There is a great deal we do not know about the $3 gold coin, and even more we do not understand when it comes to the ones that were issued from 1854 to 1889. But they are interesting, even if the collector numbers are small.

The $3 was a denomination that seemingly had no real purpose. There were $2.50 gold coins that would only leave you a half dollar short of $3 in change, and there were ample supplies of half dollars. There was also an ample supply of gold sitting in California, and that may have been the real reason for a $3 gold. After all, since the discovery of gold, the United States had added a $1 gold and a $20 gold, so a $3 gold coin was not out of line, especially with the advent of 3-cent silver coins.

The $3 gold coin had established itself by 1860 as more of a curiosity than a vital part of commerce. The $3 had made its debut in 1854 and seemingly peaked about the second month of that year. Philadelphia produced more than 138,000 $3 gold coins that year, and no one would do that again. Dahlonega produced 1,120 $3 gold coins in 1854 and never produced another. New Orleans produced 24,000 $3 gold coins in 1854, and it, too, did not produce more.

San Francisco joined in the $3 gold production in 1855, and in gold-conscious California, the $3 might have seen limited use. Unlike New Orleans and Dahlonega, San Francisco would ultimately produce $3 gold coins four times. The first was 1855, followed by 1856, 1857, and 1860.

The mintage of $3 gold coins drifted lower during the 1850s. In 1860, Philadelphia minted 7,155 pieces, which, except for 1858, was a new low for the branch. San Francisco was far removed from the Civil War problems in the East, and it managed a mintage of 7,000 1860-S $3 gold. That was higher than the 1855-S mintage of 6,600, but well below its other two years of production.

There was a good reason that the 1860-S $3 gold has taken on a reputation as a mystery coin over the years. Its mintage was below all but the first year’s mintage from San Francisco, apparently for good reason, as the 1860-S was not necessary.

We know that the mintage was larger than required, for many of the 1860-S $3 gold coins were not released into circulation. A total of 2,592 were reportedly melted in December 1869 for being underweight. In gold-conscious California, underweight coins could present a real problem. Since they were melted, there has never been a chance to test one, but their loss leaves a net mintage of the 1860-S of only 4,408 pieces.

Even with the low total, the 1860-S is reasonable in lower grades. It is priced at $2,950 in F-12. Of course, it must be remembered that, as a $3 gold, the mintages were frequently under 10,000 pieces, meaning there are a host of similar tough dates.

The 1860-S, while available in circulated grades, is an extremely tough coin in uncirculated. It is currently listed at $26,000 in MS-60 – well above average. The Eliasberg 1860-S was graded MS-65, and it brought $20,900, but that was in October of 1982, so any 1860-S in an upper grade is going to be expensive.

The feeling, based on the questions about the weight and destruction of a large part of the mintage, has to be that the 1860-S in any grade is better than we might suspect. After all, gold coins did not always survive in substantial numbers in San Francisco. With the question of weight and the destruction, their chances are further reduced, but with few collectors in $3 gold, we may not really notice a lack of supply.

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The post Item of the Week: 1860-S $3 Gold: A Lightweight in Low Grades appeared first on Numismatic News.

The 1804 silver dollar wasn’t struck for circulation. Shouldn’t it be considered to be a non-circulating legal tender commemorative?

None of the 1804-dated silver dollars were struck in 1804. The initial reason to strike the coins was to complete a set meant to be given as a gift to foreign rulers. Yes, the coins could be considered to be NCLT, but they don’t commemorate an event, nixing that part of the description. The first U.S. coins that commemorated an event were the early issues on which more than 13 stars appear, this being to mark the additional states joining the union. Since those coins were struck for circulation, they could be considered to be commemorative, but none fit the definition of being NCLT. Incidentally, at the time these coins were issued, no one considered them to be commemorative.

Couldn’t the 1848 CAL $2.50 quarter eagles be considered to be commemoratives?

