Actress revealed as Liberty model in 1972

Two different women are said to have been the models for the Standing Liberty on the 1916 quarters. Who was the real model? For many years it was reported that…

Two different women are said to have been the models for the Standing Liberty on the 1916 quarters. Who was the real model?

For many years it was reported that Dora Doscher (Baum), who later acted in silent films with the stage name of Doris Doree, was the model used by Hermon A. MacNeil for the quarter. In 1972 a newspaper account credited Broadway actress Irene MacDowell. In the article she admitted to being the secret model for the design. The deliberate cover-up was instituted because MacDowell?s husband was strongly opposed to her involvement with the artist, a common attitude of the day.

At one time there was a drive to obtain a 7-1/2 cent denomination to cover the increase in cost of the nickel candy bar. Are there other instances of such odd denominations?

During World War I the price of newspapers doubled from one cent to two, and the American Newspaper Publisher?s Association urged Congress to adopt a new two-cent coin. One contemporary editor, tongue in cheek, suggested a three-cent coin to buy a stamp, a seven-cent to buy a pint of milk, a nine-cent for a pound of sugar and a 23-cent to buy a gallon of gasoline. A bill actually was introduced for a 15-cent coin to ?pay movie admissions,? although it was noted that such admissions varied widely.

In checking the ?Standard Catalog of World Coins,? I note that some coins (German, etc.) are pictured with what I consider to be the reverse in the obverse position. What?s going on?

After lengthy study and discussion, the current catalog policy for the placement of obverse and reverse photos is as follows:

1. For coins that depict the ruler or monarch of a country, the bust side is the obverse.

2. For coins from a republic or other non-regal form of government, the side with the designation of the country is the obverse.
U.S. issues are an exception, since they follow traditional U.S. hobby practice.

It?s my understanding that at one time an Ohio city used a U.S. coin as a city seal. Can you track it down?

The City of Dayton, Ohio, adopted the obverse of a large cent, the head and 13 stars, as its official seal in 1826.

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