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Lady
Liberty
shown as
black
woman on
U.S.
coin for
first
time
Laila
Kearney
Reuters
WASHINGTON
- The
United
States
Mint has
unveiled
a $100
gold
coin
featuring
an
African-American
woman as
the face
of Lady
Liberty
for the
first
time in
the
history
of U.S.
currency.
The
24-karat
gold
coin,
which
marks
the
Mint's
225th
anniversary,
was
debuted
on
Thursday
in the
Department
of the
Treasury's
Cash
Room in
Washington,
D.C.
It is
the
first in
a series
of gold
coins
featuring
Lady
Liberty,
which
has been
used on
American
coinage
since
the late
1790s,
as an
ethnic
woman,
Mint
Principal
Deputy
Director
Rhett
Jeppson
said in
a
statement.
Other
editions
will use
designs
representing
Asian,
Hispanic
Americans
and
others
"to
reflect
the
cultural
and
ethnic
diversity
of the
United
States,"
Jeppson
said.
"We
boldly
look to
the
future
by
casting
Liberty
in a new
light...
looking
forward
to ever
brighter
chapters
in our
nation's
history
book,"
Jeppson
said.
The
coin's
heads-side
design
by
artist
Justin
Kunz
depicts
the
profile
of
Liberty
wearing
a crown
of stars
with the
inscriptions
"Liberty,"
"1792,"
"2017"
and "In
God we
trust."
Depicted
on the
reverse
side,
which
was
designed
by Chris
Costello,
is an
image of
an eagle
in
flight.
The
inscription
on the
tails
side
include
the
nation's
motto,
"E
pluribus
unum,"
which
translates
to
English
from
Latin as
"Out of
many,
one."
Phebe
Hemphill
and
Michael
Gaudioso,
both
based at
the
Mint's
Philadelphia
facility,
sculpted
the
coin.
The
Mint,
which is
the
nation's
only
manufacturer
of
official
coinage,
is set
to
release
the
initial
coin
design
on April
6. It
will be
issued
biennially.
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