Letter
Dear Ms. Gibson:
In its public meeting of 20 April conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative designs for a Congressional Gold Medal honoring the 6888th Central Postal Director Battalion (the “Six Triple Eight”), a military unit during World War II whose members were Black women. The Commission was pleased to take into consideration the preferences of the Mint’s liaison and of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), and provided the following comments and recommendations.
For the obverse, the Commission members recommended alternative O-03, consistent with the preference of the CCAC. They requested revising the background to correctly depict the 48-star flag that was current during World War II, and they acknowledged the intent to correct some details of the uniforms and insignia. They also requested further refinement of the portraiture. For the reverse, the Commission members recommended alternative O-01, which was presented as an obverse design; they cited this composition’s depiction of the women carrying out their work in processing mail. They requested that this design, adapted for the reverse, include the battalion’s slogan “No Mail, Low Morale,” as seen on several other alternatives. Observing that this pairing’s duplicated text “6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion” would be presented more clearly on the recommended reverse, they suggested deleting it from the upper edge of obverse O-03.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Ventris Gibson, Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220