Liberty on U.S. Coins: A History
At a Glance:
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- Lady Liberty has been a fixture of American coinage for over 230 years.
- Original depictions of Liberty take on a feminine form, but modern coins often experiment more.
- Learn more about the complex history of Liberty iconography on American coinage on this page.
Liberty on U.S. Coinage: A History
No matter which types of gold and silver coins you like to collect, you’ve probably come across pieces bearing the likeness of Lady Liberty. The Coinage Act of 1792, which also established the U.S. Mint, required U.S. coin producers to include some depiction of Liberty on all circulating coinage, along with the word “liberty.”
While early-American coins often featured the iconic feminine personifications of Lady Liberty coin collectors have come to love, later coinage experimented with how to best represent the concept of liberty. Some depictions of liberty on American coinage have been men, and others have been important political figures. But regardless of how the U.S. Mint chooses to pay homage to the foundational and deeply American concept of liberty, the symbol remains a fixture of American coinage – even today.
In this Bullion Academy history lesson, we’re going to walk readers through a very brief rundown of the various different ways “Lady” Liberty has appeared on our national coinage.
Liberty As a Symbol
U.S. law requires that all circulating coinage include artwork that is in some way “emblematic of liberty.” In the early days of the U.S. Mint, this meant that circulating coinage included a portrait of Lady Liberty, the feminine personification of liberty famously represented with the Statue of Liberty.
As you’ll see on this page, though, the United States Mint didn’t stick with the classic feminine Lady Liberty forever. Instead, mint artists have worked to find new and innovative ways to demonstrate America’s commitment to the ideals of liberty on new coinage. Of course, you probably already know this. After all, your quarters, dimes, nickels, and other circulating coins certainly don’t feature Lady Liberty with flowing hair.
Below, we’ll take a look at the origins and evolution of liberty iconography on American coinage from 1792 until now.
Early Examples of Liberty on U.S. Coinage
From the 1793 depiction of “Flowing Hair” Liberty to the distinctly modern Liberty series of bullion coins, Liberty has undergone a major transformation in the 230+ years of the United States Mint. Our story begins with the Coinage Act of 1792, which established an official United States Mint and laid the groundwork for over two centuries of liberty iconography on American coinage.
The Coinage Act of 1792
The Coinage Act of 1792 is most well-known for establishing the United States Mint. But this legislation, one of the first major laws passed by the United States Congress, also laid out the requirements for how U.S. coins will be designed. Chief among these requirements was that coin designers would include on each circulating U.S. coin some sort of image “emblematic” of liberty.
Clearly, this requirement leaves quite a bit up to interpretation. And by all accounts, this was by design. The U.S. Mint was given a degree of freedom in determining which images would be used to represent the United States’ commitment to the principle of liberty on coinage. One of the mint’s earliest attempts at representing Lady Liberty on coinage remains a highly collectible coin, even today.
Flowing Hair Liberty: The Design That Started It All
Minted in 1793, the Flowing Hair cent, also known as the chain cent, was the first coin ever struck officially by the newly established United States Mint. The coin’s obverse includes a depiction of Lady Liberty with long, flowing hair. Although the chain cent was only minted for one year, it served as inspiration for the first dollar coin ever issued in the United States, the iconic Flowing Hair dollar.
When the U.S. Mint released the Flowing Hair Dollar, the mint’s artists introduced another element that would soon become a fixture of symbolism on American coinage: the American Bald Eagle. The bald eagle is arguably an even more iconic design on American coinage, and it appears even today on several mass-produced currency coins from the U.S. Mint.
Today, Flowing Hair dollars are considered very rare, especially in higher grades. Despite only having been minted for two years (1794-1795), the coin is considered one of the foundational pieces of early American numismatics.
After Flowing Hair Liberty
Lady Liberty got a makeover in 1795 with the release of the Draped Bust dollar. This coin took inspiration on its reverse from the Flowing Hair Dollar. On the obverse, Lady Liberty’s hair was rendered in greater detail and included a bow. The coin proved satisfactory to the U.S. Mint and, unlike its predecessors, enjoyed a rather large minting run of nine years (1795-1804).
Although the production of silver dollars in the U.S. ceased in 1804 and only resumed in 1836, other coins from the early-19th century feature similar obverse depictions of Lady Liberty in various forms.
When the silver dollar series resumed in 1836, Lady Liberty once again transformed. This time, she took the form of “Seated Liberty” as she sat on a rock holding an American flag in one hand and a shield in the other. This design was certainly an improvement on earlier depictions of Liberty, adding more detail and, notably, showing her full body in a seated position for the first time.
The Seated Liberty dollar was produced from 1836 until 1873, making it the longest-running silver dollar up until that point in U.S. history.
Seated Liberty dollars were replaced in 1873 by the Trade dollar, another classic piece of American coinage that tend to sell for a large premium to collectors. This silver dollar reverses Lady Liberty’s seated position from right-facing to left-facing and adds more detail to her dress and seat. This coin is particularly notable for its popularity as a medium of international exchange. Today, many specimens of the Trade dollar feature holes, chopmarks, and other counterstamps, which serve as evidence of the coin’s use in Asia.