We know for a certainty that the Military Governor of California, Col. R.B. Mason, shipped gold to Secretary of War William L. Marcy, who in turn forwarded that gold to the Philadelphia Mint. The mint was instructed to use the gold for congressional medals for Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Since there was gold left over, that bullion was turned into 1,389 specially marked quarter eagles on which CAL was added. It does not appear that there was any special distribution, and the coins went unceremoniously into circulation.

When were communion tokens first used in the United States?

U.S. communion tokens are an understudied area of numismatics. From what is known, the first such tokens are the 1748-dated tokens of the Conecocheague Presbyterian Church in Welsh Run, Pa. Some of the other churches using communion tokens soon after include Junkin Tnet and Octorara in 1752, Derry and Paxtang during the 1750s, and Mercersburg during the 1770s. A Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society article indicates that more than 200 different tokens were used in churches in 28 counties.

Are there any communion tokens made of gold or silver?

Communion tokens were meant to function as the entry ticket to a communion service at a church. For that reason, they weren’t traded as currency and were typically comprised of base metals, many times that being metal being lead (or anything else that was cheap). There are modern communion tokens comprised of precious metals, but these are meant to be given as gifts to or from a communicant rather than as a ticket of admission to the ceremony.

What happened to communion tokens once they were redeemed?

Communion tokens were typically issued locally by churches that didn’t have a lot of monetary resources. Even though some of the tokens are dated, it wasn’t unusual for the church to redeem the tokens at one service, then re-issue them for the next time communion was being celebrated. By the late 19th century, the tokens were being replaced by cardboard or stiff paper tickets. Some of the metal tokens were destroyed, but many of them were solemnly buried. It is likely that some of these buried groups have been resurrected and sold into collector markets.

U.S. Communion tokens are listed as exonumia in catalogs. Can you explain what can be considered to be exonumia?

Exonumia is a catch-all term for many objects that don’t qualify as being coins or bank notes. The term was invented by the late Krause Publications numismatist Russ Rulau. Exonumia encompasses badges, checks, countermarked coins, credit cards, elongated coins, encased coins, medals, notaphily or scripophily, tags, tokens, and wooden money.  

The post CoinClinic: Communion Tokens appeared first on Numismatic News.

This past month was seemingly slow going. There weren’t many major or exciting changes. The 2026 Proof Gold Eagles were added, and the sales for these already seem to be doing better than 2025’s coins as a whole. The Numismatic News team has been predicting that 2026-dated coins will do better overall due to the Semiquincentennial, so it will be interesting to follow along throughout the year to see if this holds true.

In addition, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Silver medal and the 2026 Congratulations Set were added to the report. Both also have strong starting sales numbers.

Next month, we’re looking forward to adding the Semiquincentennial Revolutionary War quarters and the Wisconsin American Innovation dollar, among others. Follow along to see if the Mint’s celebration of the U.S.’s 250th seems to add fresh excitement to coin collecting.

Unless otherwise stated, all boxed figures are compiled as of March 24, 2026. Numbers provided by the U.S. Mint. Totals are cumulative from the beginning of sales unless marked otherwise.

To order most U.S. Mint products, write U.S. Mint, P.O. Box 71191, Philadelphia, PA 19176; call (800) USA-MINT; or visit the website at www.usmint.gov. Hearing- or speech-impaired individuals may call (888) 321-MINT. For information, write U.S. Mint, Attention: Customer Care Center, 801 Ninth St., N.W., Washington, DC 20220.

The post MintStatistics: Slow Month for New Coins appeared first on Numismatic News.

Lest We Forget: Dawn Service

Created for Anzac Day, illustrated in the center of this coin’s reverse is a quiet moment. As dawn approaches, the sun rises across an ocean, with print protection ridges shaping the rays: bold and straight above the water, then softening into gentle waves.

Underneath the sun is a field of poppies that, as the eye follows the horizon, transforms into a crowd. The large gathering represents the thousands who gather for the dawn services each year for the holiday.

“Each Anzac Day, before the sun lifts above the horizon, Australians gather in a shared stillness,” says Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, the Hon. Andrew Leigh MP. “This coin captures that fleeting moment in metal, carrying the memory of service and sacrifice into everyday life.”

