Bridges On US Coins

Coin World article. I'm biased because I see it almost every day, but the bay bridge commem is one of my faves... (as much for the golden bear as the bridge)
Architectural wonders
Examples of American coinage honor famous
bridges throughout the country
posted 11/29/05
By Emily Mullins
Coin World Staff
 

Bridges are often fondly referred to as America's cathedrals, and rightfully so. The peaceful serenity a view of these massive structures can provide, spanning over sometimes hundreds of miles of sparkling water with nothing but endless sky behind them, is comparable to the elaborate beauty of some of the world's beloved churches. Bridges have been fundamental to the development of the United States, connecting people and places to one another unlike any invention before them. Therefore, it is only appropriate that some of America's legendary bridges be represented on coinage, from commemorative to circulating pieces.

A commemorative construction

The first American coin to feature a bridge is the 1936 San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge half dollar, issued to commemorate the opening of the structure to the public on Nov. 12 of that year. The structure connects San Francisco and Oakland via two suspension bridges and a tunnel on Yerba Buena Island, located in between the two cities. The use of the Yerba Buena Tunnel made the construction of the bridge more feasible, due to the impossible distance a single bridge would have to cover.

Local artist and sculptor Jacques Schnier designed the coin, featuring the bridge, stretching toward Emeryville, Oakland and Berkeley with the ferry tower in the foreground, on the reverse. Two steamships are located in the coin's left field. SAN FRANCISCO OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE is around the coin's rim. The date 1936 appears at the bottom.

The obverse features a California grizzly bear, the emblem of the state. The S Mint mark, of the San Francisco Mint, is located near the bear's paw, with the denomination and the inscription of LIBERTY underneath. Four stars and THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA are inscribed around the edge of the coin, and IN GOD WE TRUST is located in the left field.

Many assumed the model for the bear was Monarch II, a well-known grizzly housed in a cage in Golden Gate Park. Because the bear spent 26 years of his life in captivity, many numismatists wondered if this image represented the ideas of freedom and liberty American coinage aims to convey. However, Schnier claimed the image was a compilation of various grizzly bears located in the Oakland and San Francisco zoos, and was intended to symbolize California's gaining of freedom from Mexico and to evoke the state's arms.
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THE SAN FRANCISCO-Oakland Bay Bridge and Burnside Bridge, site of the Battle of Antietam, are featured on commemorative coins of 1936 and 1937. Images courtesy of HeritageCoins.com.

Bridge over troubled water

The year 1937 marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The fighting took place Sept. 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Md., with some of the heaviest fighting over possession of Burnside Bridge. Victory went to the Union troops when Union Army Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside ordered his men to cross the structure under Confederate fire, thus gaining important ground and influencing the name of the bridge.

The bridge was constructed in 1836 by the well-known bridge builder John Weaver. The structure stretches 192 feet long and includes three stone arches. The bridge is now protected under the National Park Service, which has made efforts to restore it to its original condition.

A commemorative half dollar was issued in honor of the battle's 75th anniversary and features Burnside Bridge on its reverse. The coin, designed by William Marks Simpson, features Simpson's rendition of Burnside Bridge and Antietam Creek, with trees located on the right and left of the structure. Inscriptions on the coin include the burnside bridge, september 17, 1862, e pluribus unum, seventy-fifth anniversary battle of antietam. The date 1937 appears at the bottom.

The obverse features left-facing profiles of Union Gen. George B. McClellan and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Each man's name and rank appear below their busts. Inscribed around the edge of the coin are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOLLAR. Three stars representing Lee's rank as Confederate general and two stars representing McClellan's rank as Union major general are also included.

Bridge of the bay

The Rhode Island quarter dollar was the third State Quarter issued in 2001 and the 13th in the series.

The state promotes itself as the sailing capital of the world, with Rhode Island's more than 400 miles of coastline vital to the livelihood of the state. The Ocean State has been host to the America's Cup, the most famous boating race in the world, for more than 50 years.

Narragansett Bay is one of the largest and most important of the bays, acting as an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, receiving four major rivers and housing several islands.
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THE RHODE ISLAND and the West Virginia State Quarters feature the Pell, or Newport, Bridge and New River Gorge Bridge, respectively.



Aware of the area's importance, residents of Rhode Island chose a design featuring the Narragansett Bay and the Pell Bridge, also known as the Newport Bridge, which stretches across the bay to connect the towns of Newport and Jamestown, for its State Quarter dollar. Gov. Lincoln Almond, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and a Coin Concept Advisory Panel, conducted a competition that included more than 500 designs. The winning design received 57 percent of the 34,566 votes residents cast at local libraries, at the Statehouse and online.

Designed by Daniel Carr, the coin features a vintage sailboat bobbing through the rippling waves of Narragansett Bay, while the Pell Bridge stretches across the background. The inscription RHODE ISLAND appears along the top portion of the coin and E PLURIBUS UNUM appears across the bottom. The date 1790, representing the year Rhode Island ratified the U.S. Constitution, appears below the name of the state. The year of issue, 2001, appears above the motto. THE OCEAN STATE is inscribed in the right field.

The Pell Bridge was constructed in 1969, although efforts to authorize it began in the late 1940s. Residents of Rhode Island initially did not support the project and voters did not pass the 1960 legislation authorizing the construction. It was not until 1965 that necessary legislation was passed. Despite early speculations, the Pell Bridge has served as an important means of transportation, trade and tourism since its creation. At 11,248 feet long, it is the largest bridge in all of New England, and can be seen from any area of the bay.

Engineering excellence

The most recently issued of coins depicting a famous American bridge is the West Virginia quarter dollar, the fifth and final State Quarter to be issued in 2005 and the 35th in the series. The quarter dollar features New River Gorge Bridge, the world's largest steel span bridge, at 3,030 feet long and 69 feet wide, and the second highest bridge in the United States, standing 876 feet high.

The bridge was completed in 1977. Until then, traveling through New River Gorge was a long and winding 40-minute journey down the narrow, and often dangerous, mountain roads. The addition of New River Gorge Bridge cut the trip down to a quick and easy one-minute drive.

The bridge serves as more than just a shortcut down the mountainside. It is also the site of West Virginia's largest one-day festival, known as Bridge Day, held on the third Saturday in October every year since 1980. On the day of the event, the bridge is used recreationally for everything from base-jumping, rappelling and parachuting to walking and sightseeing.

According to a U.S. Mint press release, more than 1,800 designs were submitted to the West Virginia quarter dollar design competition. West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise chose a design, by Jamie Lester, of the New River Gorge Bridge to illustrate the state's natural beauty and the engineering excellence required to construct the manmade wonder. The coin features the New River Gorge Bridge stretching above the New River surrounded by forested hillsides, with NEW RIVER GORGE printed below the image.

Beyond coins

Other numismatic items honoring bridges throughout America come in the form of tokens and medals, such as those issued by the Michigan and Maryland Departments of Transportation.

Although sometimes overlooked in today's fast-paced world of technology, bridges were at one time considered modern marvels that allowed advancements and growth once impossible. However, taking a moment to throw a coin off a bridge, with a secret wish attached to it, may bring to mind the subtle importance of the very structure being stood on.