Celebrating 250 Years of American Numismatics: Founding Fathers on World Coins
The Founding Fathers’ influence reaches far beyond American shores, with international mints commemorating Washington, Franklin, and others in silver and gold ahead of the 250th anniversary.
Courtesy of the U.S. Mint.
With the upcoming American semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, renewed public interest in the creators of that special document has increased. Referred to as America’s Founding Fathers, this historically significant group included a collection of politicians, businessmen, and more, who established the foundation of the nation.
According to historian Richard B. Morris in his 1973 book Seven Who Shaped Our Destiny, the leadership of this well-known group can be identified with seven pivotal figures: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay. Although complex individuals with histories that include controversial and troubling actions, this elite group of Founding Fathers is well known in American and international memory today, generally remembered not only for transforming an overseas colony into an independent country but also for their contributions to the development of democracy.
Courtesy of Panda America.
The Founding Fathers are also recognized for creating the American currency system. Hamilton, who was the first Secretary of the Treasury, had a hand in shaping the 1792 Coinage Act. Also known as the Mint Act, this law established the U.S. Mint, regulated coinage, and set the American dollar as the country’s monetary unit.
Just across the street from the first U.S. Mint in Philadelphia is Benjamin Franklin’s tomb in the Christ Church Burial Ground. Unlike the others interred at the space, including other signers of the Declaration of Independence, Franklin’s grave is covered in pennies. The reason why visitors drop a one-cent piece on top of his grave may be due to his famous phrase, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” But that isn’t the only cent connection to Franklin’s legacy. Among his many accomplishments as a writer, inventor, philosopher, and printer, the Founding Father is credited with designing the first circulating coin, the Fugio Cent. First minted in 1787, the coin is a .36-ounce copper piece that shows a sun, sundial, and the text “Mind Your Business” on the obverse, and a 13-link chain surrounding the wording “We Are One” on the reverse.
Tossing pennies on graves hasn’t been the only way the United States commemorates Franklin or other Founding Fathers. One of the most popular methods has been capturing their likenesses on circulating and commemorative coins. Within the United States, Washington, Jefferson, and Madison are on early 1990s commemorative silver dollar issues, while Franklin is the subject of the well-known Franklin half dollar and a later two-part commemorative silver dollar series. The portraits of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are famously on the American quarter and nickel, respectively, and the likenesses of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison are shown in the ongoing “Presidential Dollar” and “Presidential Medals” series by the U.S. Mint.
Founding Fathers on World Coins
The Founding Fathers’ legacy has gone beyond the boundaries of the United States and onto the coins of other countries. Liberia—a nation founded by free and formerly enslaved Black Americans—has issued numerous coins featuring the Founding Fathers. One of the most popular collections from the West African country features Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison in its 2010 L$5 silver-plated “Presidential Series,” which combines colorized portraits of the leaders with a scene that illustrates their time in office.
Courtesy of Monnaie de Paris.
A more recent example is seen at the Monnaie de Paris, which has honored the history of America’s independence through coin and medal design since 2020. Included in the series for 2025 are issues that portray Benjamin Franklin on a €20 proof silver, €25 antique silver, €200 antique gold, and €250 antique silver coin. Known as the “Benjamin Franklin and the Winged Genius” coin, it mirrors the first draft of a same-named medal made by French engraver Augustin Dupré in 1784 in honor of Franklin’s scientific achievements. On the reverse of the medal and the new issues is a winged Genius releasing a lightning bolt over a temple, with a broken crown and scepter at his feet (representing science and freedom). Latin text reading “Eripuit coelo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis (He snatched the thunderbolt from the sky and the sceptre from the tyrants)” frames the dynamic scene.
Courtesy of Monnaie de Paris.
The other 2025 release, entitled “George Washington Bust,” also comes in a variety of denominations (ranging from €25 to €500) and in gold or silver proof in various ounces. The obverse replicates the famous 1792 bust of George Washington by Jean-Antoine Houdon, with the Betsy Ross flag waving in the background. The seal of the Continental Army, with a snake floating over a Phrygian cap and a pile of armor, flags, and weapons, is shown on the reverse.
For more information about these coins or others that feature a Founding Father design, visit NumisMaster.com.
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