Letter
Dear Ms. Gibson:
In its public meeting of 15 February conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative designs for modifications to the obverse of the circulating one-cent and five-cent coins to commemorate the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The Commission members present provided the following comments and recommendations.
For both coins, the Commission members recommended Option 1, which would augment the minting year to provide the commemorative date range of 1776–2026. They commented that the simplicity of this modification would be appropriate for these small coins, while the other alternatives containing a Liberty Bell privy mark and the number “250” would add excessive and illegible complexity. Acknowledging the intent to develop distinct designs for the two coins, they said this differentiation is already sufficiently achieved by the treatment of the word “Liberty”— typeset on the one-cent coin, and in Thomas Jefferson’s cursive script on the five-cent coin.
As a quorum was not present for the review, these recommendations will be placed on the administrative agenda for confirmation at the Commission's next meeting. As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Ventris C. Gibson, Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220