A Pocketful of History Read online

  A

  POCKETFUL

  OF

  HISTORY

  Four Hundred Years

  of America—

  One State Quarter

  at a Time

  JIM NOLES

  DA CAPO PRESS

  A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP

  Copyright © 2008 by James L. Noles, Jr.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142.

  Quarter-dollar coin images from the United States Mint.

  Designed by Linda Harper

  Set in 11 point Caslon 540 by The Perseus Books Group

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Noles, James L.

  A pocketful of history : four hundred years of America—one state quarter at a time / Jim Noles. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-0-306-81578-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Quarter-dollar. 2.Coins,

  American. 3. Commemorative coins—United States. 4. Emblems, State—United

  States—Miscellanea. 5. U.S. states—History—Miscellanea. 6. United States—

  History— Miscellanea. 7. National characteristics, American—Miscellanea. I. Title.

  CJ1840.S73N65 2008

  737.4973—dc22

  2007049433

  Published by Da Capo Press

  A Member of the Perseus Books Group

  www.dacapopress.com

  Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 255-1514, or e-mail [email protected].

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For James and John

  FOREWORD

  by Congressman Mike Castle

  When traveling around my home state of Delaware to visit schools and civic groups, I often ask to see who collects the state quarters by a show of hands. Without fail, most of the people in the room raise their hand. What is it about this program that appeals to so many?

  I have found that there is not just one answer to this question, which I believe speaks to the success of these coins. The government supports the program because it has raised more than six times the amount of revenue than was originally expected. Teachers adore this program because it supplies them with a new educational tool to engage their students in history. Children find excitement in the coins for their novelty and images. Authors like Jim Noles find such inspiration among the fifty varying designs that they put pen to paper and write a book such as this one. And readers like you are curious enough about the coins to pick up Jim’s book and read it—at least so far.

  None of us, however, could have foreseen such popularity or inspiration. In fact, the 50 State Quarters® Program has become a much greater success than I could have ever imagined. I must admit that when I was first approached with the idea of starting a program like this, I was skeptical. I saw the coins as nothing more than Monopoly money. Nevertheless, over time I was convinced of the positive effects of coin collection and the revenue that the program would bring to the government. But even when I eventually offered my support to the 50 State Quarters® Program, we still had difficulty convincing Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin and others of the program’s value. Eventually, however, we all broke through the uncertainty and gave the coin program a try.

  It was not until the unveiling of the Delaware quarter in Wilmington that I began to see and realize the type of excitement this program would generate. Almost instantaneously, there was an undeniably positive buzz surrounding these coins. I was impressed that the 50 State Quarters® Program was immediately embraced by teachers. By and large, teachers have found that children love the coins because the images make learning about the states fun. In turn, children began to collect the coins and companies began to print books that children could use to display their coins.

  The success of the program really hit home when a group of students from Delaware visited my Washington, D.C., office about a year ago. One young lady noticed my coin collection that is displayed in my front office. She started to ask me questions about the coins and was especially curious why the Delaware coin displayed the image of a man on horseback. I briefly explained to her the story of Caesar Rodney’s famous ride to Philadelphia and his significance with the formation of our country. Children often consider it a chore to learn about history, but in this instance, the girl was enthralled in the story. She and the other students continued to ask me questions about the other state’s coins, and I began to see firsthand why these coins are so helpful to teachers. It was easy to see the excitement. All of the fears I had about the program drifted away as I realized that these coins would forever help to encourage the education of American children about the rich heritage each state holds.

  For that very same reason, I was delighted to learn that Jim was pursuing a book of this nature. When I first spoke with him in the summer of 2007, I realized that he had also recognized that same fundamental value of the 50 State Quarters® Program—specifically, the program’s ability to educate, excite, and, ultimately, inspire us all about the awesome width and breadth of our fifty states’ history and culture.

  And now that I’ve had a chance to read A Pocketful of History, I am even more pleased to see that Jim has succeeded. On the pages that follow, he takes the imagery and symbolism jangling in your pocket or purse today and, using words as his currency, parlays that spare change into a greater understanding of our nation, illustrates where it has been, and perhaps even reminds us of where it should be heading. It is intellectual venture capitalism at its finest, and I am sure you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

  PREFACE:

  A QUARTER FOR MY THOUGHTS . . .

  I have a confession to make.

  This is not the book that I set out to write.

  When the United States Mint first announced its 50 State Quarters ® Program ten years ago, I had a vision of fifty quarters spanning the scale and sweep of America’s history. In my mind’s eye— clouded, perhaps, with a bias for things historical—I could imagine a series of fifty quarters that, if lined up, would almost offer a national numismatic time line.

  Surely, I thought, one could count on the fifty states—even if individually focusing on their own history and experience—to offer up designs that would, collectively, commemorate the great themes and epochs of American history. And what would we get?

