Letter
Dear Ms. Gibson:
In its public meeting of 17 October conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative obverse designs for the three-year “Charters of Freedom” series of platinum proof coins for issue in 2026, 2027, and 2028, part of the American Eagle program of investment-grade coins. The Commission was pleased to consider the advice of the Citizens
Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and provided the following comments and
recommendations.
Among the coordinated sets of three designs, the Commission members recommended set #1, featuring an evolving composition of the sun and landscape to represent the Declaration of Independence (2026), the U.S. Constitution (2027), and the Bill of Rights (2028). Within set #1, they recommended alternative #1A for the 2026 coin, which places stars at the perimeter instead of a date range. For design consistency of this coin in relation to the later issues, they suggested further study of rendering the word “Independence” in a horizontal rather than curved alignment and consolidating “Declaration of” to a single text line. They supported the CCAC’s recommendations to refine the depiction of the tree for the 2027 coin so that it does not appear to be merely a wind-damaged version of the tree on the 2028 coin, and to refine the sun’s rays and clouds on the 2027 and 2028 coins to more closely resemble those of the 2026 design. They also agreed with the CCAC’s preference to add a fourteenth star on the 2028 coin to represent the number of states when the Bill of Rights was ratified; a potential location for the added star could be at the bottom of the composition, replacing the dot that separates “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum.” For the whole series, they supported the intent of a consistent style and alignment for the minting year on the three coins, and they recommended refinement of the artwork to achieve this.
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