liz_marcs | Is it me? Or are some people insane?

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Is it me? Or are some people insane?

So, in the course of cashing a check yesterday afternoon (the bank's right next door to where I work), I scored big on the coin front.

I got four of the shiny, new gold Washington dollar coins in my change. (Yay!)

However, my glee was short-lived, thanks to the following exchange with the ignorant.

OH = Our Heroine
Him = College-aged guy bank teller

*****

OH: Pretty!

Him: They're nice aren't they? At last, a dollar coin I can support.

OH: [puzzled] Well, they are distinctive, with the gold color and the really angry George Washington face.

Him: It's the first dollar coin that says "In God We Trust."

OH: No it isn't.

Him: Yes, it is.

OH: No it isn't. All modern American money has "In God We Trust" on it. There's not a chance that any dollar coin minted in the 20th century doesn't have it.

Him: Well they didn't.

OH: [looking at George Washington coin] You're wrong about dollar coins in the past. And you're definitely wrong about this one. There's no "In God We Trust" on it anywhere.

Him: [smug] Look at the edge of the coin.

OH: [looks at edge of the coin; sees "In God We Trust" etched in light letters around the edge] That's...a very weird place to put it. Usually that's on the face of the coin.

Him: Not on dollar coins. It's never been on a dollar coin. That's why I like this coin, because it has "In God We Trust" on it.

OH: [gives up on schooling the ignorant] What difference does it make whether the saying's there or not? Money's money.

Him: [looks at OH with disgust] It makes a big difference.

OH: [backs slowly away from the ka-raz-ee] I gotta get to work. Deadline.

Now, this guy was so convinced that "In God We Trust" never appeared on a coin, that nothing I said convinced him. End result? I decided to check who was right.

Which of these coins is not like the other?

Note "In God We Trust" right under Ike's chin.

Note "In God We Trust" right under Susan's chin.

Note "In God We Trust" right behind Sacagawea's head.

Note the lack of "In God We Trust" on the coin's face

Now, am I missing something? Is someone somewhere spreading some kind of urban legend that modern dollar coins don't have "In God We Trust" on them? Why the hell would anyone do that?

Because if you look, dollar coins before the 1920s didn't have the saying, and absolutely no U.S. currency had the saying prior to the Civil War.

So, here we have it. Modern U.S. coins and bills have the saying on the face of the coin or bill. Now we have a coin where it's etched on the edge in veeeeeery light letters. If it's important to you to have "In God We Trust" on the money, how is this considered a good thing? (As I said. I couldn't care less. Money is money.) Isn't having the saying along the edge, I dunno, a demotion?

Also, why does it even matter that "In God We Trust" is on the money anyway? Who really cares about this? It seems like such a...I dunno...a petty thing to be worried about.

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Oh, an occasion to quote Ferlinghetti, those don't happen often enough.
"I have read Reader's Digest
from cover to cover
and noted the close identification
of the United States and the Promised Land
where every coin is marked
In God We Trust
but the dollar bills do not have it
being gods unto themselves"
-Lawrence Ferlinghetti, "Autobiography" (1957)
The quote is no longer accurate because they started putting "In God We Trust" on all paper money in 1957 as well. But it is still the first thing I think of when I get in discussion s about it (more often than you'd think). It started during the Civil War with coins. But was not always followed. 1908 (I think) was when it was mandated (again) that it appear on coins. The law requiring it on paper money passed in 1956 and in 1957 it began to appear and was phased into use on all paper bills.

Of course it's petty to you, you atheisic commonist. But true Americans CARE about these things!

(Snerk.)

No wonder we've got the culture wars going on with you people thinking this isn't CRITICAL, dammit!

Boy, he does look pissed off, doesn't he. Sacagawea's the only one who doesn't look like she's got hemhorroids in the whole bunch.

I had a stupid bitch once tell me "If you don't like God, don't spend money that says 'In God we Trust' on it."

To which I replied "And what other fucking option is there? And don't question my fucking patriotism just because I disagree with a slogan which only came about during the postwar era, sunshine."

These Xians really have their heads up their asses half the time.

I freakin' adore you! You gave me a bzhuh? moment and a Bwahaha! moment all at the same time! And golden George does look extremely pissed off. (Probably because the front of his coin doesn't say "In God We Trust"!) Snerk!

And, yes, the whole IGWT thiing was to show the godless communists that we were gonna win, 'cause we had God on Our Side (or . . . at least on our money.)

This is neither here nor there, but MY GOD is that coin ugly. Is there not another picture that they could have used?

Part of what I find bizarre is that he was initiating this particular conversation with a bank patron. Banks are right up there on the list of institutions that one assumes to be pretty neutral on all things God. It strikes me as lucky for him that your main interest was in historical accuracy. I'm curious what he's going to do when he starts this conversation with a patron who thinks there so be no reference of any money to God - and may even be passionate about that point of view.

Isn't having the saying along the edge, I dunno, a demotion? Snerk. And yeah, good point.

As a former bank teller, this guy isn't paying attention. Now, personally, I always hated getting Sacagaweas and Susan B. Anthonys (other than, "Go chicks!") because no one wanted them and I had to remember to count them every night and not count the Susan B.'s as quarters. But that's a teller's day in the cages, and a tale for another day.