Standing above the crowd on the headland is a soldier. Facing the horizon with a head bowed, they stand in contemplation, representing all the soldiers who served and died in service.

The series comes in a AUD$2 “C” mintmark colored uncirculated and AUD$2 “C” mintmark fine silver proof varieties. The design is also set to appear on a circulating coin.

75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong

Occurring 75 years ago in the hills of Korea, Australian soldiers were embattled in the Korean War. From April 23 to 25 in 1951, the Australian military fought alongside Canadian and British battalions against Chinese forces in the Battle of Kapyong.

To honor the courage and sacrifice of these soldiers, the Mint has released a commemorative 50-cent coin titled “75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong.”

In order to depict such an emotional, historic moment, the Mint’s coin is designed to evoke a sense of remembrance and connection. Shown on the reverse is a view of the hills and rugged terrain of the Kapyong Valley.

On the right side of the coin are soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, standing in line on Hill 504, a critical location during the battle for the Australian military.

The latitude and longitude coordinates of where the battle took place bisect the design, with a lattice inspired by the wooden frames on traditional Korean doors and windows, called munsal, filling the lower portion.

Inside this design is Australia’s symbolic wattle motif woven through the lattice with 32 red poppies placed inside the pattern, the number chosen for the number of Australian soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of Kapyong.

For more information about these coins, visit the Royal Australian Mint.

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The post Coin Profile: Remembering Military Service Through Coins appeared first on Numismatic News.

19th-century images from a glass factory. The work was difficult, with hot, dangerous conditions.

Welcome to the second part of manufacturing notes on 19th-century glassworks! At its height, there were over 500 glass manufacturers in the United States in the 19th century. Before 1850, most glass was made by hand, but after the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, mechanized processes were created, including semi-automatic presses and improved furnaces, to increase production and consistency. The mass manufacturing of plate glass was perfected, which was ideal for making windows. The use of metal oxides (cobalt for blue, manganese for purple) created colored glass and was a boon to the decorative glass market.

One of the negative aspects of the glass factories was the use of child labor. It is a stark reminder of the harsh conditions faced by kids before child labor laws were enacted. A number of women were also employed in these glassworks, though often paid very little, they were excluded from any high-paying, skilled position like glass cutting.

The following is a showcase of glassworks notes, issued by private glass manufacturers. Most of these notes were used to purchase finished glass goods from company stores. Thanks to Tim Morrissey of New York University for his history on child labor, and Heritage Auctions for the photographs.

Image of the Cleveland Glass Works located in Cleveland, NY. They manufactured window glass using high-quality local sand. Oswego County in New York boasted several glass factories.

A 5¢, 50¢, and $1 remainder notes from the Cleveland Glassworks in Oswego County, New York State. We’ve enlarged the central image showing glassworkers plying their trade.

Three denominations: 1¢, 5¢, and $1 Batsto Glass Works merchant scrip. Signed and dated October 1, 1868. The glass factory consisted of seven buildings and produced window glass and glass for streetlamps. Production stopped in 1867 and never resumed.

Above: Fislerville Glass Works/John M. Moore & Co. 1¢ note dated July 1, 1862. The company was established circa 1849 and remained in business until just prior to World War I. It was also known as John M. Moore & Co. and Clayton Glass Works. Below right: Among the many items the company manufactured was the famous Jenny Lind flask. Lind was a world-renowned soprano opera singer from Sweden in the 19th century. Her image and name were used on a wide assortment of glass flasks by various glass manufacturers. Below left: A cobalt blue bottle with the name of Fislerville Glass in raised letters.

Six months later, the Fislerville Glass Works redesigned its notes. Above is a fractional remainder denomination set (5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢) with different vignettes. The Moore family closed the business in 1912.

Bridgeton was primarily known for producing free-blown molded glass, with aquamarine glass flasks being a notable example of their work. Above is a green flask made by Bridgeton Glass Works (1836–1850). With close observation, one can see the raised lettering of the town. Image: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection

While the word “glass” is not on the notes, the ones above are attributed to the Bridgeton Glass Works, which had many owners between 1836 and 1870. The note on the upper left is from August 1, 1858; on the upper right, the note is dated November 1869.

