God Is Back On Top!

Here is a news blurb:

"In God We Trust" motto moves on Presidential Dollar from coin’s edge to obverse or reverse.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, is H.R. 2764. SEC. 623 is interesting and will cause a design change to the new $1 Presidential coins starting in 2009. The motto, "In God We Trust", would be moved from the edges of $1 Presidential coins to the obverse or reverse. Given current spacing considerations in design and following tradition, it would seem most likely that the motto will be placed on the coin’s face.

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To give you a little more background, the national motto, "In God We Trust" has been seen on our coinage since the period of the Civil War. Over history there have been attempts to remove the motto from US coinage and currency. Each time the effort has been met with overwhelming opposition by the American people. It is the so-called, "people in the pews" who have rallied together and demanded their politicians rectify the situation and restore God to our coins.

When the discussion of the new Presidential Dollar Coin Series was presented to the public, many people were suspicious of the proposed movement of the motto to the outter edge of the coin, where it could be hardly noticed. The Mint cited design and artistic reasons for the move, but many critics saw the placement of the motto, containing the embarassing and Politically incorrect word "God" on the rim of the coin, as symbolic for the marginalization of religion within our modern society. Despite criticism the Mint moved forward with this design.

As the first coins rolled off the Mint's presses, the discovery of an error sent E-bay sales spiking. An unknown quantity of the new dollars had been printed without the motto on the rim. As with any error that escapes the mint, the near perfect condition, paired with an unknown number, lead to speculation of their worth. These one dollar coins surpassed auctions prices $100 dollars, then 2, then 3, some individual godless coins sold for over $500 a piece. As news spread to traditional newspapers and magazines, the general population became alerted to the United States minting godless coins, i.e. coins without the motto, "In God We Trust." While the Mint could rightly say that this was a mistake, the public was not so easily calmed. Many individuals wrote to their Congressman or Senator. The wheels of democracy sprang to live and bills were quickly introduced to not only ensure that the motto would remain on the our US coinage, but laws were passed stipulating that God must be returned to a place of easy visibility on either the obverse or reverse of the coin. If this caused the artistic eye to squint, or the PC eyebrow to raise, so be it. Thanks to the democratic process, in 2009 God will be back on top.