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 Replies: 8 / Views: 208 |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
12252 Posts |
In 1978, as changes to the United States ("US") Coinage Act of 1965 loomed - the changes were to entail reducing the size and weight of the $1 coin, plus incorporate a new design on it - multiple design proposals were being considered. The Treasury Department favored an allegorical representation of Liberty in keeping with traditional presentations of women on US coins. There was also a group in Congress (and elsewhere) that strongly supported featuring the likeness of late 19th/early 20th Century suffragist/women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony on the new coin. Of course, history informs us that a portrait of Susan B. Anthony ultimately won out, but there was at least one other design proposal presented in Congress. In June 1978, James Anthony Burke (D-MA) addressed his colleagues in the House of Representatives ("House"), and floated the idea of using a portrait of Abigail Adams on the new $1 coin. In support of his proposal, he argued, "Abigail Adams was very much a part of the struggle for American independence. She closely observed and recorded current events, frequently expressing independent political opinions which in turn guided the actions of the second President of the United States. With her constant warning to, 'Remember the Ladies' when forming the Government, Abigail Adams is truly the first proponent of women's rights in America. She paved the way for the women's rights' activists of the 19th and 20th centuries.
"The portrayal of Abigail Adams on the new dollar coin is a logical compromise to the mythological Miss Liberty and significant American women who were active in the 1800's and 1900's."Burke's proposal did not progress, but. IMO, it would have been interesting if it had. I wonder if the new $1 coin' would have been better accepted by the public if it featured a more aesthetically pleasing obverse portrait, or was its rejection all about the convenience that the $1 bill afforded and potential confusion with the US 25-cent coin? For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more modern US coin stories, see: Commems CollectionCollecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Moderator
United States
15386 Posts |
An interesting alternative proposal that I was not aware of. Thank you for sharing. Quote:
I wonder if the new $1 coin' would have been better accepted by the public ....or was its rejection all about the convenience that the $1 bill afforded Forgive me for selectively quoting elements of your more expansive supposition comment.  But the remaining quote dovetails with my opinion - the $1 coin, regardless of whose portrait graced the obverse, was never going to succeed in competition with the $1 bill. I can easily carry say four $1 bills in my wallet. Compare that to carrying four $1 coins. Enough said.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
73623 Posts |
Nice read, thank you.  Errers and Varietys.
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Moderator
United States
94728 Posts |
thanks once more commems. |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
12252 Posts |
Quote:
the $1 coin, regardless of whose portrait graced the obverse, was never going to succeed in competition with the $1 bill. I agree with you - and so did the majority of Americans polled by the Mint back in 1979:MINT OPINION STUDY SHOWS PUBLIC DISLIKES ANTHONY DOLLAR
"MR. FRANK ANNUNZIO (D-IL). Mr. Speaker, the Mint recently spent $8,900 for a public opinion poll to find out what everyone knew - that the new dollar coin is about as popular as Ayatollah Khomeini. According to the survey, only one person in four has ever used the coin to make a purchase. Of those people, over half, 57 percent, have had difficulties in using the coin. The problems these people encountered mirror the letters the Consumer Affairs Subcommittee receives about the coin. Virtually everyone with a problem said the coin is too small, looks like a quarter, and is too confusing and hard to recognize.
"In light of that, it should come as no surprise that fully one person in three, when asked to rate the coin from zero to 10, rated it a zero. Two persons in three expressed dissatisfaction, rating the coin four or less. Only 18 percent expressed satisfaction by rating the coin above 5.
"The survey asked people what they would recommend to improve the coin and, again, the results were hardly surprising. Fifty-six percent said the coin should be made larger, or like the old dollar coin. Seventeen percent said that it should be made unlike the quarter. Only 5 percent thought it was all right the way it is, and only 1 percent recommended abolishing the $1 bill.
"The survey asked people about making the coin brass colored, or making it with a smooth edge. The smooth-edged coin fared no better than the current coin, with a 70-percent dissatisfaction rating and 32 percent rating it zero. The brass-colored coin did better than the current coin, but 42 percent were still dissatisfied and, overall, 1 in 5 rated it a zero.
"Finally, the survey asked people to choose from among four options. Forty-six percent chose a colored coin, 22 per-cent chose a colored coin with a smooth edge, 7 percent chose a smooth-edged coin, and only 12 percent chose the com as it is now.
"This survey shows the extent to which this com is a failure. The real disgrace is that only now, after mintng over three-quarters of a billion dollar coins, has the Government attempted to discover how Americans would view it.
"Mr. Speaker, I hope the Mint paid its survey contractor with these dollar coins, because no one else wants them."No reported comments regarding the choice of design (Susan B. Anthony), just a focus on the practical aspects of the new coin. The people spoke, but were asked a bit late! Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Moderator
United States
15386 Posts |
Thanks for posting that survey - those results certainly correlate to our views on the desirability of the SBA coin. There were several comments in the survey report that made an impression on me. Selective quoting here: Quote:
... the new dollar coin is about as popular as Ayatollah Khomeini ...The real disgrace is that only now, after minting over three-quarters of a billion dollar coins, has the Government attempted to discover how Americans would view it .... I hope the Mint paid its survey contractor with these dollar coins, because no one else wants them |
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
Very interesting and thank you for sharing! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3622 Posts |
Two things might make a dollar coin more acceptable today. First, the buying power of a dollar in 1979 is vastly different than the buying power of a dollar today. According to the calculator on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website, $1.00 in January 1979 had the same buying power as $4.83 today. While not the only or even biggest reason, it helps explain why consumers in 1979 were not prepared to stop production of the paper dollar. Second, the advent of the Euro created an economy with smaller-size coins that have achieved popular usage. The common EU coins approximate the size of a US Quarter or US Nickel. Here are the comparisons:  A Euro five cent is 21.25 mm, and a US Nickel is 21.20 mm. A Euro ten cent is 19.75 mm, about the middle between a US Dime (17.9 mm) and a US Nickel. A Euro Twenty Cent is 22.25 mm, and a US Quarter is 24.3 mm. A Euro fifty cent is 24.25 mm, almost identical in size to a US Quarter. 1€ coins are 23.25 mm, smaller than a US Quarter. 2€ coins are 25.75 mm, and the small US Dollar coins are 26.5 mm. Though similar size, the European coins have distinctly different edges, weight, and appearance. All of that aside, the SBAs were truly hated, and the newer coins aren't exactly loved either. Edited by fortcollins
04/27/2026 11:56 am
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
They will never be loved as long as there is a paper version.
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Replies: 8 / Views: 208 |
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