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CCAC Public Meeting

February 15, 2022

Page 1
Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee Meeting (CCAC)

Moderated by Dr. Lawrence Brown
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
1:02 p.m.

Microsoft Teams Remote Proceeding
Washington, DC 20001

Reported by:

Jacqueline Watts

JOB NO.:

5028022

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A P P E A R A N C E S
Dr. Peter van Alfen, CCAC
Arthur .Art. Bernstein, CCAC
Samuel .Sam. Gill, CCAC
Dean Kotlowski, CCAC
Michael .Mike. Moran, CCAC
Robin Salmon, CCAC
Donald Scarinci, CCAC
Dennis Tucker, CCAC
Dr. Harcourt Fuller, CCAC
Dr. Lawrence Brown, CCAC
Mint Staff:
April Stafford, Chief, Office of Design Management
Megan Sullivan, Senior Design Specialist
Boneza Hanchock, Design Manager
Pam Borer, Design Manager
Roger Vasquez, Design Manager
Russell Evans, Design Manager
Joe Menna, Mint Chief Engraver
Mike Costello, Engraving Manager
Jennifer Warren, Director of Legislative and
Intergovernmental Affairs and Liaison to the CCAC

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A P P E A R A N C E S (Cont'd.)
Greg Weinman, Esquire, Senior Legal Counsel and
Counsel to the CCAC
Betty Birdsong, Senior Government Affairs Specialist
of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

Members of the Press:
Brandon Hall, Whitman Publishing, Senior Associate
Editor
Darcie Graybill The Numismatist, Associate
Editor
Mike Unser, Coin News Media Group, Founder and Editor
Maggie Pahl, Numismatic News, Editorial Director
Paul Gilkes, Amos Media/Coin World, Senior Editor

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C O N T E N T S
PAGE
I.

Approval of Minutes

II.

Review and discussion of obverse and

12

Reverse candidate designs for the 2023
American Liberty High Relief 24K Gold
Coins and Silver Medals

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P R O C E E D I N G S
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
everyone.

Good afternoon,

I call to order this meeting of the

Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee for Tuesday,
February 15, 2022.
To ensure that we have a quorum, I want
to introduce the members of the Committee.

My

colleagues, please respond present when I call your
name.
Peter van Alfen?
MR. VAN ALFEN:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. BERNSTEIN:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. GILL:

MR. KOTLOWSKI:

Dean Kotlowski?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Mike Moran?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. SALMON:

Samuel Gill?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

MR. MORAN:

Arthur Bernstein?

Robin Salmon.

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Donald Scarinci?

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MR. SCARINCI:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. TUCKER:

Dennis Tucker?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Dr. Harcourt

Fuller?
DR. FULLER:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
Brown, Chair of the CCAC.
MR. WEINMAN:

I am Dr. Lawrence

I believe we have a quorum.
That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Before we begin

this meeting, I would like to remind each and every
member of the Committee to mute his or her phone or
microphone when not talking and to announce your name
prior to speaking each time so the court reporter can
accurately attribute statements to you.
Additionally, I remind the public to
mute your phone as this is a listening only hearing
for the public.

The agenda for today's public meeting

includes a review and discussion of the obverse and
reverse candidate designs for the 2023 American
Liberty High Relief 24 Karat Gold Coins and Silver
Medals.

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Before we begin today's proceedings, I
ask that the Mint liaison to the CCAC, Ms. Jennifer
Warren, do we have any members of the press on the
call today?
MS. WARREN:

Good afternoon.

This is

Jennifer Warren.
Yes, we do.

Brandon Hall, Whitman

Publishing, senior associate editor; Darcie Graybill
The Numismatist, associate editor; Mike Unser, Coin
News Media Group, founder and editor; Maggie Pahl,
Numismatic News, editor -- editorial director; and
Paul Gilkes, Amos Media/Coin World, senior editor.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

For the record, I

would also like to confirm the following Mint Staff
are on the call today.

Please indicate present after

I call your name.
April Stafford?
MS. STAFFORD:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. HANCHOCK:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. BORER:

Boneza Hanchock?

Pam Borer?

Present.

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CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Roger Velazquez

-- Vasquez?
MR. VASQUEZ:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. EVANS:

Russell Evans?

Present.
Joe Menna?

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. MENNA:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. COSTELLO:

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. WARREN:

Greg Weinman?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. BIRDSONG:

Jennifer Warren?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. WEINMAN:

Mike Costello?

Betty Birdsong?

Present.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

I really would like

to thank all of you for joining the call today.

I

would just appreciate just a few seconds -- a few
minutes to recognize the significance of this first
meeting of the CCAC in 2022.

It is not lost upon me

that my term is occurring as many in this nation are
celebrating Black History Month.

While I am the first

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African American to serve as chair of a CCAC, this is
not the first time that African Americans have played
noteworthy roles in US Coinage.

Indeed, African

Americans have played a rich but often untold roles in
US coin designs.

These roles, in some ways, are

similar to my personal history.

Regarding such, I am

forever grateful to Jennifer, Betty, April, Greg, Joe,
and the thousands of dedicated employees of the US
Mint.
Analogous to the old commercials of
hair loss remedies, I am not just a CCAC member; I am
also a long standing, satisfied consumer of the
products of the US Mint.

I am also grateful to my

fellow members of the CCAC from whom I have learned a
wealth of information beyond the elementary knowledge
I possessed at the beginning of my CCAC term.

Special

mention goes to Tom Uram and Mary Lannin, who by the
way, I should recognize -- we should recognize; this
is the first meeting that she's missing after seven
and a half years -- and my predecessors -- I'm sorry
-- chairs of the CCAC.

I also want to thank former

Director Ryder because certainly he was instrumental

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in me coming on the CCAC.
As the official press release
indicates, my journey in coin collecting began at the
age of 12 back in Brooklyn with a present from my
parents of my first red book, initiating a lifelong
hobby supported by the American Numismatic
Association, the ANS, the Northern Valley Coin Club,
which is my local coin club.

But such a hobby would

not have been possible coming from a neighborhood
where addiction was present, is present, and will
forever be present in many communities unless there
are major societal changes.

This is one of the

reasons I pursued a profession in addiction medicine,
allowing me to address this continuing unmet societal
need with support of thousands of dedicated
professionals on whose shoulders I stand.
In summary, I am here today based upon
the phenomenal support I received from my colleagues
in the field, the patients who assisted in my
development, and the many friends I have developed in
continuously fulfilling hobby while serving our nation
by providing miniature canvases filled with

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unforgettable art.

Most importantly, I am here

because of family.

While my father has passed, my

mother still gives me advice and lets me know that she
is the parent.
My wife, Faith, who was present at my
swearing in, continues to be supportive and patient
with me.

This is most important when I share with her

my new acquisitions.

Our lives are filled with nieces

and nephews and godchildren, all of whom sometime have
patiently stood by while I shared with them some
tidbits about coin collecting.

Now, today, I feel

that my family has expanded, and I want to thank you
based on the way you make me feel.
Let me end with a quote from Maya
Angelou, quote, "I've learned that people will forget
what you said.

And people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel,"
end quote.

You, my colleagues, have made me feel

great, and particularly, you have all played a role
and making me feel valued.
the favor to you.

I pray that I could return

Thank you.

Now moving on to the business of the

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day.

First, I'd like to begin with the Mint.

Are

there any issues that need to be addressed before we
start?
MS. WARREN:

This is Jennifer Warren.

No, there is not.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Hearing none, our

first item on the agenda is the review and approval of
the Minutes from the October 19, 2021 Public Meeting.
Are there any comments on the
documents?
Hearing none, is there a motion to
approve the Minutes?
DR. VAN ALFEN: This is Peter.

So

moved.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Peter's moving.

Who's the second?
MR. BERNSTEIN:

Art Bernstein seconds

it.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
those in favor.

