Not Another Coinage Carnival

Today I was introduced to a new blog, Earthly Passions, by way of an email from the writer Mark Pierce. I spent a while at work today reading through the main page and found the site to rather interesting.

One post in particular caught my eye. He had a satirical post on the new nickel. Funny in and of itself, but curiousity got the best of me. I clicked on the link on the image to get to the article from the Dayton Daily News that talked about the change, seriously.

Look at these pictures:

First the new designs:

Now, a Roman Coin, pay particular attention to the reverse on the right hand side of the photo:

And this one, again paying attention to the reverse:

(Photos taken from the VCRC)

Notice a similarity? The first Roman coin is a Concordia Militvm, or peace with the military. It is supposed to represent peace and the understanding between the emperor and the military. Looks quite a bit like the Spring release, huh?

And look at the galley coin. It was supposed to remind the holder of the coin of the power of the Roman Navy. Looks an awful lot like the Fall release now doesn't it?

I find it interesting how, in the US Mint's quest for interesting coinage, they harken back to designs nearly 2000 years old.

Now all that being said, I am not a fan of the multiple reverse designs that we've seen on the quarter and now coming soon to a nickel near you. In my opinion it reduces the dignity of our money. The new state quarters, while interesting to collect and to look at, just don't seem the same as the old eagle quarters. The new nickels will be a nice novelty, but we'll lose the dignity of Monticello.

The Romans used their coinage for propaganda which is why they had multiple reverses. While our coinage is a reflection of who we are, it is not a propaganda piece. Our coinage should reflect a certain dignity.

Multiple reverses take away from that dignity. That's why I don't really like the state quarters or the new nickels. They look nice, they're interesting to collect, but I don't really think that they are a good representation of who we are as a nation.

Changing the coinage is a decision that should not be taken lightly. It should happen only after a significant deliberation and the design - not designs - should reflect some piece of Americana or our history.

Of course, this is why I'll never be given a position in the Mint.