NumismaticBlog.com

I think everyone who sees this image knows what it is, It is arguably the most loved silver coin in the numismatic community. Designed by George T Morgan.

I don’t think we need to hear about the statistics of this coin, you can find that anywhere. But Mr Morgan definitely put allot of thought into his coin.  On the obverse you see the goddess liberty wearing a phrygian cap. It is also known as a liberty cap. The cap is an old Roman symbol of freedom. It was given to freed slaves as a sign of their status. Most depictions of liberty will show her dawning this cap. We also see some wheat, and cotton in her hair. This was to symbolize the Reconstruction between the north and the south after the civil war. The south represented by the Cotton and the North is represented the wheat. Moving down we see a band with the words liberty printed on this band just to remind us who she is.   We now have the 13 stars of the original colonies around  the coin, along with E. Pluribus Unum (from many, one). The next thing we see just before the rim is a set of dentilas.

On the reverse we see the US heraldic eagle With it’s wings spread. Clutched in it’s talons are and olive branch and arrows. The olive branch to represent peace.   The reason that the olive branch was used as a symbol of peace has been lost to time. Many people have speculated but no real proof is known.  The reason arrows are used should be obvious. above the eagle we have the motto “In God We Trust” The motto first appeared on our 2 cent coin in 1865.  The motto was originally used like a prayer  to God, For God’s will be done. This was in reference to the Civil War. Both the North and the South used this same idea; let God’s will be done, if we loose it was God’s will.  Moving outward we have a laurel wreath, this also has some very strong and anchent symbolism. We can trace this back to the ancient Greeks who used it as a crown for victorious athletes. So the wreath symbolises Victory,Success and Excellence. The rest of the coin is pretty straight forward and does not require any explanation.