There’s something about coming full-circle.
Cases in point, quite a few years ago, when buying a car stereo, I noticed it didn’t have a built-in digital clock – something I would have liked on my dashboard. The young retailer selling the stereo remarked anyone wanting a clock should just get a watch. I already had a wrist watch so it was kind of a smug retort used by him to simply make the sale.
Wait. Some years later, those of us wearing watches were quietly ridiculed by the “tech generation.” Watches were out. People wearing them were considered relics. New technology dictated we simply glance at the smart phone in our pocket to see the time and date....
But, wait again. In short order, the iWatch hit the scene. Techies declared it mandatory to be worn. Admittedly, it does amazing things. Yet, it’s still a watch worn on the wrist. Hmmm.
I’m wondering if we have come full-circle with something else we use daily and are all familiar with – US coinage. Over the past few years, actual money in general has been disparaged given the ease of credit cards. However, more and more, consumers are griping after being charged a premium by retailers to cover the costs credit card companies levy. So, cash is slowly coming back into favor.
Those who grew up in the 1960s and early ‘70s clearly remember the curiosity and even excitement kids experienced when sifting through change to find an old, discontinued coin. That sometimes happened with the appearance of an Indian Head penny; Buffalo nickel or Mercury dime. Each offered a magical trip back to an earlier era. Those coins could also be a catalyst for kids becoming young collectors. Surely not a bad thing.
The last vestige of that was probably the issuance of the 1976 Bi-Centennial quarter design replacing the familiar eagle on the reverse. Because the quarter image hadn’t changed since 1932, that was a big deal. In the late-‘70s, kids and adults alike would sift through quarters to find one. With 2026 being an equally if not more momentous year, that may again soon be happening.
For this year only, the US dime will be changing its design. After that, it will be back to the familiar Roosevelt dime. That Roosevelt dime, as it has become known, has been circulating unchanged since 1946. That’s 80 years so it pre-dates hundreds of millions of Americans who have no recollection or concept of the forerunner Mercury dime.
In a few weeks, those who choose to look a little closer at pocket change may experience the same awe and/or intrigue as those seeing the 1976 quarter. An updated design and concept are entirely different than what we have today. Poignantly, it has elements dating back centuries.
The new coin, called the “Emerging Liberty Dime,” features a classic image of allegorical Lady Liberty wearing a “Phrygian” cap (best of luck pronouncing that). The soft felt cap with stars and stripes is meant to symbolize freedom, liberty, and self-governance. The original cap was soft and conical with the top pulled forward – a symbol of freedom in Rome and, later on, republicanism in France and America. Such caps were a staple image on early US coins.
On the new dime, Liberty’s hair is a bit more modern and said to be “blowing with the winds of revolution.” Her expression is one of steadfast resolve facing the tyranny of the British monarchy.
The reverse design is both interesting and, as with so many things, slightly controversial. It features an angry looking eagle in flight with wings spread carrying a bundle of arrows in its talons.
The contentious aspect has arisen due to the eagle only carrying arrows. Traditionally, it has arrows in one claw and an olive branch (for peace) in the other. A few critics contend this design to be too hawkish or hostile. In fairness, what needs to be remembered is that, for our Semiquincentennial, the design is meant to represent the colonists’ fight for independence.
Wording on the coin includes the inscriptions, “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026” on the front. On the reverse is “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “ONE DIME,” and “LIBERTY OVER TYRANNY.”
Unquestionably, the new coin will be a fascinating and welcome addition to US coinage – one that’s sure to garner substantial attention. The only hope is the dime not suffering the same fate as our current quarters. On those, in 1990, the Mint successfully introduced the “50 State Quarters” program. They were an understandable hit. Then, someone had the sad idea to put a new design on our circulating quarters seemingly every few weeks. That continues today making for continually confusing coinage. It’s clearly possible to have too much of a good thing. Reminder to the Mint: Less can be more.
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