Standing Liberty Quarters?

Just thought I would start a brawl since everythings so quiet. Here is the question...

Who authorized the cover up of Lady Liberty in 1917 on the Standing Liberty quarter. Please, I'm looking for the name of the person or their title.

catman

Sorry Susan. No brass ring today

catman

From what I can find, the alteration to Liberty's breast was illegal and not written into law anywhere.

The other changes (increasing the concavity of the fields, repositioning the eagle higher, placing 3 of the 13 stars under the eagle, and respacing the inscriptions) were authorized in Public Law 27 which was the result of a bill introduced by William Ashbrook, Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.

The addition of the chain-mail type armor to cover her breast was not legally authorized but resulted from pressure brought to bear on the Mint by the Society for the Suppression of Vice.

Hello Susan, ND,

You are both correct. There was no authorization to cover up Liberty's breast. ND is 100% correct that the Public Outcry is only a legend that can be traced back only to the 1920's.

I was a friend of Walter Breen's when he was living in Berkely, CA. This was one issue that I could always get his goat on. Walter believed that the cover up was done because there were a bunch of prudes in office at the time. However he would readily admitt that there was no documentation to back it up.

I kept telling him it was done for political reasons under the table. In 1916 the first woman was elected to congress. I believe she was from WY. Also Susan B. Anthony and the girls were on a full swing and we were in a world war at the same time. I told Walter that Teddy asked that it be covered up so that if needed the party could used it as a political tool. However they didn't really want the issue out front because someone might ask why did you have a nude in the first place. So undercove of the law to change the reverse the obverse was changed also.Without the fanfare.

Walter's hair would stand on end. (as if it didn't already) Because mine was just a theory like his and everyone else's. There are those who claim the have the real answer but they don't. As far as I know today the greatest mystery in modern numismatic's is Who Covered Miss Liberty..?

catman

ND and Catman,
I am definitely not trying to argue this point. The research I did today is the extent of the research I had done on this series. What the two of you are saying makes a lot more sense.

In poking around further, I am seeing a lot of references to the Type I design not being what was originally intended. It would make sense though for someone along the line (probably someone who had a lot of these to sell) to add the notoriety of covering the bare breast for moral issues though. Bet those stories really perked up interest in the series (and sales).

On the obverse

You're making me crazy here, you know that don't you?

I'm still working on this new one.

quote:

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Originally posted by catman

Susan,

You won't find that answer either..! She is stepping off a ship..!

catman

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I probably spent 45 minutes today trying to find this...it's a good thing you live all the way across the country

And how do you know that, anyway? What reference books do you have that I don't?

I feel better now that I couldn't find anything. I always thought I was pretty good at research until that question