Yes the eagle is still required. The current version of the law is
US Code title 31 subtitle IV Chapter 51 subchapter II section 5112 (D) (1)
United States coins shall have the inscription "In God We Trust". The obverse side of each coin shall have the inscription "Liberty". The reverse side of each coin shall have the inscriptions "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum" and a designation of the value of the coin.
The design on the reverse side of the dollar, half dollar, and quarter dollar is an eagle. Subject to other provisions of this subsection, the obverse of any 5-cent coin issued after December 31, 2005, shall bear the likeness of Thomas Jefferson and the reverse of any such 5-cent coin shall bear an image of the home of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Congress, shall select appropriate designs for the obverse and reverse sides of the dollar coin. The coins have an inscription of the year of minting or issuance. However, to prevent or alleviate a shortage of a denomination, the Secretary may inscribe coins of the denomination with the year that was last inscribed on coins of the denomination.
HOWEVER This requirement can be superseded by later legislation that specifies the design of a coin or series. This was the case with the Bicentennials, the
State Quarters, the President dollars, etc. On those coins the authorizing legislation specifically exempts them for the requirement to bear the eagle. The legislation for the President dollars likewise exempts the coin from having to bear the word LIBERTY on it. (See sentence two in the law above where the word is required.) You will note that the law no longer says anything about the eagle being required on the gold or silver coins.
If you would like to see the entire Section 5112 that covers the designs and specification for the coins it cn be found here
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/3...---000-.htmlQuote:
When the Dime, Quarter and Half-Dollar denominations went to Cu-Ni clad composition in 1965,
did this eliminate the Eagle-reverse design requirement by default?
No, the coinage act of 1965 amended the current legislation to include "...and upon the reverse side shall be the figure or representation of an eagle, with the inscriptions `United states of America' and `E Pluribus Unum; and a designation of the value of the coin;but on the dime, 5-, and 1-cent piece, the figure of the eagle shall be omitted."
Quote:
After all, American Eagle gold and silver bullion series coins are still in compliance
with the original Liberty/Eagle design specifications!
Yes but the bullion coins have the eagles on them because the authorizing legislation specifically states the eagle shall appear. In the case of the
ASE it simply states and eagle, for the gold bullion it says "on the reverse side, a design representing a family of eagles, with the male carrying an olive branch and flying above a nest containing a female eagle and hatchlings; "
Posted 08/24/2011 10:08 pm