Art Bernstein.

Aye?
MR. TUCKER:

Aye.

DR. FULLER:

Aye.

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MR. KOTLOWSKI:
MS. SALMON:

Aye.

Aye.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
None.

Any nays?

And are there any objections to

the motion?
If not, without objection, the Minutes
and the letters are approved.
And now I'd like to turn to April
Stafford, who's the chief of the Mint's Office of
Design Management, who will present the obverse and
reverse candidate designs for the 2023 American
Liberty -- American Liberty High Relief 24 Karat Gold
Coins and Silver Medals.
Ms. Stafford?
MS. STAFFORD:

Thank you so much.

Some background on this program first.
The United States Mint launched the American Liberty
High Relief 24 Karat Gold Coins and Silver Medal
program in 2015.

The Secretary of the Treasury

authorized the program based on the Mint's statutory
authority to issue gold coins and silver medals.
Designs for this biennial program feature modern

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depictions of Liberty on the obverse and an American
eagle on the reverse.
For 2023, the Mint will issue a oneounce high relief 24 karat gold coin and a .9999 fine
silver medal.

We are also considering the possibility

of issuing these coins in a 1/10-ounce size.

To

facilitate your deliberations, the candidate designs
were presented to you in all three of the format prior
to this meeting.
So we'll start looking at the obverse
designs.

Candidate designs for the 2023 American

Liberty 24 Karat Gold Coin in Silver Medal obverse
features the theme of Liberty through perseverance.
Required inscriptions for the gold coin obverse
designs are, "Liberty," "In God We Trust," and,
"2023."

The 1/10 ounce versions will include the same

inscriptions with placement accounting for the smaller
planchet.

The corresponding silver medal obverse will

have "2023" with the optional inscription, "Liberty."
Designs will be presented side by side in both their
one-ounce gold and one ounce silver medal versions for
your consideration.

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All right.

So we will go ahead, and

let's launch the images, please, side by side.
start with Obverse 1.
please.

We'll

We'll go to obverse one,

There we go.
Obverse 1 shows a stylized sculptural

figure embodying the perseverance that achieving and
maintaining Liberty requires.

He's framed by a stone

architectural element which within the circle is
intended to evoke the classical image of Leonardo da
Vinci's The Vitruvian Man.
Obverse 2 features a bristlecone pine,
a species native to California, Nevada, and Utah,
thought to be the oldest living organisms on Earth,
living up to 5,000 years.

Bristlecone pines grow in

places where other plants cannot and are often the
species that is first to repopulate the land after
cataclysmic changes, such as a lava run or a glacial
runoff.

The silver medal has the additional

inscription, "We shall persevere."
Obverse 3 features a suffragist,
dressed in the style to recall the 1913 women suffrage
procession in Washington, DC, and other demonstrations

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of the period.

With her confident stride, she

represents all of the women who assisted in the
efforts to promote voting rights.

Her resemblance to

the famous Walking Liberty coin is intentional,
casting this suffragist as a kind of real-life
depiction of Liberty.
Obverse 4 depicts Liberty draped in the
American flag, wearing her Liberty cap to represent
freedom.

In her hand, she grips a laurel wreath,

symbolizing victory.

She tends to a sturdy but

unfinished rampart and holds her torch aloft as a
beacon to lighten even the darkest night.
Obverse 5 depicts a young rock climber
ascending a steep precipice.

Her goal of reaching the

top seems nearly unattainable, but with grit and
perseverance, she remains determined to reach her
destination.

The image represents the many Americans

who continue to confront challenges in pursuing and
securing liberty.
Obverse 6 depicts a hand carrying the
torch of Liberty in an act of perseverance.

In its

wake, symbolic chains confining the design have been

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broken, further underscoring the goal of the
torchbearer's efforts.
Design 7 portrays Liberty draped with
the American flag with her laurel crown of victory
upon her head.

Through strength and perseverance, she

breaks a chain representing the challenges to liberty.
A winged horse guides her journey to freedom.
Design 8 represents two pilgrims in
profile.

Many who came to the New World endured

persecution in Europe, a difficult journey overseas,
and harsh conditions on the new continent in pursuit
of liberty.
And we'll move onto design 9A.

This

shows pilgrims at their landing point, looking inland
to the West and encouraging one another as the
Mayflower sails away.
And we'll move on to 9B, which is a
version of 9A.
Moving onto Designs 10A.

Liberty

stands tall next to the Liberty Bell, which has been
fractured but repaired, a symbol of endurance.

She

holds an olive branch, representing persevering peace.

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These designs correspond to a reverse, reverse 10A and
10B, which you'll see later, carrying over elements
that echo Liberty's flowing hair and the wood grain of
the Liberty Bell.

So this is obverse -- the Obverse

10A, and these descriptions also apply to Obverse 10B.
Obverse 11 portrays an American
colonist persevering under the oppressive rule of King
George, III.

This small, underfunded army of soldiers

and militiamen overcame the greatest army in the world
to earn their liberty.
Obverse 12 portrays the Americans who
served in George Washington's Continental Army.

They

endured illness and lack of food at the winter
encampment at Valley Forge in 1777, among other
obstacles in their fight for American liberty.

The

design includes the additional inscription,
"Perseverance For Liberty."
Obverse 13 presents a modern
interpretation of Liberty as a hardworking salt of the
earth, strong American.

She exudes a toughness,

forged by overcoming the hardships of everyday life.
Proud and patriotic, she holds her torch aloft with

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her shield for protection, laurel wreath for victory,
and her American Bulldog, a stout companion.
Obverse 14 depicts a young African
American mother holding the hand of her daughter.

She

carries a large American flag, the same version of the
flag which was used during the suffragist marches in
1914.

The child's posture suggests that the path

ahead is bright, though it's hard to discern.

So she

shields her eyes.
Obverse 15, this depicts two hands
holding the broken pieces of a chain that represents
restrictions to liberty.

Chains are not broken easily

and require a steady, unyielding pressure.
And finally, Obverse 16, here, Liberty
is revealed in Stone, demonstrating how the American
people participate in sculpting our own image of
Liberty.
And Mr. Chairman, this concludes the
obverse designs.

Would you like me to stop there for

your discussion and deliberation, or would you like me
to carry on to share the reverses?
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

It would seem to me

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that would be useful to share the reverses, unless
members of the committee think otherwise.

This is

Lawrence Brown.
MS. STAFFORD:
the reverses.
American eagle.

Okay.

We'll move on to

The reverse designs all depict an
Required inscriptions for the gold

coin are "United States of America," "E Pluribus
Unum," "one ounce," ".9999 Fine Gold," and the
denomination "$100."

One-tenth ounce designs will

feature the same inscriptions, but with, "1/10 ounce,"
weight and the, "$10," denomination.

The

corresponding silver medal may optionally include the
inscription, "United States of America."

Designs are

presented in both their gold coin and silver medal
versions here for you today.
All right.

We'll start with Reverse 1,

which shows an American eagle preparing to land.
Reverses 2A feature an eagle calling
out, and this extends to Reverse 2B.
Reverse 3 shows an eagle in flight
while the sun peers over the horizon.
Reverse 4A depicts a large stylized

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American eagle flanked by dual coastlines.

The image

references the geography of America and invokes the
song, "America the Beautiful," as the eagle flies from
sea to shining sea.

And this also extends to the

reverses for 4B seen here.
Reverse 5 depicts an American bald
eagle soaring high above the same mountain range seen
in the Obverse Design 5.

The image echoes the

climber's sense of exhilaration upon reaching the top,
like an eagle soaring high above the ground.
Reverse 6 depicts an eagle as it
prepares to land.
Reverse 7 features an eagle in flight,
holding an olive branch.
Reverse 8 features an eagle landing
with wings held aloft.
Reverse 9 features a soaring eagle.
Reverses 9A depicts an eagle clutching
an olive branch while perched on an arrow.

