Depending on how you look at them, coins can be either an unremarkable way to settle small purchases, or a prime example of a very public art form.  They come in different sizes, textures and colors, and each denomination is emblazoned with different images in low relief on its obverse (heads) and reverse (tails) sides.  Many traditional American numismatic designs have become as familiar as old friends, while some new styles seem to have an eye-catching contemporary appeal.  Did you ever wonder how the specific words and pictures on our metal currency came to be where they are?

Beginning with the first metallic currency issued by the United States in 1793, coin design has been a process that reflected the political, social and economic aspirations of our country.  The Mint Act of 1792 established a U.S. mint to produce and regulate the nation’s coinage, and authorized a salary of $2,000 for its director – quite generous, at the time.  The mint was allowed to make coins of gold, silver, and copper, and was also instructed as follows:

“Upon one side of each of the said coins there shall be an impression emblematic of liberty, with an inscription of the word Liberty, and the year of the coinage; and upon the reverse of each of the gold and silver coins there shall be the figure or representation of an eagle, and the inscriptions ‘UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’ and ‘E PLURIBUS UNUM’…" 

As the nation grew and changed, so did the coin designer's art - to reflect our heritage and ideals.  Portraits of national leaders, a common attribute on the coinage of other countries, are a relatively recent feature of U.S. issues: The 1909 Lincoln penny was the first circulating American coin to memorialize a U.S. president.  In the nearly 100 years since then, most coins have come to feature a former president’s profile. (For an overview of U.S. coin history, see A Brief History of United States Coins)

The law permits the Director of the United States Mint^®, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to determine what images will appear on American coinage.  By law, no change may be made to a particular design more than once in 25 years, unless Congress gives specific authorization. Today, however, Congress generally mandates all of the designs chosen for circulating coins.  Sometimes, new designs result from a popular wish to memorialize admired leaders like the Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.  In other instances, they have been intended to increase public interest in collectible currency.

Congress also regulates many other aspects of the coinage, including the weight, size, composition and denomination of circulating coins.  It has ordered studies on Americans’ satisfaction with their coins, and passed legislation to authorize new designs.  But Congress does not prescribe the exact depictions that appear on the coins’ faces, except in a general way.  Thus, a section from recent U.S. Code on the 50 State Quarters^® design warns:

“Because it is important that the Nation’s coinage and currency bear dignified designs of which the citizens of the United States can be proud,  the Secretary shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate design for any quarter dollar minted under this subsection.”

To create the actual images used on coins, the mint has often turned to well-known artists and sculptors.  President Theodore Roosevelt took up the cause of invigorating U.S. coins in consultation with internationally acclaimed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  The classically inspired “liberty” designs that resulted were widely praised.  But Saint-Gaudens was often frustrated by what he felt was unnecessary federal bureaucracy, which he declaimed in several angry letters to the director of the mint.  Since that time, other recognized artists have worked with the mint to create images for use on U.S. Mint coins – presumably, with less creative tension.

Public demand may also influence the words and images found on a U.S. coin.  A flurry of appeals to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase in the 1860s resulted in the following instruction to Mint Director James Pollock: “The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.”

His directive caused the inscription “In God We Trust” to be placed on U.S. coins, beginning with the two-cent piece of 1864.  Except for a brief hiatus, it has appeared on all American coins since then, and also sparked one of the best-known rejoinders in numismatic history: “All others pay cash.”

Currently, the U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program solicits artists to help develop a contemporary image for the coinage.  Beginning in 2003, the mint selected a group of designers from among several hundred talented applicants.  These artists submitted plans and helped to produce the finished original designs for a variety of new commemorative and circulating coins.

Several recent coin design programs have also sparked a renewed awareness of their respective artistic qualities.  The 50 State Quarters^® program features emblems that highlight the unique heritage of each state.  The Westward Journey Nickel Series™ commemorates the bicentennials of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, with images that evoke the historic journey into the Louisiana Territory .

The new presidential dollar coin program has already resulted in an enthusiastic response from the coin collector and the general public alike. (To learn more about these coins, see Presidential Coin Features.)