Letter
Dear Mr. Peterson:
In its meeting of 21 June, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative designs for a second set of four Congressional Gold Medals in accordance with the Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008. The Commission provided the following recommendations:
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The Commission members recommended obverse #2 and reverse #7, as preferred by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, with the suggestion to add the year of enactment to the phrase "Act of Congress" on the reverse.
Choctaw Nation. The Commission members recommended obverse #3 and reverse #1, as preferred by the Choctaw Nation, and commended the simplicity of these preferred designs.
Osage Nation. The Commission recommended obverse #2 after considering the Osage Nation's preference for #1 and concluding that the omission in #2 of the barbed wire depiction—the only difference between the alternatives—would improve the clarity of the design. The Commission also supported reverse #1, the single submitted alternative.
Pawnee Nation. The Commission members offered support for obverse #2 subject to eliminating the overlap between the soldier's hair and the border text of the coin. They acknowledged the compositional simplicity of obverse #1 but questioned the legibility of the equipment carried on the soldier's back. They recommended reverse #1, commenting that this abstract depiction of the Pawnee Nation's emblem would complement the realistic obverse design.
The Commission appreciates the comments of the Native American groups in developing the designs. As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Richard A. Peterson, Deputy Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220
cc: Ron Harrigal, U.S. Mint