The design

uses classic iconography and gesture to depict
dignity, strength, and peace.
apologize.

These are for 10A.

This reverse 9A -- I
The reversed 10A also

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features an abstract sky pattern that intentionally
echoes Liberty's flowing hair from Obverse 9A and 9B
and recalls the stripes on the American flag.

We can

also see these designs in 10B.
Moving on to Reverse 11, which portrays
an upward view of an eagle in flight, holding an olive
branch.
Reverse 12 depicts the moments before a
bald Eagles first attempt at flight.

A young bald

eagle stands on a rocky outcropping, looking over its
shoulder just before finding the courage to fly.
And finally, Reverse 13 features a
traditionally stylized American eagle boldly posed to
defend its nation's liberty.
That concludes the designs.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

This is Lawrence Brown.
So let us begin with Sam Gill.
Sam?
MR. GILL:
MS. WARREN:
Jennifer.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Actually, sorry.

Dr. Brown, you skipped a section.

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CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. WARREN:

I apologize.

Asking if Joe and Michael

have any questions and then -CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MS. WARREN:

Yes.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
Joe?

I apologize.

How could we forget

This is Lawrence Brown.
Joe, do you and your team have any

further comments, explanations that you would want to
share with us?
MR. MENNA:

Thank you, Doc.

all, Dr. Brown, congratulations.
Menna.

Congratulations.

First of

And this is Joe

And it's an honor to be able

to participate with you and everyone else but
especially with you.
So yeah, the first one you'll see,
anything that's black means that it's filled and
incused, so that would be all polished behind the
figure.

It wouldn't be sunken into the coin because

it's a coin, not a medal.
for coinability.

All these have been vetted

All of them, design-wise, might

-- may have comments as well.

I don't have any

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-- anything to add unless anybody has any specific
questions.

Thank you for your time.
MR. COSTELLO:

is Mike Costello.

Hello Dr. Brown.

This

I don't have anything at this time.

Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. SCARINCI:

Thank you so much.

Dr. Brown, I have a

question for Joe?
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. SCARINCI:

Please.

Donald --

Joe --

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Introduce yourself,

Donald.
MR. SCARINCI:
Donald Scarinci.

I'm sorry.

This is

And my question to you Joe is:

Obverse -- the design for Obverse 3, what's
interesting about that is that it's incomplete
-- right? -- the plight of women in Liberty.
incomplete; it's not done.

It's

And I'm concerned how

would it pair with the reverse Eagles, which also look
like they have their designs in the center area?

How

is the coinability and with one of the -- is there any
eagle reverse that we could not use if we selected

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this?
MR. MENNA:

I don't think so.

unless Mike feels differently.

I mean,

I mean, with a heavily

centered design here and I don't think the metal is
going to be starved on either side.
everything should fill nicely.

I think

I think, the artist is

likely trying to honor some of the committee's
previous requests for more negative space and things
like that.

I don't mean to trivialize it by saying

things like that, but it's a deliberately negative
space driven design.

And I think it'll work.

I think

it would complement any of the eagles in the portfolio
equally well.

So a little bit of a rambling answer,

Donald -MR. SCARINCI:
MR. MENNA:

No, thank you.

Yeah.

MR. SCARINCI:

Thank you, Joe.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
Brown.

So this is Lawrence

Let us then continue.
Sam, if you would please?
MR. GILL:

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

my compliments to you sincerely for your remarks

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today.

They were extremely moving to me, and I

appreciate them all.

And I want to thank you for them

and for your good work.
Just to start out on the obverse here.
This coin has become one of my favorite ones to work
on because it's a blank slate.
collectors.

It's really for

It's not for the general public, and it

can be whatever you want to make of it, to fill the
squares for perseverance and endurance.

The coin, to

my mind, the traits I'm looking for, it should be
compelling and beautiful, impactful, inspirational, of
course, and show strength.

And I'm just looking for

something different with it.
So in keeping with that, I went my
-- and by the way -- the designs are all exquisite as
usual.

They always are, and so are the reverses.

Just set that aside right from the get go.

I went to

Obverse Number 2 because I just think that would make
us an exquisite looking coin.

And yes, it does show

the bristlecone pine, but whoever buys this medal or
coins or the medal and the coins, they're going to
read the captions.

They're going to know what the

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bristlecone pine is all about.
show perseverance.
beginning.

And it certainly does

So that was where I went from the

I think that many of the others were

designs that we've looked at before in various way,
shape, or form, and there's nothing wrong with that.
And they could all make a very, very fine coin.
I thought that Number 7 is very
interesting.

I wonder if it's too busy, and I will

defer to what I consider the experts on this call
because I can't claim to be that person.

But it looks

like it could be a little busy, but I do like the -- I
like the depiction very, very much.
Number 16 -- Obverse 16.

And I also liked

It just shows the Liberty in

process, and I found that to be very interesting.
So I think that those are my obverse
choices or suggestions.

And, of course, I'm always

willing to hear what everybody else has to say because
you always got wonderful, wonderful views on things
that I just didn't see.
Uh Dr. Brown, do you want to move into
the reverse right now?
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

I think that would

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be useful.
MR. GILL:

Okay.

Well, then, my first

choice for the reverse was Number One.
the soaring aspect of it.
majestic and beautiful.

I just love

It's just really, really
They're all very good, by the

way, and we've seen, I think, various versions of
these in the last few years.
My second choice would be Number 12.
like the fact it's a young eagle.

I

It's could be very,

very well-sculpted, and it -- it's got a lot of detail
on it.
coin.

And I think it would be a very, very beautiful
Number 13 is always interesting to me for the

history of it, but I don't know that we need to do
that.
So those are my comments, Dr. Brown.
Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
Next is Donald.

Thank you so much.

Donald, you're on

mute.
MR. SCARINCI:

Sorry about that.

A point of order that I wanted to
raise, I think it might be better if we did the

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obverse design first and selected it, and then we
could pair the obverse design after we vote once we've
selected it with a reverse design as opposed to
-- because my opinion about the reverse is going to be
different depending on the obverse that the committee
ultimately selects.
you though.

Just my suggestion.

It's up to

You're the chairman.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so

kindly.
Is there any objection to taking the
path that's suggested by Donald?
MR. MORAN:

This is Mike Moran.

I

agree with Donald.
DR. VAN ALFEN:

This is Peter.

I agree

as well.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Then on that basis

then, Donald, you can proceed with the obverse.
MR. SCARINCI:

First of all, the two

things I'd like to say, initially -- three things I'd
like to say, initially, I am very proud of you, Dr.
Brown, and as we all are.

And I'm very proud of the

United States Mint, and I'm proud to be part of this

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committee today.

So I wanted to share that.

This

country needs to move forward, and I'm very proud.
So the second thing I want to say is:
The artists who submitted these designs have just
-- Joe, whatever it is you're doing with the artists
and April, and what -- whatever you're all doing, keep
doing it because we're getting some very good designs
here.

And it really shows that a -- that there's hope

for American coinage.

And I'm very pleased with what

everyone is doing.
The third thing I wanted to say is
about this program.

This is a Liberty program, and

the point of the program to go back into history that
I was pleased to be a part of is to -- is in the
absence of the United States Mint having an art medal
program, the thinking was to give the artists an
opportunity to design Liberty in a new and modern way.
The traditional depictions of Liberty do not speak to
the average American:

the fasces, the Phrygian cap.

These 18th Century and 19th Century designs are not
communicating Liberty to Americans and the artists.
And since we're not artists on this

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committee, we -- we're -- we love art, and we love
this.

But we are not the artists.

The artists need

to come up with Liberty depicted in a new and modern
way.