Trade dollars were discontinued in 1877 to pave the way for what would eventually become one of the most iconic coins in American history – the Morgan silver dollar.
Morgan and Peace Dollar Depictions of Liberty
The Morgan dollar was first minted in 1878 and is named after designer George T. Morgan. Morgan’s vision for Lady Liberty departed from the sweeping, seated vignettes that dominated its recent predecessors. He returned instead to the bust-style portrait that characterized coins like the Draped Bust dollar decades earlier.
This time, Lady Liberty appeared less like a deity and more as a modern American woman. On the Morgan dollar, Liberty wears her hair in a bonnet. Her hairband says “liberty,” a creative implementation of the requirements set forth by the Coinage Act of 1792. The American Bald Eagle once again adorns the reverse side of this classic coin. Today, the Morgan dollar is considered one of the most sought-after collectible U.S. coins, and high-grade versions of the pre-1921 minting run frequently sell for hefty premiums over melt value.
Production of the Morgan dollar ceased in 1904 before resuming for one year in 1921.
In 1921, a new silver dollar was commissioned in order to celebrate the USA’s victory in World War One. Artist Anthony de Francisci managed to combine older designs with a more modern take to create the iconic Peace dollar. His wife sat as the model, and Francisci allowed the open windows of his New York apartment to let the wind in, blowing her hair back. The result? A flowing-haired Lady Liberty who wears a high-and-tight crown atop her head.
This coin, along with the Morgan dollar, are likely the most iconic and instantly recognizable silver dollars in American history. Perhaps more importantly, they represented the apex of Lady Liberty on modern circulating coinage. Despite its modern reception, the Peace dollar’s reign was short-lived. Production ceased in 1928 before resuming for just two years in 1934-1935.
Reimagining Liberty
This isn’t the end of Liberty’s story, though. American coins of multiple denominations continued to feature some form of Lady Liberty throughout the 20th century. But as time wore on, the U.S. Mint began to experiment with different ways of representing liberty.
Presidential Coins and Liberty
Very few circulating U.S. coins in the modern era depict Lady Liberty. Instead, the obverse of most U.S. currency coins features a U.S. President. The U.S. Mint began including presidents on circulating coins in 1909. By 1964, every circulating, regular issue U.S. coin featured artwork of a United States president.
While U.S. presidents certainly are not Lady Liberty in her classical form, the U.S. Mint’s choice still remains true to Congress’ original wish. All U.S. coins say “liberty” on them, and American presidential portraits represent another permutation of the classic sense of liberty that the American founders envisioned.
The Buffalo Nickel – Liberty Reinvented
One notable early-1900s revision to the concept of liberty came with the iconic Buffalo nickel. This coin does not feature a U.S. president, nor does it pay homage to the classical feminine personification of Lady Liberty. Instead, the coin features a portrait of a Native American Chief.
In many ways, the Buffalo nickel’s unique take on the concept of liberty helps represent the U.S. Mint’s gradual efforts to experiment with different ways to personify and embody liberty on our national coinage. Today, the Buffalo nickel is considered one of the most popular collectible coins from this era of U.S. Mint history.
Lady Liberty on Modern American Coinage
By the late-20th century, the U.S. Mint had drastically expanded its definition of liberty on coinage. That isn’t to say that Lady Liberty has been entirely left out of modern American coinage, though. In fact, two of the U.S. Mint’s flagship products, the Gold Eagle and Silver Eagle, derive their obverse designs from Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ iconic depiction of Lady Liberty on the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin.
Today, the U.S. Mint uses state-of-the-art modern minting technology to represent the concept of liberty in myriad different ways.
U.S. Gold and Silver Eagles
Both the U.S. Gold and Silver Eagle feature a classic portrait of Lady Liberty in motion on their obverses. On these coins, she appears in a flowing dress, walking away from a rising sun as the U.S. Capital rests in the distance. While both of these coins have been produced annually for decades, this depiction of liberty is nothing new. It was originally penned by Augustus Saint-Gaudens for the Double Eagle, a 20th century gold coin considered by many to be among the most beautiful coins ever created by the U.S. Mint.
Modern Liberty Bullion Coins
The U.S. Mint also experimented with its depiction of Lady Liberty on the so-called “Liberty” series of gold coins and silver medals. This coin’s obverse depicts Lady Liberty as a young African-American woman with a crown of stars on her forehead. Combined with a flying bald eagle on the reverse, these limited mintage coins have become popular collectibles and are considered some of the U.S. Mint’s most stunning recent work.
Final Thoughts: The Many Faces of Liberty
When U.S. Congress established the U.S. Mint and set requirements for centuries of subsequent American coinage, voting congressmen likely had no idea what would unfold over the course of the next 230+ years. The U.S. Mint’s artists have reimagined the concept of liberty in hundreds of different ways, defining and redefining the central idea of these United States to represent a core tenant which the country was founded on, the idea of liberty.
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About The Author
Michael Roets
Michael Roets is a writer and journalist for Hero Bullion. His work explores precious metals news, guides, and commentary.