Letter
Dear Mr. Ryder:
In its meeting of 20 September, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative designs for the introductory coin of the American Innovation One Dollar Coin Program. The Commission members present at the meeting provided the following recommendations and comments.
For the obverse, which will be used throughout the forthcoming coin series, the Commission members recommended alternatives #8 and #12, commenting that these alternatives best convey the coin’s theme of innovation through bold, asymmetrical compositions and an emphasis on the Statue of Liberty’s torch. For the design of the reverse, unique to this introductory coin, they recommended alternative #13 as a clear expression of the reverse’s thematic focus on the first U.S. patent signed by George Washington in 1790. They commented that the clarity of this theme would be confused by including design references to later inventions and technologies, such as the light bulb, space suit, cowboy hat, and machine gears, as depicted in some alternatives.
As a quorum of the Commission was not present for the review of this submission, these recommendations will be placed on the administrative agenda for confirmation at the Commission’s meeting of 18 October. 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