An Exhibition Featuring Black Icons And Historic Events On U.S. Currency
The For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Exhibition celebrates Black history icons, seminal historic events, and institutions whose significant contributions to American and Black history have been recognized by law through commemoration on United States currency in the form of commemorative coins, medals and medallions:
- Commemorative coins, medals and medallions are authorized by legislation passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by the sitting President of the United States
- 69 commemorative coins, bronze medals, bronze Presidential medals and gold medallions featuring Black history icons, seminal historic events and iconic institutions have been produced by law to date
- Commemorative bronze medals feature people and events awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian awards bestowed by the United States government
- Since 1978, 22 Congressional Gold Medals that honor notable Black People, seminal historic events and iconic institutions have been awarded and reproduced on commemorative bronze medals in recognition of their historic contributions to American and Black history
- Commemorative Presidential bronze medals are presented to the President Of The United States for each term served at the conclusion of their Presidency
- President Barack Obama was honored with two Presidential bronze medals commemorating his two terms as the first Black President Of The United States
- Commemorative coins, medals and medallions are designed and produced by the United States Mint
To be featured on currency is one of the nation’s highest honors. Positive representation of free Black people on commemorative currency is one of earliest and only forms of public recognition of Black excellence, contribution and value. Enshrined in law, commemorative currency represents indelible milestones in the centuries-long struggle of Black people to achieve equality and justice. In a time when some want to diminish, re-write and erase key aspects of Black history, commemorative legislation and currency are invaluable artifacts that help to accurately document the Black experience in the United States.
The anti-slavery tokens, commemorative coins, concept coins, bronze medals, Presidential bronze medals and gold medallions featured in this exhibition represent an extensive Black history timeline spanning from the arrival of Africans at Jamestown, Virginia and participation of Black Patriots in the Revolutionary War to over a century of Black historical achievement, from post-reconstruction, to the civil rights era, to the election and re-election of the first Black President of the United States.
For The Love Of Money delivers a unique and engaging Black history experience through the presentation of 69 anti-slavery tokens, commemorative coins, concept coins, bronze medals, Presidential bronze medals and gold medallions from the Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection that showcase 48 Black history icons, 15 seminal events and 13 iconic institutions:
- Am I Not A Man Anti-Slavery Token (1837)
- Am I Not A Woman Anti-Slavery Token (1838)
- Booker T. Washington Silver Half Dollar Coin (1946)
- George Washington Carver / Booker T. Washington Silver Half Dollar Coin (1951)
- Marian Anderson Bronze Medal (1978)
- Marian Anderson Gold Medallion (1980)
- Joe Louis Bronze Medal (1982)
- Louis Armstrong Gold Medallion (1982)
- Roy Wilkins Bronze Medal (1984)
- Jesse Owens Bronze Medal (1988)
- General Colin Powell Bronze Medal (1991)
- Olympics $5.00 Gold Coin (1992)
- World War II 50th Anniversary Half Dollar – 1991-1995 (1993)
- Atlanta Centennial Olympic Silver Dollar – Track And Field / High Jump (1996)
- Jackie Robinson $5.00 Gold Coin (1997)
- Jackie Robinson Silver Dollar Coin (1997)
- Bessie Coleman Brass Concept Coin (1998)
- Bessie Coleman Silver Concept Coin (1998)
- Black Revolutionary War Patriots Silver Dollar Coin (1998)
- Nelson Mandela Bronze Medal (1998)
- Rosa Parks Bronze Medal (1999)
- Little Rock Nine Bronze Medal (1999)
- New Jersey State Quarter (1999)
- Missouri State Quarter (2003)
- Dr. Dorothy Height Bronze Medal (2004)
- Brown v. Board Of Education Bronze Medal (2004)
- Jackie Robinson Bronze Medal (2005)
- Tuskegee Airmen Bronze Medal (2007)
- Jamestown 400th Anniversary Silver Dollar Coin (2007)
- Little Rock Central High School Desegregation Silver Dollar Coin (2007)
- Senator Edward William Brooke III Bronze Medal (2008)
- District Of Columbia Quarter (2009)
- Boy Scouts Of America Centennial Silver Dollar (2010)
- Montford Point Marines Bronze Medal (2011)
- Girl Scouts Centennial Silver Dollar Coin (2013)
- 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing Victims Bronze Medal (2013)
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. / Coretta Scott King Bronze Medal (2013)
- Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Silver Dollar Coin (2014)
- American Fighter Aces Bronze Medal (2014)
- Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Bronze Medal (2014)
- Selma To Montgomery Marches Bronze Medal (2015)
- Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Quarter (2016)
- Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter (2017)
- President Barack Obama Presidential Bronze Medal – First Term (2017)
- President Barack Obama Presidential Bronze Medal – Second Term (2017)
- American Liberty 225th Anniversary Gold Coin (2017)
- American Liberty 225th Anniversary Silver Medal (2017)
- American Liberty Gold Proof Coin (2018)
- Office Of Strategic Services (OSS) Bronze Medal (2018)
- American Legion 100th Anniversary Half Dollar (2019)
- Basketball Hall Of Fame $5.00 Gold Coin (2020)
- Basketball Hall Of Fame Silver Half Dollar Coin (2020)
- Basketball Hall Of Fame Silver Dollar Coin (2020)
- Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar Coin (2020)
- American Innovation $1 Coin – South Carolina (2021)
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter (2021)
- U.S. Capitol Police Bronze Medal (2021)
- Negro Leagues $5.00 Gold Coin (2022)
- Negro Leagues Silver Dollar Coin (2022)
- Negro Leagues Silver Half Dollar Coin (2022)
- Jackie Robinson Silver Medal (2022)
- American Women Quarters Program – Maya Angelou (2022)
- American Women Quarters Program – Bessie Coleman (2023)
- American Innovation $1 Coin – Ohio – Underground Railroad (2023)
- Harriet Tubman Bicentennial $5.00 Gold Coin (2024)
- Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Silver Dollar Coin (2024)
- Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Siver Half Dollar Coin (2024)
- American Women Quarters Program – Dr. Reverend Pauli Murray (2024)
- Larry Doby Bronze Medal (2024)
For The Love Of Money honors barrier breaking Black athletes, entertainers, civil rights leaders and politicians.
