We are currently hip deep in February, the year’s shortest month yet filled with recognitions. Of course, there is Valentine’s Day, so it’s not surprising this is American Heart Association Month. That’s nothing. February has the distinction of also being (I swear I’m not making these up) Humpback Whale Awareness Month; Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month; Low Vision Awareness Month; National Bird-Feeding Month and – I have no clue about this next one – Aromatic Spectrum Awareness Month. There are dozens more....
Most prominent is that it’s Black History Month. That can relate to a number of things. Collectors sometimes affiliate it with one of the first coins issued in the US. It was a penny minted in 1793. On the front, the coin features an allegorical profile of Lady Liberty. The reverse includes the words, “United States Of Ameri.” with “One Cent” in the center. That is surrounded by a circular chain of 13 links symbolizing the original 13 colonies.
We may think we have a lock on politically correct super-sensitivity in 2024, but it actually began when that coin was issued 231 years ago. That’s when a contingent of New England abolitionist colonists contended the chain on the coin too closely resembled shackles used on slaves. They were vocal enough to see the design replaced with a laurel wreath the following year.
It goes without saying, specimens of that 1793 cent are rare and valuable. In not-so-great shape, examples of the coin sell for between $5,000 and $15,000. In better condition they easily bring over $50,000. In 2018 and 2019, high-grade, uncirculated examples sold at auction for $1.5 million and $2.35 million. It’s a sure bet lost or overlooked examples are just waiting to be found in the ground or a forgotten drawer.
Fast-forward 150 years to find the US Mint issuing coins commemorating two prominent Black Americans – Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. Booker T. Washington started as a slave but rose to prominence as an educator. The renowned teacher, lecturer and co-founder of the Tuskegee Institute received a silver half-dollar in his honor in 1946. The legend, “From Slave Cabin To Hall Of Fame” is emblazoned on the reverse. The front features a portrait of Washington. Those coins were issued from 1946 through 1951.
A second commemorative half dollar was created again saluting Washington plus his contemporary George Washington Carver. Released between 1951 to 1954, Carver was the celebrated agricultural chemist who pioneered crop improvements with peanuts, soybeans and more.
Washington and Carver were also two of the first Blacks to be featured on postage stamps in 1940 and 1948 respectively. Those were followed by Frederick Douglass, W.C. Handy and Paul Dunbar in the 1960s and ‘70s.
In 1978, the USPS officially announced the “Black Heritage” stamp series – an ongoing initiative to honor prominent Black Americans. While over 100 Blacks have appeared on US stamps in one form or another, 48 African Americans of note have been featured in the Black Heritage Series.
The series has included all walks of people, from prominent luminaries, the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jackie Robinson, Sojourner Truth, Thurgood Marshall, and Jesse Owens to unfamiliar figures such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Ida Wells, Jan Matzeliger, Dr. Allison Davis and dozens more. Best about the stamps featuring lesser-known individuals is that they offer the chance for students and adults alike to do a little research to find why those have been elevated to legendary status on a postage stamp.
The latest stamp in the series was issued just this month honoring Constance Baker Motley. Unknown to many outside the legal field, Motley was the first African American woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. She then served as a federal judge playing a key role in fighting segregation. The new “Forever” stamp showing a portrait of Constance Motley is now available in post offices nationwide.
This month, the concept behind African-American commemorations has come full circle with the issuance of a clad, silver and gold three-coin set commemorating Underground Railroad hero Harriet Tubman. She was the first person to be honored in the Black Heritage stamp series in 1978. Tubman will clearly become even better known when her portrait replaces Andrew Jackson on our $20 bill in the coming decade.
Clearly, between all the stamps and coins honoring Black Americans it can make for an active and interesting area for education. I’d wager that’s what Black History Month is or should be about.
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