The Durhamville Glass Works was a window glass factory that operated in Durhamville, New York, from 1845 to 1904, at one point being the largest in the county. The hamlet itself grew due to the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, and the glass factory was a significant center of industry in the area before its closure in the early 1900s. Above is a quartet of 1830s notes (12½¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $1). All with well-executed vignettes.

A denomination set of New Brooklin, New Jersey, also known as Isabella Glass Works, with various vignettes. The factory, built by Thomas W. Stanger and Squire Marshall, began production in 1832. The factory was originally named after Stanger’s daughter, Isabella, before changing to New Brooklin. This was company store scrip, which was issued for workers as well as those who lived in the village. Today, the site of Isabella Glass Works would have been located at the intersection of the Atlantic City Expressway and New Brooklyn Road in Monroe Township. Below is an example of an Isabella green glass bottle.

Shown above is a $1 and $5 Depression scrip note, dated November 14, 1931, from The New Martinsville Glass Manufacturing Company in West Virginia. They were a maker of decorative glass products. It opened in 1901 and was renowned for the use of color in its glassware. They initially made tableware but quickly expanded into vanities, barware, lamps, and other items. They eventually closed in 1984.

The Salem Glass Works had a long history of glassmaking in the United States, beginning in 1862, until it sold to Anchor Cap and Closure Co. in 1934. It was started by Henry D. Hall, Joseph D. Pancoast, and John V. Craven; their large plant was based in Salem, New Jersey. They produced fruit jars and bottles, but rarely labeled their products with their name. Below is a well-preserved Salem Mason jar with its name shown in raised letters.

Shown is a pair of uncut remainder sheets from the Salem Glass Works. The top sheet has an image of factory glass workers on the $1, $2, and $3 notes. The bottom sheet was beautifully designed, with striking green numerical overprints. This scrip was for use at the Salem Glass Works company store.

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The U.S. Mint is issuing a wide range of one-year circulating and collector coinage in 2026 as part of observing the 250^th anniversary (semiquincentennial) of America’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. This alone is bound to increase the interest in numismatics.

However, if you are a numismatic dealer or collector, how else could you use the occasion of this anniversary to promote the hobby?

This question came up after the company where I work was contacted by a local radio station.  They have begun running a series of stories about American history and were looking for sponsors. They are trying to run stories from America’s past that have some relation to the industry of the sponsors.  So, what in our nation’s history involves numismatics or money?

Here are twenty concepts we listed, including some relevant to our location in Lansing, Michigan:

1. How did a British colony using pounds, shillings, and pence for coinage end up using decimal coinage? Thomas Jefferson was the main proponent of a decimal dollar in the 1780s.
2. The U.S. government, under the Articles of Confederation and then under the U.S. Constitution, prohibited the issue of paper until the Civil War because of the terrible inflationary experience with Continental Currency (“Not worth a Continental”).
3. When he served as President Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase oversaw the first issues of U.S. government paper money, but later voted that such actions were unconstitutional when he was serving on the U.S. Supreme Court.
4. The proposed first coins to be issued by the U.S. government bore the bust of George Washington on the obverse, but Washington refused the idea as it was reminiscent of monarchs putting their portraits on coins.
5. The printing company of Hall and Sellers that printed all issues of Continental Currency was the business originally founded by Benjamin Franklin. David Hall went to work for Franklin and, when he bought out Franklin, took on William Sellers as a new partner.
6. The Willow Tree, Pine Tree, and most Oak Tree issues were dated 1652 to attempt to skirt around laws against counterfeiting the English king’s coinage. There was no English king on the throne from 1649 to 1660 during the Cromwell Protectorate.
7. The issue of private gold coins from the 1830s into the 1860s, including why they began and why they ended.
8. The issue of the 1920 and 1921 Pilgrim Tercentenary Half Dollar, depicting Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony, who was a direct ancestor of the founder of our company, Liberty Coin Service.
9. R. E. Olds, the founder of Oldsmobile and a local resident, has his signature on U.S. National Currency issued by the local bank that he founded.
10. The weight of the U.S. Silver Dollar was determined by taking an average weight of the Spanish 8 Reales (Pieces of Eight) then circulating in the colonies and early independent America.
11. Identify the required elements on U.S. coinage, including Liberty, United States of America, E Pluribus Unum, and In God We Trust. Why are they used?
12. Describe the history of how In God We Trust came to be added to U.S. coins and currency.
13. Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the son of a former Virginia slave, was born a free man and became the first president of the newly independent Republic of Liberia, a nation that has issued coins bearing his image (note: I lived in Liberia as a child when my father was in the U.S. foreign aid program)
14. Where did the symbol of “$” come from? There is no consensus on this issue.
15. The first coin to depict a map of the state of Michigan was the 1936 Cleveland Great Lakes Half Dollar.
16. Why were steel cents issued in 1943?
17. Identify the living people who have been depicted on U.S. coins.
18. The first male and first actual female depicted on U.S. coins (Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella) never heard of the United States of America.
19. Which U.S. president is depicted on both sides of the same U.S. currency? Thomas Jefferson on $2.00 Federal Reserve Notes 1976 to date.
20. Why were no Series 1934 $100,000 Gold Certificates released into circulation? Were only issued to be used for gold transactions between Federal Reserve Banks.