  A set of coins that, twenty-five cents at a time, would speak of discovery, exploration, colonization, revolution, evolution, immigration, emancipation, and migration. Of civil war, civil reconciliation, and civil rights. Of the fear of God and the rule of law. Of a great war, a Great Depression, and a great crusade. Of the breadbasket of the world, and the arsenal of democracy. Of an Industrial Age, a Gilded Age, a Jazz Age, a Space Age, and an Information Age.

  Such were the historical themes that I hoped might emerge. And once cobbled together, those fifty quarters would paint a decipherable mosaic of American history, offering compelling opportunities to segue into some of the great individuals, episodes, and events in American culture and history.

  It was wistful—and, in reality, hopelessly misplaced—thinking.

  As I write these lines in the summer of 2007, only t
he first forty-four quarters have actually been issued. The quarters commemorating the final six states to enter the Union—ranging from Utah (January 4, 1896) to Hawaii (August 21, 1959)—have yet to be minted. But we now know, thanks to increasingly publicized design conceptualization and selection processes, what imagery will grace each state’s quarter. We know that Alaska’s quarter will feature a grizzly bear. Hawaii’s will display King Kamehameha the Great.

  In short, we now know that on the fifty state quarters, you won’t find the ratification of the Constitution or John Marshall’s court. There is no Battle of New Orleans, Battle of the Alamo, or Battle of Gettysburg. There is no Amistad, no Trail of Tears, no Dred Scott, no Wounded Knee, no Selma March. There is no Merrimac, or Monitor, or USS Missouri. There are no Rough Riders in Cuba, no doughboys going over the top at Chateau Thierry, no marines storming Iwo Jima, and no helicopters over Vietnam.

  There are no Mississippi riverboats, Boeing 747s, or Apple computers. For that matter, neither does Edison’s light bulb or Henry Ford’s Model T make an appearance. There is no Panama Canal, no Brooklyn Bridge, no Hoover Dam, and no Los Alamos. Elvis does not enter or leave the building. Neither does Ed Sullivan, Edward R. Murrow, or Johnny Carson. Hollywood and Broadway are absent, and no one seems to want their MTV. And as far as abbreviations are concerned, the NFL, the NBA, and MLB are all MIA.

  Rather, Alaska’s and Hawaii’s quarters, once issued, will follow coins that depict revolutionaries and race cars, peaches and palmettos, astronauts and activists, flowers and fishermen, bridges and buffalo (and more buffalo), sailing ships and syrup.

  In other words, my original idea lies in complete shambles.

  But, at the same time, the fifty state quarters offer more than I ever anticipated. Look closely at them—on many, state mottoes and phrases resonate: “Live Free or Die”; “Virtue, Liberty, Independence”; “Crossroads of the Revolution”; “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation”; “First Flight”; “Gateway to Freedom”; “Crossroads of America”; “Land of Lincoln”; “Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers”; “Spirit of Courage”; “Foundation in Education”; “Forward”; “Big Sky Country”; “Crossroads of the West”; “Land of Enchantment”; and “The Great Land.” In short, these quarters are not so much about who we are or what we are but are instead a polyglot reflection on how we think of ourselves. They identify what we cherish and value. Although many of the coins offer a look back, just as many others point the way forward.

  So perhaps it is not surprising that as each of our individual states put forth its design, we saw that it was choosing—sometimes directly, sometimes less directly—to celebrate patriots such as Caesar Rodney, who chose to put a vote for freedom above his own failing health, or King Kamehameha, who likewise saw strength in unity.

  They chose to celebrate pelicans, and buffalo, and peregrine falcons, battling back from extinction.

  They showed their admiration for American pioneers—of settlement, of discovery, of flight, and of space.

  They elected to praise nature’s wonders—soaring mountains, scenic gorges, spectacular flowers, and idyllic coasts.

  They honored the competitive thrill of sport, whether on the racetrack at Indianapolis, off a bridge in West Virginia, or in the waters off Rhode Island.

  They singled out admirable individuals: a blind girl from Alabama who dared to make the world a better place, an immigrant from Scotland who dared to argue that parts of it could not get any better.

  They celebrated music, and education, and cowboys and farmers working from dawn to dusk to feed a hungry nation and a hungrier world.

  In summary, the individual states chose to celebrate endeavor as much as accomplishment, effort as much as success, opportunity as much as exploits.

  Simply put, that new spare change jangling in our pockets thanks to the 50 State Quarters® Program celebrates change and the history of change. Change in the way we govern ourselves, and in the way we live our lives. Change in the way we earn our livings. Change in where we live, where we go, and how we get there. And change in what we think of preserving and protecting.

  Of course, perhaps not all of that change was always for the better. Nevertheless, it is hard to argue that such change, whatever it might have been, was not made with the hope for a better tomorrow. As one looks at America—and all fifty of its states—it is difficult to find a more defining trait over the course of our history than such hopefulness.

