Franklin Pierce 2010 US Presidential One Dollar Coin
The Franklin Pierce Dollar was the second coin issued during 2010 for the Presidential Dollar coin series. It represented the fourteenth release overall for the series, which began in 2007 to honor the former Presidents of the United States.
The official launch ceremony for the coin was held on May 20, 2010 to coincide with the circulation release date. The event was held at Pierce Manse, the former President’s home in Concord, New Hampshire, co-hosted by the Franklin Pierce College and the Pierce Brigade. On hand for the occasion was United States Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart and local school children who received a free coin to commemorate the day.
Before becoming the president, Franklin Pierce had been elected to the New Hampshire legislature and served in the House of Representatives and Senate. During his single term in the highest office from 1853 to 1857 he negotiated the purchase of what would become Arizona and New Mexico and passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which replaced the Compromise of 1850 with the concept of “popular sovereignty”.
The obverse of the Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollar featured a portrait designed by Susan Gamble and engraved by Charles Vickers. The inscriptions read “Franklin Pierce”, “In God We Trust”, “14th President” and the years of his Presidential term “1853-1857″.
The reverse of the coin featured a rendition of the Statue of Liberty, designed and engraved by Don Everhart. This image has been used as the reverse design for each coin in the Presidential Dollar series so far. Inscriptions read “United States of America” and the denomination “$1″.
The Presidential Dollars continued to use incuse edge lettering for some required elements. The date, mint mark, and “E Pluribus Unum” appeared as such on the edge of the coin, along with thirteen stars.
Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollars were produced for circulation, as well as in special versions or numismatic products for collectors. The circulating version had a mintage of 38,220,000 Philadelphia Mint coins and 38,360,000 Denver Mint coins. Significantly fewer coins were struck at the same mints in satin finish version for inclusion inclusion in annual sets and some products. A proof version was struck at the San Francisco Mint for inclusion in the Proof Sets and Silver Proof Sets issued for the year.
Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollar Coin Specifications:
Diameter: 26.5 mm
Weight: 8.1g
Thickness: 2.0 mm
Edge: Lettered
Composition: 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel
Mintage: 38,220,000 (Philadelphia), 38,360,000 (Denver)
Presidential $1 Coin — Lady Liberty Reverse Statue of Liberty, 1886
She is the work of sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who enlisted the assistance of engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower, to help him solve some of the structural challenges presented by creating a statue of such magnitude.
The Statue of Liberty was completed in 1884 and shipped to the United States in June 1885, having been disassembled into 350 individual pieces that were packed in over 200 crates for the transatlantic voyage. In four months’ time, she was re-assembled in New York Harbor, standing just over 151 feet from the top of the statue’s base to the tip of the torch her right hand holds high above the waters of New York Harbor.
Originally intended as a gift to celebrate the American Centennial in 1876, the Statue of Liberty was given to the United States as a symbol of the friendship forged between the new American government and the government of France during the American Revolutionary War.
The tablet she holds in her left hand carries the inscription "July IV MDCCLXXVI" in reference to the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the Nation.
There are 25 windows running the length of Lady Liberty’s crown, which is topped by seven rays, meant to convey both the light of the sun and the seven seas and continents of the world.
For millions of Americans, the Statue of Liberty was the first sight that their ancestors saw as they arrived in America after having left their homes in search of a better life for themselves and for their families.
To celebrate her 100th anniversary, the Statue of Liberty was featured on a United States commemorative coin in 1986. In 1997, a close-up image of the Lady Liberty was chosen for the obverse of the new American Eagle platinum coins.
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| Franklin Pierce 2010 One Dollar Coin Cover |
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| Franklin Pierce 2010 Presidential One Dollar Coin & First Spouse Medal Set |
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th President of the United States (1853–57). Pierce was a northern Democrat who saw the abolitionist movement as a fundamental threat to the unity of the nation. His polarizing actions in championing and signing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act failed to stem intersectional conflict, setting the stage for Southern secession.
Born in New Hampshire, Pierce served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate until he resigned from the latter in 1842. His private law practice in his home state was a success; he was appointed U.S. Attorney for his state in 1845. Pierce took part in the Mexican–American War as a brigadier general in the Army. Seen by Democrats as a compromise candidate uniting northern and southern interests, he was nominated as the party's candidate for president on the 49th ballot at the 1852 Democratic National Convention. In the 1852 presidential election, Pierce and his running mate William R. King easily defeated the Whig Party ticket of Winfield Scott and William A. Graham.
While Pierce was popular and outgoing, his family life was a grim affair, with his wife Jane suffering from illness and depression for much of her life. All of their children died young, their last son being gruesomely killed in a train accident while the family was traveling shortly before Pierce's inauguration. As president, Pierce simultaneously attempted to enforce neutral standards for civil service while also satisfying the diverse elements of the Democratic Party with patronage, an effort which largely failed and turned many in his party against him. Pierce was a Young America expansionist who signed the Gadsden Purchase of land from Mexico and led a failed attempt to acquire Cuba from Spain. He signed trade treaties with Britain and Japan, while his Cabinet reformed their departments and improved accountability, but these successes were overshadowed by political strife.
His popularity in the Northern states declined sharply after he supported the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which nullified the Missouri Compromise, while many whites in the South continued to support him. Passage of the act led to violent conflict over the expansion of slavery in the American West. Pierce's administration was further damaged when several of his diplomats issued the Ostend Manifesto, calling for the annexation of Cuba, a document which was roundly criticized. Although Pierce fully expected to be renominated by the Democrats in the 1856 presidential election, he was abandoned by his party and his bid failed. His reputation in the North suffered further during the Civil War as he became a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln. Pierce, who had been a heavy drinker for much of his life, died of severe cirrhosis of the liver in 1869.
US historians and other political commentators generally rank Pierce's presidency among the worst.
Presidential $1 Coins
Presidential Dollar Coins feature larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions meant to revitalize the design of United States coins and return circulating coinage to its position as an object of aesthetic beauty.The U.S. Mint launched the Presidential $1 Coin Program in 2007. The 10-year initiative includes one dollar coins featuring obverse designs honoring the Presidents in the order in which they served in office.
Read less Image of Presidential $1 Coins
The U.S. Mint produces and issues four Presidential Dollar coins per year, each with a common reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. The program was authorized by the Presidential $1 Dollar Coin Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-145).
2007 Presidential Dollars
2008 Presidential Dollars
2009 Presidential Dollars
2010 Presidential Dollars
Millard Fillmore Franklin Pierce James Buchanan Abraham Lincoln
2011 Presidential Dollars
2012 Presidential Dollars
2013 Presidential Dollars
2014 Presidential Dollars
2015 Presidential Dollars
2016 Presidential Dollars