And I was very sad that the last Liberty coin

design did not get its proper recognition in the world
community when the coin of the year voting occurred.
And I think that's in part because this program is
misunderstood.

And at this point, we're not

understood.
And what I just said is what this
program is.

It's what our intention was when we urged

the Mint to move forward with this program.

We wanted

the artist to tell us, "Is there a 21st Century way to
depict Liberty?" and other than the traditional ways
we're doing it, such as the shield on the reverse of
the one cent, right?

So again, that's a Civil War era

concept, and it doesn't speak to people in the 21st
Century the way it spoke as powerfully when it was
more in vogue.
So with that said, I am -- I'm
absolutely an advocate for the last design, the Number
16, Liberty being revealed in Stone.

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absolutely -- I think it's an attractive design.
it is what this program is.

But

It could be the symbol

coin for this very program, which is to sculpt and
creatively depict Liberty in a new and modern way, and
this coin is doing exactly that.

It's showing how we

are all participating in our new vision for what
Liberty means and what -- how Liberty is depicted.

So

I think this coin is absolutely my number one first
choice favorite.
I certainly like some of these other
designs.

I do like Number 14.

And what I'm going to

say about 14, I would also say about Number 3, which
is what's interesting about this -- and I love the use
of negative space in this case, Joe in Number 3
because it's not complete.
complete.

The mission is not

We're not there.

We're getting there, but

we're not there.
And that's the same, I think, concept
in 14 also.

This artist uses negative space in 14 to

depict Liberty, but Liberty is still in process.
We're walking towards Liberty.
for all of our citizens.

We're not there and

So I think, I like those two

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designs for what they say and how they depict it using
the negative space as an incompleteness.
But given the choices here, I hope
nobody talks about the pilgrims.
talk about the pilgrims again.

I'm not going to
I promise.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
sorry.

But --

Donald, I'm so

But can you summarize if you will please?
MR. SCARINCI:

I'm done.

The coin I'm

advocating is the sculptured coin, number -- Design
16.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

And just a reminder to committee
members, we have five minutes.

Then, we have five

minutes on the obverse and then five minutes on the
reverse.
So let's turn now to Mike Moran.
MR. MORAN:

Thank you, Dr. Brown.

I want to commend the artist on the
first design for using a male.

Mary is not here to

jump on me on that, but I'm glad that we have expanded
the concept of liberty to be beyond the female figure.
I had three that I particularly like in

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this portfolio.
pinyon tree.

Design Number 3 -- or is it 2, the

It's the pinyon tree, Design Number Two.

I think that that is a very useful symbol of Liberty
when you're not using an allegorical female form.

The

tree is durable; it is able to regenerate and restore
itself.

It has symbol and meaning in the 21st

Century.
Then I moved down to Number 14.
the way, I agree with Donald.

And by

I don't want any of the

pilgrims, and I also don't want any of the
Revolutionary soldiers.

That is not looking forward

to the modern Liberty that we're trying to get the
artists to define for the United States and the heart
and soul of this program.

But this is on Number 14.

I really like this coin because it tells a story
without being a storyboard.

You're moving forward.

You're optimistically looking forward.
hands with the future in the child.

You're holding

It's a beautiful

rendition, and I will give it votes.
And my third one is the same one that
Donald liked, particularly, Liberty in progress is
what I call it.

That's 16.

I have one issue with it.

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Joe, is that a Phrygian cap on top of
her?

What is that?
MR. MENNA:

artist.

I believe it is.

I work closely with the
This design went from

looking like the Statue of Liberty, which is
Bartohldi's interpretation of Liberty.

So I

encouraged the artist to go more fully with the -- I
don't want to get too -- too down a deep dive too
much, but a lot of what we think of as Liberty is
actually Columbia throughout history.
cap is dated as Donald is says.

So the Phrygian

I did recommend to

use some traditional attributes because of the faces.
It was just a device that was used to be -- to help
represent her as Liberty, but it could be amended if
the committee felt otherwise.

This could be modified

if you -- if the committee so saw fit.
MR. MORAN:

Yeah.

I'll go off on the

positive and then tell you that it does bother me.
reminds me of the MLK monumental work in DC.

It

Coming

out of the stone, I'm particularly moved by that one,
at night.

It's a superlative superior piece of art.

This one in gold coming out of what would be textured

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stone and with some polish on the face and obviously
Liberty as a work in progress, which indeed it is,
spectacular.

Stellar.

But to me, the Phrygian cap is

an oddity that I would not expect the -- that an
American of the 21st century to really relate to
whatsoever.

And while I give it a lot of votes, at

the end, if it's our choice, I'm going to ask that it
be reworked.
Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

Joe, I see your hand up.
MR. MENNA:

Do you --

Yeah.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

-- want to say

something very quickly?
MR. MENNA:
Joe Menna, again.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

This is

If I'm not speaking out of turn, I

just say we could do exactly what Mike -- with April's
-- with the Mint's permission, we could very easily
remedy those concerns and maintain the integrity of
this design to have it still be as bold and effective
as Donald and Mike, both, think it is.
take care of that.

No problem.

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MR. MORAN:

This is Mike Moran.

I'll

score as if you're going to be able to do that.
MR. MENNA:

Yes.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

And by the way, Donald, please forgive
me for not thanking you for that history that you
provided about this program.

I think that was very

useful.
Moving right along to Robin.
MS. SALMON:

This is Robin Salmon.

I

was drawn immediately to Number 2, the bristlecone
pine, both for the sculptural aspects of it.

But it's

such a strong, compelling design without being fussy.
And other countries have successfully used plants and
animals as emblems of their history, their
iconography.

And I think we should also think along

those lines.

And I also didn't want last -- the

previous coins designed with the mustang to be a oneoff.

If we can continue getting away from the female

subject for a year or two more, I think it would put
great strength into this particular program.

The

bristlecone pine design is absolutely beautiful in my

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eyes, and the legend, "We Shall Persevere," on the
medal design really puts it into perspective.
My other favorite choice was the last
-- next to the last one that we've been talking about.
I can't remember which number that is.
the stone.

The face and

Yeah, that one drew me, I think,

especially because sculpture is why I'm here.

It's

something that I work with every day, and again it's
different.

It's very strong, but it's still simple

and it also gives you -- even though it's a female, it
still gives you a different view of Liberty that I
think is important and appropriate.
Thank you, Dr. Brown.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate that.
Next up is Dennis Tucker.
MR. TUCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

This is Dennis Tucker.

And I, too,

would like to welcome you to the chair position.

It's

wonderful to have you in that role for our committee.
And following up on something that
Donald mentioned, I would encourage everyone, not just

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committee members, but everyone listening today or
watching today to take a look at old CCAC transcripts,
which are online at CCAC.gov.

If you take a look at

the September 23 and 24, 2014, transcripts, it -- Gary
Marks talked a lot about this concept of developing
art medals and depictions of Liberty in our medal
programs.

So that can be a good foundation for people

when we look at programs like this.
All right.
portfolio.

Kudos to the Mint for this

These are wonderful designs, and I'm

really happy to see such a diversity of artwork here.
I'll talk a bit about some of my favorites.
Looking at Obverse 2, I think this is a
wonderful design.

I'm happy to hear that so many

other committee members like it.

It's very simple at

first glance, but the longer you study it, the more
you appreciate the tenacity of that bristlecone pine
gripping onto the cliff.

It's maintaining that tight

grip, and because it is, the leaves and branches above
are able to flourish.

I think that's wonderful

symbolism.
All right.

Another one that I liked

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and this is actually my favorite of the portfolio, and
I don't think we've discussed it much today is Obverse
5.

This, to me, is the most dynamic and engaging of

the designs in this great portfolio.

It's active; it

has tension; it's dizzying; and I think it personifies
perseverance and heavily implies Liberty.

I would

love to see this combined with Reverse 5.

