New Yorkers Divided Over Designs for Their Quarter

Upstate New Yorkers are expressing regret that the special Washington quarter honoring their state won't bear a design emblematic of the Erie Canal. The United States Mint has concluded that a portrait of a mule pulling a boat on the canal -- one of the designs submitted by New York Gov. George Pataki -- is too detailed to be used on the quarter's reverse.

"It's very disappointing," said Martin Morganstein, coordinator of development and public affairs for the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. "Nothing depicts the impact of New York State on the growth of the U.S. more than the Erie Canal."

Morganstein had been optimistic that the Erie Canal theme would be used on the coin -- so much so that at one point, he invited Governor Pataki to unveil the final design at the museum. The governor did his part by forwarding the concept for formal consideration, along with a handful of others. They had been selected from among hundreds of suggestions received by state officials from school children, coin collectors and other interested New Yorkers.

But after reviewing these designs to see whether they were "coinable," the Mint decided the Erie Canal would not lend itself to such treatment.

"Designs need to be simple enough to put on the coin," said Jennifer Arnold, a public affairs specialist for the Mint. She said the drawing depicting the canal scene was deemed "uncoinable" because it wouldn't fit well on the relatively small surface area of the quarter.

On Feb. 17, the federal Commission of Fine Arts gave its blessing to two of the other designs. One of these shows the Statue of Liberty superimposed upon an outline map of the state; the other portrays British Gen. John Burgoyne's surrender to the colonial army following the Battle of Saratoga -- a crucial American victory that persuaded France to join the war on the side of the Continental Army.

The Fine Arts panel chose not to endorse a different Statue of Liberty design showing Miss Liberty with the New York City skyline in the background. It also withheld approval from two other designs -- one showing Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon, sailing up the river that would later bear his name, the other depicting Federal Hall in New York City, where George Washington took the oath of office as the nation's first president.

Recommendations by the Fine Arts Commission are not binding, but can carry considerable weight with officials at the Mint and the U.S. Treasury. The commission expressed a preference for the New York design with the statue and the outline map of the state. But Governor Pataki is said to favor the one portraying General Burgoyne's surrender.

As happens frequently in the Empire State, the design issue has divided New Yorkers into upstate and downstate camps. Those from New York City seem to prefer the Statue of Liberty theme, while many upstaters lined up behind the Erie Canal design.

Mary Summers, director of communications for the Greater Buffalo Convention and Visitors Center, expressed an oft-voiced concern of upstaters when she asked, not entirely in jest: "Aren't people arguing that the Statue of Liberty is really in New Jersey?"

Summers said she would prefer a theme more representative of the state as a whole, such as the Erie Canal. That view was seconded by Mike Murphy, owner of Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises, who serves as a tour guide on the canal.

"The Erie Canal opened up the west, and now it's the site of recreational boating, trails and tourism to small upstate communities," Murphy said. "Plus everybody already knows the Statue of Liberty, and it makes them think New York City."

The designs have been under review by another Summers, Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, with the final decision to be made following consultation between Summers and Pataki.

The New York quarter will be the first of five issued in 2001. It will be the 11th in the series of 50 coins, reflecting the fact that New York was the 11th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The quarters are being issued at the rate of five per year, through the year 2008, in the order that each state ratified the U.S. Constitution (in the case of the 13 original states) or, in subsequent years, joined the Union.

In 1999, statehood quarters showcased Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut. This year's coins are honoring Massacusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia.

Designing a coin with the Erie Canal was too detailed for the US Mint.

Designing a coin with the Erie Canal was too detailed for the US Mint.