There are literally thousands of monetary and numismatic history trivia stories that can be used in a variety of ways to spark an interest in the hobby, especially if you can include points that are relevant to your area. Could you create a trivia contest to submit not just to local coin clubs but to schools, Scouts, churches, senior citizen groups, and the like?

Last column’s numismatic trivia question.

Last time I asked— In addition to gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, and zinc, what other materials were used at least once to strike U.S. Mint pattern coins? In addition to these metals, other patterns were struck using aluminum, tin, antimony, tungsten, magnesium, lead, palladium, billon (90 percent copper and 10 percent silver), various alloys of German silver, goloid, oroide, zinc-coated steel, and, in 1942, even plastic.

This week’s trivia question

Here is this week’s question. Which of the eight U.S. presidents born in Virginia were depicted on either U.S. coins or currency before the debut of the Presidential Dollar series? Come back next week for the answer.

Patrick A. Heller was honored as a 2019 FUN Numismatic Ambassador. He is also the recipient of the American Numismatic Association 2018 Glenn Smedley Memorial Service Award, the 2017 Exemplary Service Award, the 2012 Harry Forman National Dealer of the Year Award, and the 2008 Presidential Award. Over the years, he has also been honored by the Numismatic Literary Guild, Professional Numismatists Guild, National Coin & Bullion Association, and the Michigan State Numismatic Society. He is the communications officer of Liberty Coin Service in Lansing, Michigan, and writes “Liberty’s Outlook,” a quarterly newsletter on rare coins and precious metals subjects. He now volunteers with the National Coin & Bullion Association as its Industry Issues Advisor.  Past newsletter issues can be viewed at www.libertycoinservice.com. Some of his radio commentaries, “Things You ‘Know’ That Just Aren’t So,” and “Important News You Need To Know,” can be heard at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday and Friday mornings on 1320-AM WILS in Lansing (which streams live and becomes part of the audio archives posted at www.1320wils.com).

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The post Connecting Numismatics with America’s 250th Anniversary appeared first on Numismatic News.

After a memorable meal in the historic Zeughauskeller, we round out the day just a short distance away at the Swiss National Museum, where Switzerland’s story unfolds on a much broader scale.

Rising beside Zurich’s main railway station, the museum is hard to miss. Its castle-like façade, complete with towers and courtyards, feels more like a historic landmark than a traditional museum, an impression that only deepens once inside.

Opened in 1898, the museum was designed to house and showcase Switzerland’s cultural history, and today it does so in remarkable depth. Galleries guide visitors through centuries of life, from medieval beginnings to the modern era, weaving together objects that reflect how people lived, worked, and expressed themselves across generations.