We know

that this young woman is going to persevere through
this challenge, and once she's there, she'll be on top
of the world.

I love this design.
Obverse 12, I know that we want to get

away from the more historical designs, but this
concept of Valley Forge, I think it really embodies
the theme of perseverance leading to liberty.

It

reminded me of a 1978 medal that the United States
Capitol Historical Society made, which was authorized
by public law and designed by Frank Gasparro.

Anyway,

I'll probably give this a little bit of support just
because I know that it will appeal to a lot of
Americans, especially as we lead up to the semi
quincentennial.

And so those are some of the ones

that drew my eye, but Number 2 and Number 5,

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certainly, the strongest.

And of those two, Number 5

is my favorite.
I would talk a little bit about Obverse
16.

I love the artistry on Obverse 16.

hesitate with the symbolism.
spoke to me.
this one.

But I

This one, it really

So I spent a lot of time thinking about

There is symbolism here about the emergence

of Liberty.

And Liberty is depicted as something that

-- it doesn't spring completely formed right from some
outside source, but it has to be earned and maintained
and sculpted if you will.
But that got me thinking about because
this is a federal coin and medal program, it got me
thinking about the foundation documents of our nation,
like the Declaration of Independence, where Liberty is
identified as an unalienable right.

It's something

that's inherent in us that doesn't need to be created.
So this one, the symbolism made me struggle a bit
because this almost says that Liberty is something
that needs to be created.

So I love the design, but

it's the symbolism that I find to be a bit
challenging.

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There were several other designs that
don't really speak to the themes, I think, of liberty
and perseverance.

So I won't talk too much about

those.
Obverse 13, I could talk about that one
all day because I think there's a lot going on there.
There's a lot to like about Obverse 13.

But it's also

very busy, and I found the combination of elements to
be ultimately incoherent.
trying to be said here.
it.

I like the dog.

There's just too much
But I love the modernity of

I like the tension between the

rippling flag but the very straight flame and her
torch.

So there are things to like.

But ultimately,

I don't think that Number 13 works.
So my strongest votes will go to
Obverse 5, and I like the pairing with Reverse 5.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

And just a reminder, my colleagues,
we're still trying to stay within five minutes.

We

must if we can because we have a fair amount to still
go.

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Moving right along to Dean.
MR. KOTLOWSKI:
Chairman.

Thank you, Mr.

And it's not only an honor to serve with

you; it's a pleasure to serve with you.

And I look

forward to working with you.
And I see that Joe Menna has his hand
up.

So I'd like to defer to Joe, and I'll just mute

myself and then resume my conversation.
MR. MENNA:

Thank you Doctor, I

apologize for interrupting you.
Dr. Brown, this is Joe Menna.
If I could add a little art historical
context to the stone head just because people are
talking about the symbolism of it, and I have a lot of
direct experience with this kind of stuff.

Going all

way back to Michelangelo, he talked about how he
envisioned the figure was already in the stone, and he
just had to carve the stuff away from it.

It kind of

alludes to that, but this practice in general is
largely a Soviet device.

And as someone who studied

at the Russian Academy and as a product of that school
of a teacher of six years in America and then two

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years there, that's why the monument that Mike spoke
of, the Doctor King Monument, is a Chinese sculptor, I
believe.

He's a Chinese Academy, which is also

parallel to the Russian Academy.

It's a very, very

typical device of that type of monumental sculpture
making to have the figure partially revealed in the
stone.

And I don't mean that in a pejorative way.

I'm just saying there -- there's -- that's the biggest
historical antecedent outside of Mount Rushmore, which
is on a totally different scale, but just add a little
context.
I thought it might be useful.

I'm not

presuming anybody's knowledge or lack of knowledge.
I'm not trying to say I know more than the committee,
but I do have a lot of experience with the Soviet
stuff.

And this is really heavily connected to that

style of figures emerging from the stone.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
Brown.

Thank you so much for that context, Joe.
MS. SALMON:

Salmon.

This is Lawrence

Dr. Brown, this is Robin

May I say something?
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

May I suggest

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because of the fact that we -- our need to, in fact,
go through everyone first, then we'll have an
opportunity for everyone to give additional comments,
as I do appreciate that this has been an exciting
aspect.

So let's hold the comments, if we can,

towards the end, as much as we can.
So let's return now to Dean.
MR. KOTLOWSKI:

Thank you, Dr. Brown.

I'm going to try very hard to keep this
under five minutes.
and I rehearsed them.

I actually wrote out my comments,
And it's about five minutes.

But please give me another 30 seconds if possible -CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. KOTLOWSKI:

You got it.

-- Joe.

were two designs that stood out for me.

Well, there
I mean, if we

look at what Mary Lannin always said, what's the coin
on the table you want to pick up?
Number 1, and it was Number 16.

For me, it was
And I appreciate

Joe's comment, and the talk about the Martin Luther
King Junior Monument.

But if we're just looking at

Number 16, the Martin Luther King Junior Monument also
vaguely reminds me of the unfinished -- the,

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quote/unquote, "Unfinished Crazy Horse Monument," out
near Mount Rushmore, which interestingly was done by a
Polish American.
Europe there.

So you got a little bit of Eastern

I don't know what the connection is.
Let me just say some things about

Number 1.

"Striking," "stands out," and "strength."

I think the strength you see in the lettering, the
date, the body, the posture, the positioning of the
body.

I like the gender inversion where now you are

putting more of a classical formed male as the
representative of Liberty.

I am wondering a little

bit, though, this does -- even if it's for collectors,
it has a resonance beyond collectors.

And I'm just

sort of wondering if when you look at his hair, if
people are going to assume that this is a Native
American man, and that's a headdress.

And they may

make some assumptions there that maybe we don't want
them to make.

I don't know.
I wasn't too keen on Number 2, but as

we saw it sort of larger than life here on the screen
and what my colleague said, I think it's got a lot of
merit.

I'm going to come back to Number 16 at the

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very end.

Number 3, I like it.

I wanted this for the

suffrage coin ahead of the one that was selected and
ultimately won a major prize.
that, and that's, "Oops."
this one, and I like it.
much as I used to.

And there's a word for

But I really pushed for
I'm not so sure I like it as

I think I may have moved on a

little bit from it because the designs here are just
simply so good and some of them we have seen.
Number 4, nobody has spoken about
Number 4.
too faint.

I don't like it, but I appreciate it.
It's too busy.

It's

I'm not really seeing

Liberty or perseverance here, but the design does
conjure these images of the Pre-Raphaelites and maybe
even Louis Comfort Tiffany.

And so when do you see

those kinds of things in a coin?

And so some kudos to

the artist.
I did like Number 5.
It's young; it's hip.

I like this one.

It's energetic.

It's original.

It's something beyond the classical ideal of Liberty,
embodied by a woman in flowing robes.

And I think it

could generate some attention in conversation, and
maybe even -- I don't know -- reach out to younger

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people.

Who knows?
I am going to say something about the

pilgrims.

I was a little surprised to see them here.

And I was sort of thinking that when we think of the
Pilgrims and first contact, yes, it's Liberty for the
pilgrims.

But it's not hard to see the dispossession

of indigenous peoples, and we might want to move on
from that.
I'm going to skip ahead.
at Number 14.

More and more, I like Number 14 as

opposed to Number 3.
motif.

Just looking

I like the mother daughter

I find it very moving.

I like that the

daughter is looking off in another direction, showing
some sort of different perspective, different point of
view, different understanding of what Liberty might
mean, almost generational.
At the end, I did have trouble with
Number 16 in terms of not seeing the concept of
Liberty or Liberty through perseverance, but it's such
a good design.

It's such a strong design.

draws your eyes.

I commend it.

It really

And I think it's

either 1 or 16 for me, and I'm going to be giving

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points to quite a few of these designs.

