Stories about iconic founding-father George Washington abound. One recounts him as a lad chopping down a cherry tree then admitting the deed to his father. Folklore – didn’t happen. Another suggests he threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. At an average width of a quarter mile, that too isn’t possible. Plus, no US silver dollars existed until 1794.
Still, George was one of the most notable colonial figures. He was the leader of an army that, in truth, had virtually no chance of winning. And, he was the first president of what has become the most successful democracy in history. After the war, there was a circuitous suggestion that Washington become “King” of the United States. Also, not to be. He abhorred the idea of another monarchy in America and, in a letter of May 22, 1782, swiftly rejected any such notion....
He may not have become King but certainly ended up on our paper money and coinage. We all carry the dollar bill as well as quarters which have featured his portrait since 1932. Prior to that, he was featured on many bills and several silver commemorative coins.
Washington has been so prevalent on our coinage, during the release of the 50 State Quarter Series and subsequent America The Beautiful Quarter Series, his image remained on the “heads” side. This month marks the end of those varied quarters with a return to a common obverse and reverse. This time, instead of returning to the familiar eagle design on the back, Washington will now appear on both sides of the quarter.
The new reverse contains a representation of Washington on Christmas night 1776, when he and an underwhelming force of 2,400 men crossed the icy Delaware River to surprise Hessian forces at Trenton, NJ. It was a daring operation all but doomed to failure because spies had tipped off the enemy. Fortunately, because of the weather, the Hessians dismissed any chance of an attack.
The image on the new quarter shows a boat filled with soldiers with Washington in the foreground pointing toward the far bank with his sword. Inscribed around that is: “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA QUARTER DOLLAR E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “CROSSING THE DELAWARE.”
It’s a nice representation of the event with one notable curiosity – it appears as if, in addition to his sword, Washington is holding a beer. I’m not making that up. In his left hand is what looks to be a bottle of beer. That’s not a complete stretch considering he was a prolific beer drinker.
In reality, the object he holds is a spyglass. He owned at least a dozen of them and it was something he regularly carried. Such a spyglass is even featured in several paintings of him during wartime including the iconic “Washington Crossing The Delaware” that hangs in the US Capitol.
Admittedly, it’s hard to capture tiny details such as a spyglass on something as small as a coin. Still, it’s sure to be mentioned for years to come.
Not surprisingly, that unique gold piece has long been coveted by coin collectors. One of those collectors was Eric Newman, the author of multiple books on numismatics who eventually became the owner. Newman said it was the favorite item in his vast collection.
After Newman’s death several years ago, his collection has been gradually sold off with proceeds going to charity. That coveted gold piece carried by Washington – measuring just a bit larger than a quarter – was one of them. It sold recently for $1.74 million.
Because gold is so malleable, in days past, people were said to bite gold coins to make sure they actually were made of the soft precious metal. Washington couldn’t have done that because of his wooden teeth, right? Wrong again. Washington’s false teeth were a mix of ivory, human and even teeth from animals. His surviving set of dentures, valued at well over a million dollars, is safely housed in the collection at his Mount Vernon home.
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