CCAC picks favorites

Designs for four 2010 Presidential dollars have been recommended by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

Chosen were designs for presidents Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln.

The committee was presented three designs to consider for each coin. Each of the eight committee members rated the designs on a scale of 0 to 3, resulting in a maximum vote total of 24 for any one design.
The results were: Fillmore, Design 1, 18 points; Pierce, Design 1, 17 points; Buchanan, Design 2, 12 points; and Lincoln, Design 3, 17 points.

“Lincoln generated the most discussion, with members generally enthusiastic about Design 3, which is based on the famous photo of Lincoln by Gardner near the end of his presidency,” said CCAC Chairman Mitch Sanders.

The committee also voted 8-0 to recommend that consideration should be given to portraying Theodore Roosevelt on the obverse of National Parks Quarters. Sanders said Roosevelt was cited “for his contribution to the cause of conservation and his historical importance in general.”

Roosevelt’s appearance on the quarter would be temporary, Sanders noted, “because legislation requires that Washington should appear on the quarter after the conclusion of the National Parks Program.”
Sanders noted that the CCAC’s recommendation concerning the quarter is directed to the Secretary of the Treasury as are all of its recommendations, with the exception of the commemorative programs it recommends in our report to Congress.

“This one is a bit different, though, because it’s not in response to a specific set of designs we’re reviewing,” Sanders said. “So, we’re still discussing what would be the best way to proceed with our recommendation.”

For the Presidential dollars, the CCAC’S recommendations will be forwarded to the Secretary of the Treasury, along with recommendations from the Commission of Fine Arts. The Secretary’s decision will be announced later this year.

The CCAC met Jan. 27 at the U.S. Mint hadquarters in Washington, D.C.