Excellent

portfolio.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much,

Dean.
Next, is it Peter?
DR. VAN ALFEN:

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, and I would just like to congratulate you on
your chairmanship and the moving remarks you made a
little bit earlier.
So what Dean just said about Mary's
comment about the coin that catches your eye and that
you want to pick up off the table, I have to say that
Number 1 and 16 were immediately the ones that that
caught my eye and, in part, because I think that they
also fit well within the general program of what has
been produced so far.

And in fact, if we looked back

at what has been produced since 2015 in this program,
we really have some of the most exceptionally
beautiful coins in recent memory.

Some aspects that

all of these coins share is a certain gravity,
dignity, and timelessness.

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And so in terms of looking for designs
in this 2023 program, I, again, was looking for
something that has gravity, dignity, and a
timelessness, particularly a timelessness to it.

And

even though I like a lot of the designs, like Number
-- I think it was Number 4 or Number 3 and this Number
5 and particularly Number 14.
14, the mother and daughter.
touching.

I really like Number
I find that very

They seem to lack a certain timelessness to

them, even though, they are very good designs.
So I do, again, come back more to
Number 1 and Number 16.

The problem that I have with

Number 16 is that facing images, I think, typically
have -- or facing faces typically have a lot of
difficulty in being rendered well in coins and medals.
There's always the problem of depth and also -- I'm
forgetting the word at the moment.

But I just am not

sure how well this would actually come out in terms of
the medal.

I mean, it looks very nicely done here in

two dimension and in drawing form.

But I'm not really

sure how this would work in terms of medal.
The other problem that I've have 16 is

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that it, to me, seems very claustrophobic.

It's a

wonderful design, and I think that if this were
representing anything other than Liberty, it would be
fantastic.

But since we are representing Liberty,

here, it just seems a little too closed and
claustrophobic to me.
So again, I come back to Number 1
because this really does seem in some ways to
represent what we've been through, through the course
of the last couple of years with the pandemic:

sort

of breaking through all of this, finding Liberty after
the Sisyphean two years that we've been through.
this is sort of a Sisyphean character here.

And

But

again, I'm -- I have some hesitancy about this.
And I also come to Number 2 as a
possibility as well.

The problem that I have with

Number 2 is I'm just not sure if at a distance, this
design would not appear a little muddled.

It is a

design that you would need to look at very closely to
see what, in fact, it is and also to see the details
of it.

But if you saw this on a table, it might not

be immediately apparent what it is, other than just

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sort of a smudge in a way.

So I have some concerns

about that.
So again, I think 1 and 16 certainly
have my votes, 2 as well.

But again, I've got some

reservations about all of these.

So thank you.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

And next up is Arthur.
MR. BERNSTEIN:
Bernstein.

This is Arthur

I'd like to speak favorably about Obverses

1, 2, and 3.
been said.

Hi.

Much of what I was thinking has already
Obverse 1, to me, is bold and different,

and the lettering really struck me.
unusual font.

It's such an

The "I" of Liberty just jumps out and

really, really caught my eye.
Obverse 2, I agree with what has been
said about the look of the tree.
And Obverse 3, to me, is different but
also traditional at the same time.

I like the

resemblance to the old walking Liberty design.
the way this design flows.
across the coin.

I love

It just sort of walks

And I like the symbolism.

Thank you.

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CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

Dr. Fuller?
DR. FULLER:

Thank you, Dr. Brown.

And

first, let me congratulate you, again, on becoming
chair of the CCAC, and I look forward to serving with
you and my other colleagues as well.
I also want to congratulate all of the
artists who have submitted designs for this
committee's review.
the portfolio.

And I want to say I really love

There are so many strong designs

within it.
I have identified four that I think
speak to what we're trying to achieve.
10A, 14, 5, and 16.

And these are

And I'll spend a little bit of

time on as many as I can.

And I haven't yet ranked

them in any particular order.
But if I may start with 10A, I just
really like -- it's an elegant coin.
design.

I like the symbolism of it, the Liberty Bell,

fractured but repaired.
nation.

It's a beautiful

It says a lot about our

Of course, I like the olive branch,

representing peace.

I think, if I may say so, I would

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prefer Liberty to be looking in the other direction
facing forward, which is 10B, actually.
Fourteen, I think, like many of my
colleagues have said, the word that comes to mind when
I think about 14 is that it's relatable.
daughters.

I have two

I just think that for any -- young people

out there, people with children, it speaks to the
young folks looking toward a brighter future in this
country.
well.

It speaks to inclusion and patriotism as

So I really love that about the coin.
Five, I just watched a couple

documentaries about rock-climbing.
greater appreciation of it.

So I have a

This is a young person.

So I think, it's going to be relatable to young
people.

We need more young people in numismatics.

It's relatable.

She's attempting to scale a mountain.

At the top of which, she will have conquered the
world, as one of my colleagues said before.

So I

think it's trendy, and I think it's a very strong
design.
And then, finally, 16.

I won't spend a

lot of time on that because we've spoken about that.

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But this is a very bold coin and medal with a strong
design.

Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

And I'm just going to share a couple of
comments because we're going to need to talk about
process because if we have to do the reverse.

So the

comments by our members of the CCAC, I certainly
applaud.
And Joe, I applaud you and your team.
This is a fantastic portfolio.
When I started to think about what
would be the basis of my choices, I went back to the
theme.

The theme of perseverance and Liberty.

And

Donald's, in fact, summary of the history of this
program also was persuasive to me to say that we
wanted to have a modern rendition of Liberty.

So

thinking about that, the combination of those three
issues, to me are Designs 2, 5, and 12 are the most,
in fact, suggested item.
Design 2 is fantastic.
about it is:

The only thing

Even though, this is going to be for

collectors, the symbolism may sometimes get lost,

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particularly when you say a theme is Liberty and
perseverance.

One of the reasons why I've

chosen-- actually Design Number 14 is that when we
think about perseverance in any society, we think
about what's happening the next generation.

What is

the opportunity to, in fact, have a next generation?
So persevering in the face of the challenges that a
society has, to me, seems to be with looking forward,
having a mother and a child.
Now admittedly, it could've been of any
ethnicity.

But I think here, mother and child does

something to almost anyone.

So as people look at

things that motivate people, it is, in fact, certainly
pets and is certainly children, but mother and child,
particularly in talk of perseverance, to me that sends
chills up my spine.

So those are my comments.

My colleagues, we do need to talk about
process.

As you know, the score sheet has obverse and

reverse.

So in a way, we sort of were useful on one

hand to choose the obverse and then come back to the
reverse.

But that means that taking time out for a

vote, mindful of the fact that we have until three

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o'clock.

So if we could do that with some rhythm,

then we may be able to do that well.
Joe?
MR. MENNA:

This is Joe Menna.

Dr.

Brown, if I may, just a little behind the scenes talk
with my Mint colleagues prompted me to feel confident
that I could just -- I'd like to just talk about
Peter's concerns about the tree.
Sixteen years of listening to the
committee's educational deliberations, I've always
heard this calling for more sculptural, artistic,
abstract, symbolic work.

And even though, if you look

at it from a literal perspective, yes, the tree might
not make sense.

But if you look at the sculptural

forms of the struggle, the twisting, sinewy kind of
just abstract shapes.

They, themselves, speak of

struggle, even without any literal context.
And this jagged silhouette, it -- it's
this form going upwards into -- it could be -- this
could just be some cosmic shape.
Twombly painting.

This could be a Cy

It doesn't have to be

representational, but it represents struggle.

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represents perseverance just by the abstract
qualities, in a way that probably in -- just in my
humble opinion -- I'm not trying to make -- I'm not
voting -- but I think more so than any other in the
portfolio.

