African American Lady Liberty Featured on USA Coin

• 01.13.2017, 17:55
•  No-politics

http://www.philly.com

The U.S. Mint, created by that act, is 225 years old this year, and over the last two centuries an image of Lady Liberty has graced coins both commemorative and circulatory. But she's typically portrayed as a white woman - that is, until this year, the philly.com reported.

For its anniversary, the mint is producing a special gold coin, marketed to collectors and with a face value of $100, with a profile of Liberty depicted as an African American woman.

On the coin, Liberty looks to the left, her chin set, her hair swept back, the slightest smile on her lips. On her head is a crown of stars.

The United States was less than a decade old when Congress - still based in Philadelphia - debated what the nascent nation might put on its currency. The final decision was a simple one: Every coin, the resulting Coinage Act of 1792 required, had to have an "impression emblematic of liberty."