  To quote Idaho’s quarter, “Esta Perpetua”: May it be forever.

  THE PROGRAM

  If you are a cynic, then to hear that a loonie inspired congressional legislation may not surprise you at all. But beware of jumping to conclusions. The story is slightly more complicated than you might think.

  In 1991, the Canadian Mint decided to mark Canada’s 125th anniversary the following year with an ambitious new coin program. One aspect of the program, called “Canada 125,” solicited a new design for Canada’s $1 coin—irreverently called the “loonie,” thanks to the loon depicted on its reverse.

  An equally important part of Canada 125, however, was the minting of a sequence of twelve commemorative Canadian quarters, with a new quarter design to be issued at a rate of one per month. Each quarter would represent one of the twelve Canadian provinces in existence at the time (Canada’s thirteenth province, Nunavut, did not become a province until 1999) and would be based on designs submitted from any and all of Canada’s 27 million citizens.

  The response was enormous. Figures differ, but somewhere between 9,277 and 11,003 individual designs were received for both the loonie and the individual quarters. The volume of submissions easily eclipsed the 939 entries received in 1973 to 1974 by the U.S. Mint when a similar competition was held to redesign the Washington quarter, Kennedy half dollar, and Eisenhower dollar to mark the 1976 Bicentennial. And once the coins and quarters were minted, the popularity of the idea became even more apparent. Within a year, most had disappeared from circulation, hoarded by collectors across Canada and the world.

  The idea of replicating Canada 125 in the United States, however, remained in circulation. Numismatists (coin collectors) in the United States cited the success of Canada 125—often referred to in conversational shorthand as simply “the loonie”—as they pressed for a similar program to honor America’s fifty states.

  Those numismatists found a sympathetic ear on Capitol Hill in 1995 and 1996, when representatives of America’s coin collectors testified before the House Banking Committee’s Domestic and International Monetary Policy Subcommittee. At the time, the subcommittee was chaired by Representative Mike Castle, a Republican representing Delaware.

  “Groups representing the coin collectors of America approached my staff about the idea of a fifty-state quarter program based on Canada’s success with the loonie,” Castle explained to me in a telephone interview. “My staff then sold the idea to me—I’m a little slower than they are,” he added self-deprecatingly.

  Castle and his staffers, including their colleagues on the House Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, were key ingredients—catalysts, even—for the program that eventually transpired, but credit for the state quarters rests on several shoulders. The private sector, led by such enthusiasts as New Jersey attorney, writer, and numismatists David Ganz, originally pushed for the idea of a fifty-state series as early as 1993. Meanwhile, U.S. Mint officials, led by Director Philip Diehl, were increasingly receptive to a program that would replicate the success of the earlier Bicentennial coins. They further warmed to the idea when a second die shop boosted the Mint’s production capacity. But it was certainly Castle who got the proverbial ball—or coin, as the case may be—rolling.

  In July 1996, Castle and eight co-sponsors introduced HR 3793, a House bill to legislate what he called the “50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act.” Castle’s legislation passed in the House but stalled that year in the Senate.

  Undeterred, Castle took up the cause once again the following September
, when he introduced HR 2414 to again enact the “50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act.” The bill again passed the House overwhelmingly and was forwarded to the Senate. In the Senate, John H. Chafee, a Republican representing Rhode Island, added Castle’s legislation to S.1228, a larger bill that also encompassed the “United States $1 Coin Act of 1997” and authorized the minting of a collection of coins to commemorate the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk. Twenty-seven senators joined Chafee in co-sponsoring the bill.

  Meanwhile, on October 31, 1997, the Congressional Budget Office drafted a cost estimate that examined the fiscal repercussions of the pending legislation. The office’s conclusion was a positive one:

  In addition to the bill’s effects on direct spending, by increasing the public’s holding of quarters, S.1228 also would result in the government acquiring additional resources for financing the federal deficit. Based on the previous experience of both the United States, with the bicentennial quarter in 1975 and 1976, and Canada, with its series of quarters commemorating its 12 provinces and territories in 1992, CBO expects that enacting the bill would lead to a greater production of quarters. The seigniorage, or profit, from placing the additional coins in circulation would reduce the amount of government borrowing from the public. Such profits are likely to be very significant—the Mint estimates that the seigniorage from making a quarter is 20.2 cents, so for each additional $100 million worth of quarters put into circulation each year for 10 years, the amount of seigniorage earned by the federal government would increase by about $808 million over the ten-year period. (Congressional Budget Office 1997, 5)

  Buoyed by such forecasts, the Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill on November 9, 1997. Four days later, the House passed the amended bill as well, and on December 1, 1997, President William J. Clinton signed it into law as Public Law 105-124.