And it's a direct inheritor of the bronco

in that in that capacity.
And I think, for 14, for me, it's
-- the suffrage -- suffragette was aligned with our
famous Weinman Walking Liberty.

But 14 for me, this

is more so because it lacks all that pomposity.

It

lacks all that symbolism that was appropriate a
hundred years ago.

But here's this proud woman, and

she's giving us the future in her -- by virtue of
presenting her child along with her.

She's presenting

both the future, her patriotism, and her -- look how
strong she's -- strongly she stands, like a column.
This is a magnificent design as well.

For literal

symbolism, I think this is the inheritor of the
Liberty, as some people were talking about the
suffrage and, for abstract purity, the tree.
And I hope I'm not overstepping my
bounds, Dr. Brown.

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CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
good context.

No, that was very

Thank you so much.
So my colleagues, may I suggest that we

consider, unless any further comments about the
obverse, and if not, then that we actually go to vote
to choose an obverse, from which then we can choose a
matching of reverse.

Does that make sense?

Hearing no objections, then -MR. WEINMAN:

Yeah.

Right.

Please

score the obverse and send it to me, and I will turn
around to you as quickly as I can.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. WEINMAN:
know how to reach me.

Thank you.

Please?

Everybody should

And remember, for the new

members, you can score zero, one, two, or three based
on how strongly you feel about any one design.

You

can score every design a three if you'd like, every
design a two.
MS. WARREN:

Dr. Brown, I would just

say that we adjourn for about -- not adjourn -- go on
recess for about five minutes and come back about
2:16. Hopefully, that gives everybody enough time to

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vote.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

That makes a lot of

sense.
Hearing no objection, we stand
adjourned until 2:15.
MR. WEINMAN:

In recess.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
recess to 2:15.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

In

I'm not trying to get the

meeting over that quickly.
THE REPORTER:

The time is 2:11 p.m.,

and we are adjourned.
MR. WEINMAN:
THE REPORTER:

In recess.
Please stand by.

Recess.
MR. WEINMAN:
THE REPORTER:

We're not adjourned yet.
Thank you, sir.

(Off the record.)
THE REPORTER:

The time is 2:22 p.m.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Okay.

And we're

back in session.
Greg, if you may?
MR. WEINMAN:

Yes.

So after scoring

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the obverses, these scores are as follows:
Number 1 got -- received 14 points.
This is out of a possible 30 points.
Number 2 received 21, making it the
high vote getter.

Number 2.

Number 3 received 13 points.
Number 4 received two.
Number 5 received 11 points.
Number 6 received three points.
Number 7 received three points.
Number 8 received two.
Number 9A received two.
Nine B received two.
Ten A received six.
Ten B received seven.
Eleven received three.
Design 12 received four.
Design 13 received four.
Design 14 received 16 votes.
Design 15 received three.
And Design 16 received 18 votes.
So once again the highest vote getter

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was Design 2, followed by Design 16.
At this point, Dr. Brown, you can
entertain any motions.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Any motions by any

of the committee members regarding the obverse design,
as in fact, suggested reports given to us by Greg?
MR. TUCKER:
Tucker.

Dr. Brown, this is Dennis

I don't think this requires it, but I would

recommend that we make our recommendation Number 2.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. TUCKER:

Is there a second?

As it stands.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Is there a second?
DR. VAN ALFEN:

This is Peter.

I

second that.
MS. SALMON:

This is Robin Salmon.

I

second.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Okay.

-- we called you as a second.
All those in favor "aye."
MR. MORAN:

Aye.

DR. VAN ALFEN:

Aye.

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MR. SCARINCI:
MR. GILL:

Aye.

Aye.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

And I

think at this point, we can move to the obverse -- I'm
sorry -- the reverse.

And I'd like to suggest, dear

committee members, given the time, that we try to do
it, in fact, two to three minutes if we can.

And

let's, then, go to -- back to Sam Gill.
Sam, do you want to add anything more
than what you did previously, or do you want to
reinforce that?
MR. GILL:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I

would just re-echo that I thought that Number 1
-- Reverse Number 1 would look just -- and now that we
have the obverse, I think it would look exceptionally
beautiful with it.
second choice.

And I like the Number 12 as my

And I thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

Donald?
MR. SCARINCI:
flight.

I like the birds in

Particularly, Number 3 or Number 5 would be

my two favorites.

Others are nice, but those would be

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my two favorites, three and five.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Mike Moran?
MR. MORAN:
Number 1.

Yes, Dr. Brown.

I like

Let me point out on Number 4A and B.

I

felt like that the eagle needed to be stiff-legged in
4A and B, and that bothers me.

The design theme is

good, but the -- I -- I'm used to a different type of
-- or style of eagle with those legs back, not down
like that.
My favorite, probably, is Number 12.

I

do want to point out something about Number 12 in
terms of the narrative.

Young eagles that have just

fledged from the nest do not have a white head.
don't get their white head until age four.
the narrative on this is totally wrong.

They

So that

And they're

not going to fledge from a mountain peak or a rock;
they're going to fledge out of the nest.
there's nothing wrong with this design.
an immature eagle.

But again,
It's just not

It's a full standing bald eagle,

and it's excellent in that regard.
But you need to kill the narrative.

And I like it.
It's wrong.

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Okay.

That's me.

I'm done.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Robin?
MS. SALMON:
preferred Number 5.

This is Robin Salmon.

I

I looked at all of the eagle

designs in relation to the previous coins' eagle
designs to try to do something different.
is good.

So Number 5

I also liked the fact that the rock sort of

supports the narrative on the obverse.
And then Number 12 with the eagle also
standing on the rock, I thought was a very strong and
beautiful design.

And both of those would work well.

I might lean more toward Number 12.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Dennis?
MR. TUCKER:
like Reverse 1.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I

I like Reverse 9 because it reminds

me of the Flying Eagle cent.
9B have some merit.

I think Reverses 9A and

And when I look at flying eagles

like this, I -- I'm often drawn to think about the
platinum bullion coinage.

So that's what I compare

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new designs to.

But my favorite is Number 1.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

Next is Dean?
MR. KOTLOWSKI:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think to get across the concept of
Liberty, a soaring eagle is much better than a
standing stationary eagle or a landing eagle or a
seemingly attacking eagle.

So that's where I am with

this -- with some modification with those principles.
So my votes, I do like Number 5.

I think Five is a

good design for the reasons my colleagues have stated.
And I like the negative space and a good strong
design.
Far more than Number 5, though, I like
Number 11.
before.

I think we may have seen this design

Here, you have a really strong soaring eagle.

And I think Number 12 is a really terrific design,
even though, it's not technically a soaring eagle.
You can imagine that eagle going off to soar.

And as

long as we revise the narrative, or Mike put it, to
kill the narrative, and just focus on the design, I'm
really good with this design as well and will be

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giving it some points.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Peter?
DR. VAN ALFEN:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would say that in terms of pairing
with the obverse that we've selected, Number 5, in my
opinion would be the best, the continuity from the
obverse to the reverse with the mountain range in the
lower fields of the Reverse Number 5.
well.

I think works

Also, I'm really drawn to this depiction of the

eagle in flight.

I think it's a very strong

depiction, and I really do like the negative space as
well.
So my top choice would be Number 5.
Possibly Number 12.

Number 12, just simply because

there is, again, continuity between the obverse and
reverse in terms of the mountain crag or the rock
there.

So Five is my choice -- top choice.

Thank

you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you so much.

Arthur?

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MR. BERNSTEIN:
Bernstein.

This is Arthur

At this point, I think I'm the only one

who is speaking about Reverse 2A.

I don't recall ever

seeing any of our coins with the eagle with its beak
open.

And that struck me as just something new and

different.

And I was intrigued by it, and the fact

that it's calling out gives it a sense of action.

So

I like Reverse 2A.
Also, a strong supporter of Reverse 12.
And Reverse 3 caught my attention.

