National Numismatic Collection , National Museum of American History
Graphite drawing of proposed design for a young Susan B . Anthony . This was rejected by a grandniece of Anthony , who said that it was “ too pretty .”
Political Controversy
Coinage designs were traditionally selected by the Secretary of the Treasury , and the US Mint and the Treasury Department had intended to produce the new mini-dollar with Gasparro ’ s Flowing Hair Liberty . However , when Representative Mary Rose Oakar ( D-Ohio ) introduced a bill calling for the portrait of Susan B . Anthony on the coin , a political controversy flared up . Oaker argued :
We have never had the face of a woman who actually lived , memorized on a United States coin . [ T ] he choice of the mythical figure of “ Miss Liberty ” is not an appropriate figure to symbolize American womankind just as I don ’ t think Uncle Sam and Father Time belong on United States coins to represent mankind .
When introducing the Susan B . Anthony Bill , Oakar commended her lifelong devotion to the women ’ s rights movement and credited the passage of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution to her efforts . Among the diverse groups that supported Oakar ’ s bill were the League of Women Voters , Daughters of the American Revolution , Professional Women ’ s Club and National Organization for Women ( NOW ).
Treasury Secretary W . Michael Blumenthal lit into Oakar ’ s bill : “ Although many women have made substantial contributions to the nation , they ’ ve all fallen short of the presidency . To depart from the past precedent of using ‘ Miss Liberty ’ would surely invite unnecessary controversy .”
Gasparro ’ s approved drawing of an older Susan B . Anthony .
Protests flooded government offices from numismatists who supported the Flowing Hair Liberty design . Collectors argued that Gasparro ’ s masterly design should be recognized — and indeed be upon the new mini-dollar coin . One collector summarized myriad arguments when he wrote :
Mr . Gasparro ’ s design is beautiful . I firmly believe that such a symbol as Liberty does , in fact , represent US women and US men . ‘ She ’ does not represent a single issue or cause , as some of the actual people suggested do ; but rather , everything America stands for — freedom , justice , peace … I would think that the modern American woman would be proud that such ideals would be represented by a female figure .
Despite mounting opposition , Oakar introduced the bill to the House Committee on Banking , Finance and Urban Affairs . On August 22 , 1978 , the Senate passed the bill for a new , reduced size dollar with the image of Susan B . Anthony upon the obverse . No senator dissented . The House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 368 to 38 on September 26 , 1978 .
Designing the Susan B . Anthony Dollar
Gasparro began working on the Susan B . Anthony design in June 1978 , even before final authorization by Congress . He conducted research on Anthony and studied six photographs of her . Gasparro ’ s portrait was based mostly upon two of those images . Gasparro wrote the below comments on November 4 , 1991 , at the request of Q . David Bowers :
The important question for me that stood out in designing the Susan B . Anthony dollar was how the public would accept my interpretation of the great suffragist .
My first plaster , June 1 , 1978 , showed Susan B . Anthony ’ s portrait at the age of 28 . Considering the few photographs available , I chose this one . This was followed by a rejection by Susan B . Anthony , 2nd , a grandniece , then living . She stated that I portrayed her as ‘ too pretty .’ So I had to go back to the ‘ drawing board .’ Then , the only photograph I could obtain was showing her in her very old age . I had to ‘ toughen ’ the features of my present model .
Eventually , after much effort , I ended up with a portrait showing Susan B . Anthony in her 50s , at the height of her career . I had to sharpen her features giving her strength of character . I kept in mind , to make the coin artistic and still prove acceptable to the public .
Debut of Anthony Dollars
A massive amount of coins was struck in anticipation of significant public demand . However , after its official release on July 2 , 1979 , the Susan B . Anthony ( SBA ) dollar was poorly received , partially due to confusion caused by its similar size and composition to the quarter . The Treasury Department , in concert with the Federal Reserve Board , launched a $ 655,000 marketing campaign to educate bank employees and the American public about the SBA dollar . At the same time , the vending machine industry invested $ 100 million to retrofit machines to take the new coin .
Despite these efforts , the SBA coin received a devastatingly negative public reception . Research shows that in 1979 , 66 % of the nation disliked the new coin . Even though the Research Triangle Institute recommended the new coin be sized between the quarter and half dollar , it was less than two millimeters in diameter
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