Along the way, visitors encounter exhibits featuring intricately crafted arms and armor that evoke Switzerland’s early conflicts, richly furnished period rooms that recreate domestic life across the centuries, and finely detailed decorative arts that highlight the country’s long tradition of craftsmanship. Here, coins and currency are presented within the broader historical context of trade, economy, state, and daily life, as part of the overall exhibits rather than the primary focus.

Alongside the permanent galleries, the museum’s exhibition “Switzerland, the Land of Banks,” which runs from August 11, 2026, through December 6, 1016, adds a timely and relevant dimension to the visit. The exhibition explores how Switzerland became one of the world’s leading financial centers, tracing the evolution of banking from early systems of money, credit, and trust to the global institutions of today.

Through a range of historical objects and interactive displays, visitors gain insight into the role of finance in shaping the nation’s economy and identity, including the development of savings banks, the rise of major financial hubs, and the impact of banking secrecy and modern financial challenges.

For NumisTravel participants, the visit provides valuable context for understanding how material culture, including coinage, fits within the broader historical and economic developments of the Swiss nation.

The museum’s central location and comprehensive collections make it a convenient and informative stop, offering a structured overview of Swiss history within a single visit.

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NumisTravel Heads to Switzerland

Ready to experience it for yourself? Join Numismatic News on this unforgettable NumisTravel journey through Zurich and beyond. From world-class museums and auction houses to scenic excursions and the Zurich Coin Fair, this is a collector’s trip like no other.

View the full itinerary and reserve your spot: https://store.numismaster.com/pages/tour/numistravel-2026oct-zurich

The post NumisTravel: Zurich, Switzerland – Day Two, Destination Three: The Swiss National Museum appeared first on Numismatic News.

Are you buying on the way up or on the way down? Be you a collector, an investor, or a speculator, the answer to this question is important. You need to keep your hand, and especially your wallet, on the pulse of the current coin market. This market can be difficult to read at times due to the many coins that can be collected, but this same argument can be made when examining the stock market.

One thing I’ve learned since I took over calculating coin values is that, unlike the stock market, the price of a specific coin may rise or fall in spurts rather than in a gradual motion in one direction or the other. This is because, unlike the stock market, there aren’t a large number of like items being traded constantly. It is easier to identify trends in specific areas of coin collecting, such as a denomination and design, than it is to determine if a specific coin in a specific grade within that field is increasing or decreasing in value. I’ve seen a coin increase in one grade, while it declines in the next grade above or below that grade about the same time.

What is the state of the coin market right now? There are glimmers of optimism, especially in less frequently traded coins such as challenging to find 19^th-century coppers and gold in reasonably high condition. Other gold and most silver coins continue to be more heavily impacted by the recent decline in the spot price of these metals than we might like. It’s a new beginning, and anything may happen, especially since some economists are predicting a global recession. If this scenario plays out, perhaps there will be a flight to collectible coins—we will see.

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Under my basement stairwell, there was a small 2×4 brace holding up the stairs. I put some old proof and mint sets on that shelf, installed a piece of removable plywood as a cover, spray-painted it all flat black, and it was barely noticeable. That was my coin safe for a few years until my collection grew and I had to buy a large safe. I can tell you this now as I don’t live there anymore! But I showed it to the new owners, and I suppose they still use it for jewelry.

Larry, Louisville

There was a pocket under my parents’ couch where the couch legs were stored for delivery. I hid my money there for about a month when I was trying to save up for something, since it was an awkward place to get money out and would theoretically deter me from spending it. My genius kid brain didn’t think about how I would have to go in there anyway to put money in when I received my allowance for doing chores, so it didn’t do much to deter me from anything. It didn’t take me long to give up on the hiding spot.

Name and Address withheld

When I was growing up, my mother hid her prized gold-and-sapphire cocktail ring, cash, and my father’s mercury-head dime collection in a Borden’s Ice Cream Sandwich box in the freezer.

Kat, Dallas

The post Poll Question: What’s the most unusual place you’ve stored or hidden a coin? appeared first on Numismatic News.

