Letter
Dear Mr. Peterson:
In its meeting of 21 November, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the proposed designs for the eighth set of ten-dollar gold coins and associated medals in the First Spouse series. The Commission's recommendations were as follows:
Florence Harding. The Commission recommended obverse alternative #3 and reverse #4 as an appropriate pairing, expressing support for the theme of women's suffrage for the reverse design.
Grace Coolidge. The Commission recommended obverse alternative #3, consistent with its preference for profiles. For the reverse, the Commission recommended alternative #3, with the suggestion for the reverse to omit the letters "U S A" on the hands in order to allow the sign-language depiction of the letters to be the design's predominant feature, and to study more carefully the perspective and proportions of the White House portico depicted in the background.
Lou Hoover. The Commission recommended obverse alternative #2 and reverse alternative #4, commenting that the depiction of the radio would be more recognizable than the microphones shown in other reverse alternatives.
Eleanor Roosevelt. The Commission recommended obverse alternative #4 as the most recognizable portrait. For the reverse, the Commission members recommended alternative #6, which recognizes the magnitude of her public service, with the suggestion to reduce the size of the foreground desk in order to improve the balance of the composition.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Richard A. Peterson, Deputy Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220
cc: April Stafford, U.S. Mint