an eagle in flight on the other, the coin was designed by American sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
  In 1915, Director of the Mint Robert W. Woolley began steps to replace the Barber dime, quarter, and half dollar, as he mistakenly believed that the law required new designs. MacNeil submitted a militaristic design that showed Liberty on guard against attacks. The Mint required modifications to the initial design, and MacNeil's revised version included dolphins to represent the oceans. In late 1916, Mint officials made major changes to the design without consulting MacNeil. The sculptor complained about the changes after receiving the new issue in January 1917. The Mint obtained special legislation to allow MacNeil to redesign the coin as he desired. One change made by the sculptor was the addition of a chain mail vest that covered Liberty's formerly bare breast.
context_section_description: Throughout late 1916, the Mint was intensely busy first sharpening the design to be used in 1917, and then in large-scale preparation of dies to begin striking the new quarters on a massive scale once the new year began.  Small change was in great demand:  Mint officials had hoped not to strike any Barber pieces in 1916, but eventually had to do so in large quantities to satisfy the need.  Once new quarters were struck, fearing the new pieces would be hoarded (especially the low-mintage 1916 coin), von Engelken instructed that no pieces be released without his order.  Small quantities of the new quarters were available, however, to officials and to prominent numismatists.  MacNeil, who had not heard from the Mint about his coins since the formal acceptance of his dolphin design, read in the newspaper in early January that the Mint was starting to strike his quarters.  He wrote to von Engelken on January 6, enclosing a $5 money order, and was sent 20 of the new pieces.  After seeing what the Mint had done to his designs, MacNeil wrote again to von Engelken, criticizing the artistic nature of the changes in such strong terms that the Mint Director continued his embargo on the coins' release.  The sculptor pointed out, for example, that the lower position of the eagle made it appear about to land—with its talons in a position only assumed at great heights.  Von Engelken feared that should the sculptor's objections become public and not be addressed, the Mint would be exposed to ridicule.  MacNeil visited the Philadelphia Mint and its engraving department on January 10.  No records of his visit are extant, but von Engelken telephoned from Washington to Philadelphia the same day to ensure that the new quarters did not leave the Mint.
  After receiving MacNeil's letter, von Engelken conferred with sculptor and Commission of Fine Arts member Herbert Adams, and with Commission Chairman Charles Moore.  Von Engelken agreed that the design of the quarter could be modified to meet MacNeil's wishes.  Although no correspondence is known to exist, it appears that the Mint Director and sculptor spoke by telephone over the next several days, as on January 17, von Engelken sent Secretary McAdoo a letter asking for discretion to allow MacNeil to modify the design.  McAdoo summoned MacNeil to Washington for a meeting, and then ordered von Engelken to provide MacNeil with all the facilities and help he would need at the Philadelphia Mint—von Engelken had intended that the redesign take place at the sculptor's expense.  On January 17, the Mint released the first Standing Liberty quarters, dated both 1916 and 1917, into circulation.  On January 30, 1917, von Engelken instructed Joyce to give MacNeil full facilities, and told the Mint Superintendent, "see that Mr. Barber keeps his objections to himself while Mr. MacNeil is there".  George T. Morgan, who had worked under Barber for the Engraver's entire 37-year tenure, was assigned to assist MacNeil.
  MacNeil hoped to take what he considered to be the best elements of the two versions of the obverse which had been accepted by the Mint the previous year.  The figure of Liberty would be taken from the second version; all other elements would come from the first.  No change was to be made to Liberty's bare right breast, but the dolphins would not regain their place.  However, Morgan proved unable, given engraving technology at the time, to combine the two obverses, meaning the coin would have to be entirely redone by MacNeil.  His new version, completed in mid-February, for the first time covered Liberty's breast, giving her a chain mail shirt.  Burdette suggests that this change was not unusual for MacNeil, who was increasingly cladding female figures in garments which covered their breasts, as with his statue Intellectual Development, sculpted around that time, and also reflected the deterioration of the international situation in February 1917, as the United States moved towards war with Germany.  The reverse saw modifications to the eagle, which was raised in its position on the coin; three of the
caption: MacNeil's statue Intellectual Development (detail shown) bears similar garb to Liberty on the Standing Liberty quarter.
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