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ARTICLE LAMPOONS PRESIDENTIAL DOLLAR SERIES Not every new coin is so popular. Dick Johnson also spotted this editorial poking fun at the William Henry Harrison dollar coin. -Editor  Just when America desperately needs a hero, along comes the most beloved and highly regarded former congressman and U.S. senator of his generation, a man of the people destined to captain our financially fraught ship of state out of the Sargasso Sea of stagflation.If you thought his ascendancy to the nation's highest office was audacious, just imagine the odds that he would one day grace a U.S. coin. I'm referring, of course, to William Henry Harrison. Granted, the Mint's $1 presidential series coin -- its latest attempt to wean us from greenbacks -- didn't exactly light up the phone lines when Congress approved it in 2005. Naturally, the initial offering in 2007 was a snooze. After all, the original George W., as in Washington, is already all over our quarters and the dollar bill. Meanwhile, candidate No. 3 -- Thomas Jefferson, or "T-Jay" in collector lingo -- has long anchored the nickel. What's so special about this Harrison coin, you ask? In a word: hope. The nascent numismatist in me figures that if Harrison can grace our coinage, the whole coin image universe just expanded exponentially. And not just for James Garfield, whose chance at coin immortality was cut tragically short by assassination after just four months in office. “What's so special about this Harrison coin, you ask? In a word: hope.” Unlike the state quarters program, we can even look forward to some coin controversy in the presidential series. Without the program's inclusiveness, it's hard to imagine a groundswell of support for the likes of Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan or Warren Harding, all perennial doormats in the "best presidents" league. I'm not sure what my reaction will be when I one day hold a Richard Nixon dollar in my hand. To read the complete article, see: New coin is 'change' we can believe in (http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance /new-coin-is-change-we-can-believe-in.aspx) Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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