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Joe
Fuhrmann
Dr. Joseph Fuhrmann is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Murray State University. He specializes in Russian History and is the owner
of "Christopher's Coins" doing business at the Hear of Hazel Antique Mall in Hazel, Kentucky. He may be reached via email at joe.fuhrmann@murraystate.edu
Is Our Money Friendly to Blind People?
Hear
the audio of this commentary here.
Have
you ever wondered how blind people "read" paper money? If the
denominations were of different size-which is the case in some
countries-it would be easy. But every US banknote is the same
size, so blind people cannot discern their differences by touch.
How do blind people keep from being cheated at the store? Cheated
in the bills they give and the change they get? Mexico and Israel
use Braille on their banknotes.
The
USA does not do that-but I think we should. The US Circuit Court
of Appeals in Washington, D.C., seems to agree with my position.
It recently ruled that the Treasury Department violates the
Constitution by issuing paper money which blind people cannot
easily distinguish through size and texture-or a use of Braille.
The US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Treasury to devise
new currency which will permit blind people to distinguish bills
based on touch. The Bush administration appealed the ruling
on December 12, 2006, arguing that making changes to our paper
money would interfere with the government's anti-counterfeiting
program.
The
Bush administration argued that the blind have access to portable
currency readers as well as credit and debit cards for use at
the store. The Bush administration also noted that modifying
vending machines and cash register drawers would have to be
expensive. Prohibitively expensive. My initial reaction is to
say: let's do it anyhow! 3 million people in the USA are classified
as blind or physically challenged in sight. That's enough people
to be of concern to me. It might surprise some to learn that
the National Federation of the Blind opposes the court and supports
the government's appeal. The NFB says the court's ruling was
"dangerous and wrong." The National Federation of the Blind
argued that the court "misinterpreted the meaning of discrimination."
The
NFB claims blind people are getting along fine with this problem.
We are "capable of looking out for best interests," it says;
we do not think the "whole world must be modified for our protection."
Perhaps that's true. It is also true that fewer than 10% of
blind children in the US today are learning Braille. Maybe the
Bush administration and the National Federation of the Blind
are right. Perhaps blind people are really doing ok. What do
you think?
New Series of Coins Honoring Our First Ladies
Hear
the audio of this commentary here.
In
my last commentary, I noted that the Mint is releasing A SERIES
OF ONE-DOLLAR COINS HONORING THE US PRESIDENTS. The coins are
the size, color and composition of the Sacagawea dollar. The
first of these dollar coins features George Washington; the
next three will each honor (and in order) John Adams, Jefferson
and Madison. Each succeeding year will see 4 new presidents
appear on a dollar coin at 3 month-intervals. The Mint is promoting
these coins in a lot of ways and it plans to mint 1.2 billion
of the 4 in 2007. That's a lot of coins!
Congress
is also honoring the First Ladies, though not on mass circulation
coins. Under the direction of Congress, the Mint will release
a series of $ 10 gold coins honoring the First Lady of each
president who has just appeared on a dollar coin. In 2007, we
will see Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, and Dolly Madison;
Thomas Jefferson was not married when he was president, so that
$ 10 gold coin will feature "Miss Liberty" as she appeared on
the half-cent when Jefferson was president. Each $ 10 gold coin
weighs a half-ounce, and though it is legal tenure, it will
not circulate. These coins are designed for collectors.
The
Mint will strike 300 million dollar coins for each president;
his First Lady will appear on 100,000 (or fewer) $ 10 gold coins.
Each will be 24 karat gold. Each will probably cost $ 500 or
so from the Mint. Each First Lady's coin will have a reverse
design representing her life and work. Martha Washington, for
example, will be sewing a button on her husband's uniform; an
inscription characterizes her as the "First Lady of the Continental
Army." We see Abigail Adams writing a letter, perhaps to her
husband, for her inscription reads, "Remember the Ladies," which
he and the others who wrote the Constitution of 1787 did NOT
do.
Dolly
Madison is famous for saving Stuart's magnificent portrait of
Washington when she was forced to flee the White House as British
troops advanced in August 1814. The reverse design of her coin
shows her doing this good deed. For information on the presidential
and First Lady coins in these series, check the Mint Web site
at www.usmint.gov. Again, the site is www.usmint.gov.
A New Series of Coins Honoring the US Presidents... All of Them
Hear
the audio of this commentary here.
In
my last commentary, I expressed the opinion that our coins and
currency are too male, too white, and too focused on our presidents.
The situation may change over time, but right now Congress is
making our money even more presidential. Actually, I'm not complaining.
Congress is giving us a new series of dollar coins which will
be an asset to ordinary citizens and coin collectors alike.
On
February 15, the US Mint released the first in a series of gold-colored
dollar coins which will honor, one by one, our presidents. Every
three months, the Mint will release a new coin in this series,
each honoring the next president. The first coin features a
very attractive design honoring George Washington. The obverse
features a bust of Washington; the reverse shows the Statue
of Liberty plus a large $ 1 sign. The edge inscription reads:
"I pluribus unum" plus "In God We Trust" with the date "2007"
and a "P" or a "D" showing that the coin was struck at the Philadelphia
or Denver mint. John Adams will appear in May of this year,
then Jefferson (our third president) and finally (for 2007),
Madison. Right now we are in our 44th president, so it will
take 12 years or more to complete the series.
The
Mint offers extensive educational material on each president.
You can access online an overview of each president's life and
term, also the Mint directors appointed by each president. One
can download Word documents which give a host of historic and
promotional information on the coins, the series, and the presidents.
