How could United States coin designs be improved?

U.S. coin sizes are a holdover of an era when certain coins contained intrinsically valuable metals. Now, all circulating coinage is strictly symbolic. There should be a minimum 20 percent increase in the size of each coin as the value increases. For example, the penny should swap sizes with the dime, the dime should swap sizes with the nickel, etc. Of course, vending machine and cash register manufacturers will scream. Also, standardize coin designs. All obverses should be portraits with the date and mintmark. Let changing or special images reside on the reverse. Portrait-facing directions should either be standardized or alternate left-right.

Michael Schwartz, Address withheld

Before we can talk about design improvement, we need to consider, what do we want our coins to do?

If we want them to buy things, the denomination of our coins needs to change. With new values on our coins, all the designs would be new as the current coinage would need to be replaced.

If we are not interested in buying things with our coins and use them just to balance out purchases to the cent, our present coins do that now.

If we want our coin designs to tell a story about us to future generations, we have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, with all the divisiveness in our society, no one design will satisfy everyone. Maybe radical left on the obverse and radical right on the reverse. That probably won’t work, either.

Richard Bumpus, Marion, Mass.

The designs are exquisite as they are. An improvement would be to put silver back into them.

John Hall, Address withheld

U.S. circulating coinage should revert to obverse allegorical depictions of Liberty rather than actual humans, thus removing all traces of politics other than a preference for symbolism. I have no problem with versions of the feminine Liberty, Columbia, as the allegorical representation of the U.S. These designs should be maintained for 25 years, or 50, or until some designated retirement date. Reverse images could be flexible and changing, obviously with the eagle dominating, but not exclusively. Other iconic American symbols or monuments could be used and changed more often than the obverse to maintain a numismatic interest as well as a general public curiosity about these symbols and their meanings. Commemorative coinage could still bear the likeness of notable non-living Americans.

Bob Evans, Hopewell, Ohio

First, remove all presidents and political/religious messages.

Second, solicit designs from artists with relevance to America and its past and current history.

James O’Connell, III, Westminster, Calif.

Too many one-year reverses were honoring everyone and their brother. What’s next, quarters with the reverse portraits of every member of the Baseball Hall of Fame or the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame? It’s time to get rid of the cent and the dollar bill. Hopefully, doing so will force half-dollar and dollar coins to circulate, get them out of the vaults, and get some of the zillions of cents in people’s drawers and jars back into circulation.

Mark Breeden, Concord, N.C.

New designs still have nickels, and dimes have A, B, C, etc., on nickels 26 letters and have a place for each letter. All 26 letters each year and every year have a different place or person. Get younger people to collect and don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on one coin.

Paul Hildebrand, Address withheld

Go back to making coins like the old days. Nickels and dimes are ugly coins. Change them more often, like every 15 years. Remakes of the Mercury dime and Indian nickel would be cool.

Ed Lyons, Address withheld

I believe if we bring back certain classical designs, similar (but not the exact same) to the 1916 representations of Ms. Liberty on U.S. coins along with a bison design coin, and certain font types for lettering, we could improve the overall appeal and collectibility of American coinage.

Joe Granados, Address withheld

Every coin should have a mintmark, and if it’s made before the stated mint date, it should carry a true date stamp.

Tom Swickrath, Address withheld

In keeping with the spirit of George Washington, the president is not a king. I think we should go back to allegorical or natural imagery on our coins. Save the real people for commemorative issues. The Washington quarter was only supposed to be for a year. I like the Flying Eagle Cent and the Seated Liberty series.

John Gentile, Address withheld

I think their current production methods fail in comparison to how they were produced over 140 years ago. I would take an uncirculated 1880-S Morgan dollar over the recently minted Morgan dollars. They just did a better job minting these coins with old technology. I think they looked better with more details in the devices, and the fields were better in 1880. Why can’t they match that now?

Jeff, Address withheld