Letter
Dear Mr. Jeppson:
In its meeting of 18 June, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative designs for a set of three coins commemorating the centennial of the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The Commission provided the following recommendations and comments.
Five-Dollar Gold Coin. For the obverse, the Commission members supported a composition featuring John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt, but they requested that the design convey that Muir was the pioneering naturalist whose work preceded the advocacy of Roosevelt; accordingly, they recommended obverse alternative #1 as best depicting this relationship. This relationship could also be achieved by transposing the figures in another design, such as obverse alternatives #3 or #10, which were preferred by the National Park Service liaison and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). For the reverse, the Commission supported alternative #3, consistent with the preference of the liaison and the CCAC.
One-Dollar Silver Coin. For the obverse, the Commission members recommended alternative #3, consistent with the liaison’s preference; they requested refinement of the depiction of the geyser, and they suggested that a more dynamic representation of the bison would be appropriate. For the reverse, they recommended alternative #2—which was the CCAC preference for the obverse face—and requested further refinement of the folklórico dancer’s depiction, suggesting the elimination of the curving banner and the National Park Service emblem to allow for a more clear portrayal of the dancer.
Half-Dollar Clad Coin. For the obverse, the Commission members recommended alternative #10, consistent with the liaison’s preference. For the reverse, they recommended alternatives #9 and #9-A, avoiding the specificity of an urban bicycling scene for this coin in favor of a simpler, more abstract image.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/ Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Rhett Jeppson
Principal Deputy Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220