When immigrants arrived by boat at Ellis Island, they were famously greeted by the beautiful Statue of Liberty. Standing 305 feet tall, wearing a Roman-style gown on her long body and a seven-point crown atop her head, she holds a torch to represent enlightenment and freedom, and a tablet to signify law and the Declaration of Independence, which reads, “July IV MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776).

The Woman Behind the Face

However, Lady Liberty has not only welcomed millions to the shores of the United States, but she also serves as an emblem for the nation’s citizens, a symbol of the pursuit and persistence of freedom. With such a weight of emblematic responsibility, it is natural that this Lady Liberty has also served as an inspiration for many coin designs. She famously graces the designs of pieces like the 1986 Statue of Liberty commemoratives, the 2001 New York State quarter, the 2007–2016 Presidential dollars series, and the American Innovation $1 issues.

Lady Liberty’s likeness is common, easily glossed over. But look closer at this fictional, realized woman and you’ll see a stoic, feminine face—a steely brow, serious eyes, and a tense jaw. She doesn’t welcome with a smile. Instead, her confidence and inner strength are encouraging.

But who was the face that inspired this monumental icon? The answer isn’t set in stone—or, in this case, copper, stainless steel, and iron. The owner of this visage was likely a real woman connected to Lady Liberty’s creator, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi.

Many associate the Statue of Liberty with Gustave Eiffel, a French civil engineer famous for building the Eiffel Tower, and being the structure’s namesake. Eiffel was responsible for the metal framework of Lady Liberty, but it was French sculptor and artist Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi who created the appearance that we recognize.

What we do know is that the inspiration behind the statue is more an amalgamation of design than a single person or object. It is believed that Bartholdi sourced from the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which depicted the Greek god Helios and may have stood over 100 feet tall. This concept first occurred when he took on what would become a defunct project of a statue for the entrance to the Suez Canal in Port Said. But instead of a masculine, aggressive-looking god, Bartholdi’s version was one of a goddess who, like the original version, would hold a lighted torch for the incoming and outgoing ships.

American coinage may have also influenced Bartholdi’s design. At the time of the statue’s creation and construction in the 1870s and 1880s, the Roman goddess Libertas was commonly featured on American coins, including the famous Liberty Head issues. Robed and female, Libertas was originally worshiped as the goddess of freedom and was popular among slaves. Her presence during the 19th century was frequently used in artistic design as a symbol of the United States.

Bartholdi’s Women

Many historians and researchers believe the Statue of Liberty was modeled on a very familiar face for the artist, his mother, Augusta Charlotte Bartholdi.

Born in 1801 in Ribeauville, France, Augusta Charlotte’s adulthood began when she married property owner and editor Jean Charles Bartholdi and became the mother of four children, of which only two (Frédéric-Auguste and his brother) would survive infancy. Raising her children in Colmar in a Protestant household, her life was impacted by the death of her husband in 1836, when Frédéric-Auguste was only two years old. She then moved the family to Paris to be near relatives, and kept a home in Colmar, which would ultimately become the Bartholdi Museum.

According to Barry Moreno in his book The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia, when Bartholdi introduced his mother to a French senator, the senator remarked that the Statue of Liberty resembled her. The artist then explained that she served as the inspiration.

But not everyone wants to believe that Bartholdi found his Lady Liberty from home. A rumor is that the artist was inspired by a woman named Isabella Boyer, whom the two met during their respective times of fame. The French American was a well-known model and heiress, having first married Isaac Singer, the inventor of the sewing machine, and later a Luxembourg duke. Although she shares a similar facial profile to the statue, Boyer has been proven by Reuters not to be the inspiration.

Lastly, some believe Lady Liberty’s appearance was based on a Black woman. According to the National Park Service, this belief is based on a circa 1870 cast of a no longer-surviving maquette once owned by the Museum of the City of New York that portrayed a black woman as Lady Liberty, although this has been proven false. There is, however, a temporal overlap between Bartholdi’s Suez Canal and Statue of Liberty projects, during which the artist created drawings of Black Egyptian women, but there is insufficient evidence to confirm them as the source for the statue.

For more information about the Statue of Liberty and its history, visit nps.gov.

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