I thought the

sunrays was a nice -- were a nice feature.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Outstanding.

Next is, in fact, Dr. Fuller.
DR. FULLER:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would agree with Peter in choosing
Reverse 5.

I think it pairs well with the obverse

that we have selected.

And I also like Number 9.

Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Outstanding.

you.
As for my perspective, I loved the
calling out perspective.

We're talking about

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perseverance calling out.
particularly.
Reverse 5.

So Reverse Number 2A,

I certainly would have no objections to

But those are the two that I more lean

towards.
So are there are any comments by any of
the committee members based on what you have heard on
the reverse conversation?
MR. TUCKER:

Mr. Chair?

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. TUCKER:
apologize.

Yes, sir.

This is Dennis Tucker.

I

I'm looking at two different files where

9A and 9B appear to actually be 10A and 10B.

So just

for the record, my comments were regarding the eagle
that's perched on an arrow with an olive branch.

And

I mention that only for the record because I know that
this will go into a written transcript, and it has no
bearing on my votes.
So thank you.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Joe, do you have any comments about the
reverse that you want to share with the committee?
MR. MENNA:

No.

This is Joe Menna.

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No, sir, Dr. Brown.

I think it's a very well-balanced

portfolio, and I think the Mint artists did a great
job.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Hearing no further discussion, the
committee will now score the reverse of the candidate
designs, each of you in your email packet, the
information from the Mint.

And again, please send

your scores to, in fact, Greg Weinman.
Greg, do you think, again, five minutes
would be sufficient?
MR. WEINMAN:
come in.

Depends how fast they

Let's check back in in five minutes.

I'll

let you know how we're doing.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
now for five minutes.
2:40.

So we are in recess

Return back, let's say, at

That's six minutes from now.
THE REPORTER:

The time is 2:34 p.m.

Recess.
(Off the record.)
THE REPORTER:

The time is 2:46 p.m.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

This is Lawrence

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Brown.

We are back.

I want to thank all of the

committee members and the listening public for their
patience as we get together this information.

I now

recognize Greg Weinman, counsel to the CCAC, to
present the results from the scoring sheets.
MR. WEINMAN:

Okay.

Once again, this

is out of 30 points possible.
Reverse Number 1 received seven points.
Number 2A received eight points.
Two B received five points.
Three received five points.
Four received five points -- 4A.
Four B record four points.
Five received 17 points.

That is the

high score, but it is tied with another one.
again, 5 at 17.
Six received five points.
Seven received four points.
Eight received three points.
Nine received seven points.
Ten A received six points.
Ten B received six points.

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Eleven received seven points.
Twelve is the other one to receive 17
points
And 13 received four.

So once again,

the two highest scores were Number 12 with 17 and
Number 5 with 17.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you, Greg.

Are there any motions from members of
the committee?
MR. MORAN:

Dr. Brown, I'll make the

motion.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. MORAN:

Yes.

I move that we select

Design Number 12.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. KOTLOWSKI:
MS. SALMON:

Is there a second?

I second that.

Robin Salmon.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Okay.

Dean --

I second.
We'll take

Robin as the second.
Is there any further debate?
If that is the case, if all discussion
has concluded, I will call the question.

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Those in favor of the motion say,
"Aye."
MR. GILL:

Aye.

DR. VAN ALFEN:

Aye.

DR. FULLER:

Aye.

MS. SALMON:

Aye.

MR. TUCKER:

Aye.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. SCARINCI:

Those opposed?

Aye.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

It appears that the

motion has passed.
Are there any further motions?
MR. KOTLOWSKI:

Dr. Brown, this is Dean

Kotlowski.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:
MR. KOTLOWSKI:

Please.

I accept and fully

support the designs that we've chosen for the obverse.
It's Number 2 paired with Number 12.
My motion is to just do as an
alternative Number 16 for the obverse.
sure which reverse I would go with.

And I'm not

I'd welcome if

there's interest in this motion, a friendly amendment.

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I guess I would go 16, and I think we probably need
the eagle in flight.
believe.

So that would be Number 5, I

Right?
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

So for

clarification, Dean, you're suggesting as an
alternative to the motion -MR. KOTLOWSKI:

Yeah.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

-- that just

passed?
MR. KOTLOWSKI:
as the first place.

No, I'm happy with that

That is the first place.

My

motion is just simply like a kind of second place
alternative.

Just something for the secretary to

think about.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Is there a second

for that motion?
There was no second.
MS. WARREN:
Jennifer.

Excuse me.

This is

Whoever has open mics, please close them.

There's a lot of feedback.

You can't hear the

director -- I mean, the chair.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Can you mute,

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everyone?
This is Lawrence Brown.
motion on the floor by Dean.

We have a

Do we have a second?

Hearing -- seeing no second, then the
motion fails.
Are there any other further discussion?
Based on that, then this seems to
suggest that we've concluded the business for today.
Again, I want to thank members of the CCAC, the
fantastic Mint employees, our listening public, our
media for your attention and participation to the
extent that you could for this meeting of the CCAC.
If there is no further business to come
before this committee, I will entertain a motion to
adjourn.
MR. BERNSTEIN:

This is Art Bernstein.

Second.
CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Very good.

All those in favor, say, "Aye."
DR. VAN ALFEN:
MR. GILL:
MR. MORAN:

Aye.

Aye.
Aye.

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DR. FULLER:

Aye.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

All those opposed,

"Nay."
MR. TUCKER:

Aye.

MS. SALMON:

Aye.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

In the opinion and

in the hearing of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
meeting is so adjourned.
MR. BERNSTEIN:

Nicely done, Dr. Brown.

Good first meet.
MR. GILL:
MS. WARREN:
MR. MORAN:

Yep.
Thank you all so much.
Congratulations, Dr. Brown.

DR. VAN ALFEN:

Congratulations.

MR. TUCKER:

See you all.

MS. SALMON:

Bye, everyone.

CHAIRPERSON BROWN:

Thank you.

Until

next time.
DR. FULLER:

Thank you, Dr. Brown.

DR. VAN ALFEN:

Well, let's look

forward to meeting in person next time.
DR. FULLER:

Yeah.

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MS. BIRDSONG:

Jacqueline, you have a

THE REPORTER:

The time is 2:52 p.m.

question?

(Whereupon, the meeting concluded at
2:52 p.m.)

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CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSITION OFFICER
I, JACQUELINE WATTS, the officer before whom
the foregoing proceedings were taken, do hereby
certify that any witness(es) in the foregoing
proceedings, prior to testifying, were duly sworn;
that the proceedings were recorded by me and
thereafter reduced to typewriting by a qualified
transcriptionist; that said digital audio recording of
said proceedings are a true and accurate record to the
best of my knowledge, skills, and ability; that I am
neither counsel for, related to, nor employed by any
of the parties to the action in which this was taken;
and, further, that I am not a relative or employee of
any counsel or attorney employed by the parties
hereto, nor financially or otherwise interested in the
outcome of this action.

<%25546,Signature%>
JACQUELINE WATTS
Notary Public in and for the
District of Columbia

www.CapitalReportingCompany.com
202-857-3376

CCAC Public Meeting

February 15, 2022

Page 79
CERTIFICATE OF TRANSCRIBER
I, APRIL D. HATFIELD, do hereby certify that
this transcript was prepared from the digital audio
recording of the foregoing proceeding, that said
transcript is a true and accurate record of the
proceedings to the best of my knowledge, skills, and
ability; that I am neither counsel for, related to,
nor employed by any of the parties to the action in
which this was taken; and, further, that I am not a
relative or employee of any counsel or attorney
employed by the parties hereto, nor financially or
otherwise interested in the outcome of this action.

<%26297,Signature%>
APRIL D. HATFIELD

www.CapitalReportingCompany.com
202-857-3376