I'm just befuddled at this guy's random, well, we can't call it proselytizing, I don't know - Goddy Pride? - while serving a customer to the point of becoming somewhat snippy (and wrong) with you. Weird.

I really don't get the putting "In God we Trust" on money. Why money? Is it to remind people that money's just a tool and they shouldn't put their trust in it? Somehow I doubt it.

And if they wanted something religious on money, I'm sure they could have thought of something more to the point. Like "Money is the root of every kind of evil". That would be a good thing to have on it. Like a health warning.

As I said in

dark_christian just a few minutes ago, "Facts are Tools of Satan." };->

~M~

Well, since our money isn't backed by a gold or silver standard, you better sure as heck trust in god to keep the inflation down, no? :) LOL. Or at least, that's the only important reason I can come up with.

Heh. I can't help but look at that and think it was a spinoff from the Depression. "In God We Trust. All Others Pay Cash." *grin*

And your reaction to the guy? TOTALLY the same as mine.

I would have told him that I'd be happy to relieve him of any heathen money he might have on him. **g**

And every single presidential portrait that was picked for those dollar coins is scary. Hubby and I were commenting on that just the other day. In fact, I think George is about to say, "Go ahead. Make my day."

I love the totally pissed-off George. An angry coin is a coin that I can get behind.

The teller was really out of line, but he only made himself (and by extension, the bank) look bad.

I have a five dollar silver certificate without "In God We Trust" but every other piece of American currency I've ever seen has it right on there. Idiot.

I agree, that is a very ignorant guy.

I also agree that that is one angry looking George Washington. They couldn't do a better job than that? The dollar bill George is based on a Gilbert Stuart portrait. The National Gallery has a whole room full of Stuart's Washington's paintings. Why not use one of those as a basis for this coin? This one sucks.

You obviously picked the "Crazy Teller" line at the bank that day. Next time, look for the sign!

Seriously, such a weirdo.

I love the Sacagawea coins -- not sure why we need the new ones?

No opinions on the god thing - it's just American weirdness as far as I'm concerned. If you're wondering about the edge lettering, the explanation is simple - it adds another layer of complexity to deter forgers. All UK £1 and £2 coins have this, though the lettering differs; for example, the £2 coin in my pocket commemorates the 400th anniversary of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot and has the logo "REMEMBER REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER" on the edge.

You want to really get this guy's ignorant goat? Ask him whether or not Angry George Washington was a sissy because he wore a powdered wig. :)

Okay, if a foreigner who's only be to the United States once in their life can remember the words "In God We Trust" being on the coins, why doesn't someone who actually works in a US bank? Is that the kind of people that banks are trusting their money with?

Was Sacagawea even a Christian? Maybe she's smiling because she gets the irony.

D

The wording being around the edge is actually a security measure - they put them on British one pound coins from their introduction in 1983.

It is supposed to be very much harder to forge than an ordinary milled edging. pictorial proof! The design on pound coins vary year on year, to represent the different countries of the UK - the first ones were 'English' and the words around the edge actually say - DECUS ET TUTAMEN, meaning 'An Ornament and a Safeguard' in latin, presumably to let any passing Romans know why the words are there!

Just to complete 'everything you never needed to know about British coinage' pound coins that represent Scotland have NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT, meaning 'No-one provokes me with impunity', which is the Latin Motto of the Order of the Thistle.

Those minted in 'Welsh years' have PLEIDOL WYF I'M GWLAD, meaning 'True am I to my country', taken from the Welsh National Anthem. (Although it does look as if it means - 'hello, my name is Gladys'....)

'Irish' ones have the same as the 'English' ones.

Note - although the head on the coins is that of the head of the national church - God is not mentioned on any of them!

Ah, memory. He's so proud he noticed it on the edge he's mentally erased it from the face. Personlly, I always like the Sacagawea coins, but I've always been a big fan of hers.

Not that I suppose you care, but in Britain our coins have bits of writing in latin around the edges, like 'standing on the shoulders of giants' and cool stuff like that.

I don't know about 'in god we trust' though, I don't think we do...

In the UK, £1 and £2 coins have writing on the edge as a protection against forgery, apparently. That is why UK coins also have sculpted edges - previously, people would cut bits off the edge, reducing the amount of metal in the coin. (Though this wouldn't be forgery but theft, I guess...)

OMG, I am such a bad american. I only know "In God We Trust" appears on paper money cause I saw the remake of Miracle on 34th street a bajillion years ago.

Anf go you, research girl!

people like that scare me.

really.

I don't really understand the in god we trust rhetoric concerning old coins, but I'm starting to really like the new placement. I think it's a rather apt metaphor for God. If you really want to find it, it's there, if you don't, it's not to hard to over look it. I think we'll all be better off though if we leave the metaphor at that and refrain from making any spiritual revelation metaphors or similes or even allegories really.

There are two things about this that scare me:
a) That *I* knew about the frakking "In God we trust", without ever holding a dollar, but a bank clerk didn't.

b)The fact that your dollar bills still have the all-seeing eye on a pyramid on it.

Washington angry? hmm, Yeah I can see that, but mostly I'm reminded of the dentistry of the time. Probably because I got an appointment next week.

Something I just learned today. Evidently, some of the new coins got out without the "In God We Trust" engraved on the edge. They talk about it here. Maybe that's what the guy was told about and, being crazy, he misunderstood.

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because it has "In God We Trust" on it

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metaphorical

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