You can subscribe to a "Newsletter" and sign up for regular
news updates via computer. QUESTION: Will the dollar coins appear
in everyday commerce? Or will they end up little used in banks,
next to the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars?
Conventional
wisdom says that as long as a $ 1 bill circulates, there is
no place for a $ 1 coin in everyday commerce. That may be true.
But the subject matter of these coins is more interesting, and
the Mint is doing a lot to promote their use. Washington and
the next 3 presidents are popular. These coins may capture the
fancy of the public; if so, they will play a larger role in
commerce than you might think. I predict we are in for a surprise.
US Presidents and US Coins
Click
here to listen to the audio of this commentary
A
real person did not appear on a mass circulation US coin until
1909, when the Lincoln cent appeared. Many wanted Washington
on our first coins-this would have made him the counterpart
of the monarchs who were displayed on the coins of other nations.
Washington rejected this-and his position fixed the nature of
our coinage for over a century. US coins through 1908 featured
various combinations of Miss Liberty and the National Eagle-stars,
wreaths and the shield of the union. In time, traditions turn
into stagnation.
1909
would mark the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, and it
was logical to honor him with a circulating coin. It was an
experiment, of course, and it was successful. Indeed, Washington
appeared on the quarter in 1932, which was the 200th anniversary
of his birth. Jefferson joined this select company on a new
nickel in 1938, which was 5 years before the bicentennial of
his birth. Our nation was saddened when FDR died in 1945 and
sentiment was strong to put him on a coin. Roosevelt led the
"March of Dimes" polio fund drives, so it seemed proper to put
him on that coin.
The Kennedy assassination was likewise stunning and depressing,
and many suggested he grace a coin. Mrs. Kennedy insisted that
her late husband not displace one of the four presidents then
on our coins; the Mint bowed to her sensible wishes and JFK
appeared on the half dollar in 1964, only ten weeks after his
assassination. Meanwhile, presidents were featured on 5 of 7
circulating banknotes; the two who were not presidents-Hamilton
and Franklin-were FOUNDING FATHERS. Only one item of US money
which circulates does NOT have a president or a founding father.
This is the Sacagawea dollar, and that coin does not circulate
very much. I think our coins and currency are too presidential,
too male, and too white.
This
does not bother most people, of course. They probably find grandeur
and stability in the existing situation. The emphasis on presidents
and founding fathers has another advantage: it prevents bickering
over who might replace them. Stability is important, especially
in connection with money. But I am not satisfied. One can have
too little stability, and one can have too much of it. Too much
stability is stagnation of the sort our coinage faced in 1900.
Our nation also demands " innovation and diversity, " creativity
in science, the arts and technology, " and the accomplishments
of private men and women.
What
about honoring Babe Ruth on the penny? Other coins might feature
Edison or Clara Barton or MLK Jr. We might also celebrate Brandeis
or Carnegie-Emerson or Einstein-James Baldwin or Gilbert Stuart.
Such people are honored on our stamps and commemorative coins,
some might think that is sufficient. But I insist and I put
my point as questions: is our money not
" too presidential"
" too male, and
" too white?"
If so, what do you suggest we do about it? More on this subject
in my next commentary.
World War II and America's Money
Listen
to the audio of this commentary here
As
an historian and a coin collector, I often think about World
War II from the vantage point of America's coinage. Specifically,
I am struck by the power of the United States as shown by the
coins issued from 1942 to 1945. Today I want to share one episode
that illustrates this power; the hero of my story is the humble
five-cent piece. The Jefferson nickel replaced the Buffalo nickel
in 1938. The new coin was designed by Felix Schlag, who prevailed
in a mint competition which included 400 artists. The new coin
replaced the Buffalo nickel, which was much beloved by the public;
but from the outset, Schlag's effort was equally popular.
The
Jefferson nickel displayed a portrait of a great president and
his famous home, Monticello. The coin weighted the usual 5 grams
and it was the same size as our earlier nickels. Its alloy was
the traditional 25% nickel and 75% copper. Then came Pearl Harbor,
a day that will live in infamy when the United States was "deliberately
attacked by the Empire of Japan." The United States suddenly
needed all available nickel for the war.
And
so, in 1942, the US Mint introduced a nickel without nickel,
an alloy of 56% copper, 9% manganese, and 35% silver. Thus the
"silver nickel" was born, and it was identified with a large
"P," "D" or "S" over Monticello, showing the coin was struck
at Philadelphia, Denver or San Francisco. How ironic: the United
States, fighting for its life replaced BASE METAL with a precious
metal in its coinage.
How
did any enemy think it could defeat a nation with the power
to do that?! By the way, the US struck almost 900 million silver
nickels, which was an enormous quantity for the time. GERMANY
and JAPAN, by contrast, stopped issuing coins of any sort as
soon as they went to war. Our ally the SOVIET UNION still issued
coins, but Soviet coins had long been only of base metal, and
that continued. GREAT BRITAIN, interestingly enough, issued
silver coins before 1939 and that continued during the war.
Only the United States had the power and wealth to place a new
silver coin into circulation. Another story involving money
illustrates the relative strength and weakness of the nations
which fought in World War II.
The
Japanese conquered much of Asia, and they printed currency to
be used in the such occupied countries as the Philippines and
Burma. But the Japanese confronted the fact that few people
knew Japanese in her new colonies, but English was widespread.
So the Japanese took a very practical step: they issued occupation
currency in Burma and the Philippines in English. English! If
a nation at war is forced to print paper money in the language
of the enemy, I submit that nation is fighting a war it is likely
to lose.
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