Coins who is on

Ever wonder how certain presidents ended up being featured on American coins? The profile view of Abraham Lincoln first showed up on the front of the one-cent piece in —nearly years after the first U. Lincoln served as our 16th president during the Civil War. He oversaw Union efforts to defeat the Confederacy, and he subsequently pushed for the abolition of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. The first Lincoln penny came out years after he was born. Treasury Department notes. The coin was released to the public in August This five-cent coin replaced the Buffalo nickel.

The U. Mint issued the Jefferson nickel five years before the bicentennial of his birth. The Treasury Department chose artist Felix Schlag to design the coin. According to History. As noted by the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, the coin was not the first depiction of Jefferson on U. The likeness of Franklin D. Roosevelt, our 32nd president, replaced the image of Lady Liberty on the cent coin in That was a year after FDR died. FDR served the U.

Accomplishments during his tenure include the New Deal, a series of government reforms designed to help pull the U. A key component of the New Deal was the Social Security program.

The artist responsible for the image of FDR on the front of the dime remains a source of controversy. Some credit John Sinnock, the U. Others credit sculptor Selma Burke. A portrait of George Washington, our first president, graces the front of the U. Mint first produced the Washington quarter in to commemorate the th anniversary of his birth. Washington became president in after commanding the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and presiding over the Constitutional Convention.

A coin representing John F. Kennedy, the 35th U. The bicentennial committee originally wanted a temporary Washington half dollar issued in place of the Walking Liberty half dollar, but once Congress got involved, it scrapped the half dollar plans and instead, requested the Washington quarter permanently replace the Standing Liberty quarter.

Mellon ultimately got his wish and chose the design of sculptor John Flanagan. On the obverse side, "United States of America" sits atop Washington's portrait, while the denomination is denoted below. Designed by Glenna Goodacre, the Sacagawea dollar coin, which shows the Native American carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste, began circulating in The reverse side of the coin was designed by Thomas D.

Rogers, Sr. Although the dollar coin was minted as a "Golden Dollar," it doesn't actually contain any of the precious metal. Photo: Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images. It wasn't until the Federal Reserve Act of that currency became standardized for the country's economic stability.

As one of the oldest U. The design of the former was introduced in , while the latter dates back to and was used primarily for the purpose of avoiding counterfeits. Starting in , Lincoln has been the face of the bill, which features the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse side. The bill's most current image of Lincoln is based on Mathew Brady's portrait of the president in Its new front includes the use of the color purple, an imprint of The Great Seal of the United States to the right of Lincoln's face and a band of stars.

On the back, the bold purple "5" watermark at the bottom right stands most conspicuously, along with a sprinkle of yellow 5s to the top right, among its security features. But starting in , Hamilton became the statesman of choice, and the imprinted portrait you see of him today is based on a painting by John Trumbull.

As the nation's first Treasury Secretary, Hamilton is one of two non-presidents to be featured on U. While Hamilton's portrait is seen on the obverse, the reverse shows the U. Treasury Building. However, due to the popularity of Broadway's musical Hamilton , the government reversed its decision and has kept Hamilton on the bill.

While he is seen on the denomination's front side, adorned with watermarks and green and peach hues, the White House is imprinted on the backside. Starting in , Civil War hero and 18th President of the U.

Ulysses S. While many wonder why Grant was chosen to be on this particular denomination, no one really knows the answer. The reverse side of Grant's portrait features the U. Capitol, although earliest iterations included images of Panama, a merchant and a battleship. On both sides of the bill, blue and red colors have been added and microprinted words such as "Fifty" and "USA" surround Grant's face, along with a watermark of the American flag to the right of him.

Founding Father , inventor and diplomat Benjamin Franklin served under many titles, but U. Still, along with Hamilton, Franklin was able to grace one of the most desirable of denominations despite never reaching the highest office in the land, starting in A massive redesign in resulted in Franklin's portrait featured to the left of a quill pen, inkwell and the Declaration of Independence , along with holographic watermarks and black-light technology.

The reverse side presents an image of Independence Hall in Philadelphia — the first building outside of Washington D.