Letter
Dear Mr. Ryder:
In its meeting of 18 October, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative reverse designs for the 2021 and 2022 issues of the Native American One Dollar Coin series, providing the following recommendations.
For the 2021 coin featuring the theme of Native American military service, the Commission recommended alternatives #1A and 4, which are among or similar to the stated preferences of other groups consulted by the Mint. The Commission members described alternative #1 as an interesting and focused design, expressing confidence that the detail could be adequately conveyed at the coin’s size, as seen in the provided samples of earlier coins in the series. They expressed support for the feather motif of alternative #4, commenting that this simpler composition with a stippled background is graphically stronger than the related design of alternative #4A, which was the preference of the Mint’s Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC).
For the 2022 coin featuring the Tonawanda Seneca engineer and diplomat Ely Parker, the Commission members supported alternatives #1A and 5. They cited the two quill pens of alternative #1A, symbolizing Parker’s achievements in the two spheres of the U.S. military and Native American society, as an effective design feature. They also supported the CCAC’s recommendation of alternative #5, along with the refinements that the CCAC has suggested for the inscriptions and the depiction of the quill pen.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
David Ryder, Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220