For The Love Of Money also features the historic contributions of several prominent Black Women, including Marian Anderson, Maya Angelou, Septima Clark, Bessie Coleman, Dr. Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks. This exhibition also honors all of the brave Black women suffragettes who continuously fought for the right for women to vote but were not legally able to vote themselves until 1965.
For The Love Of Money highlights Black military leaders, icons and institutions, including prominent Black history icons who served in the military and seminal civil rights events that were facilitated by military protection.
For The Love Of Money is culturally and historically relevant to the Black community, but also has broad appeal.
For The Love Of Money is appropriate for adults, families with children, school trips, college students and cuts across ethnic, gender and generational lines.
For The Love Of Money educates about the legislative and U.S. Mint processes for producing commemorative currency.
For The Love Of Money will continue to gain cultural relevance and popularity due to addition of the first free Black people on circulating U.S. paper currency (estimated timing):
- Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20.00 bill (est. 2030)
- Sojourner Truth on the back of the new $10.00 bill (est. 2026)
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Marian Anderson on the back of the new $5.00 bill (est. 2028)
For The Love Of Money will tour to museums, libraries, schools, colleges and universities and other cultural institutions.
The article appeared on the front page of the August 13, 2017 Metro Section.
For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Firsts
The pioneering Black history icons and historic events featured on United States commemorative currency in the For The Love Of Money exhibition represent several American and Black History firsts, including:
- First free Black person to appear on a commemorative coin and thus on United States currency – Booker T. Washington (1946)
- First free Black men to appear on a commemorative coin and thus on United States currency, only Black people featured on a commemorative silver half dollar coin – Booker T. Washington / George Washington Carver (1951)
- First Black artist whose work was produced by the United States Mint on the Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver / Booker T. Washington silver half dollar coins – Isaac Scott Hathaway (1946-1951)
- First Black person and Black woman to be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress and subsequently featured on a replica Commemorative Bronze Medal – Marian Anderson (1978)
- First Black person and only Black woman to appear on a United States Commemorative Gold Medallion – Marian Anderson (1980)
- First Black man and Black athlete awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and subsequently featured on a replica Commemorative Bronze Medal – Joe Louis (1982)
- First Black man to appear on a United States Commemorative Gold Medallion – Louis Armstrong (1982)
- First Black civil rights leader to be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and subsequently featured on a replica Commemorative Bronze Medal – Roy Wilkins (1984)
- First Black military leader to be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and subsequently featured on a replica Commemorative Bronze Medal – General Colin Powell (1991)
- First major league athlete and only Black person specifically honored on a commemorative $5.00 gold coin, as well as the first major league athlete and first Black person honored on a commemorative silver dollar coin – Jackie Robinson (1997)
- First South African to be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and subsequently featured on a replica Commemorative Bronze Medal – Nelson Mandela (1998)
- First Black person and first Black musician to be prominently featured on a coin authorized for circulation – Duke Ellington (2009)
- First Black President to sign commemorative coin legislation into law – President Barack Obama (2009)
- First Black President to sign commemorative medal legislation into law – President Barack Obama (2011)
- First Black Presidential administration to authorize the addition of free Black people on circulating U.S. paper currency – President Barack Obama (2016)
- First Black President to be commemorated on two Presidential bronze medals and subsequently featured on a replica Commemorative Presidential Bronze Medal – President Barack Obama (2017)
- First Black historic site to be commemorated on United States Currency and prominently featured on a coin authorized for circulation – Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter (2017)
- First Black woman depicted as Lady Liberty on United States Currency – American Liberty 225th Anniversary Gold Coin, Gold Proof Coin and Silver Medal (2017 / 2018)
- First Black intelligence professional to be honored by a Congressional Gold Medal and replica Commemorative Bronze Medal – Office Of Strategic Services (OSS) Bronze Medal – Ralph Bunche (2018)
- First Black woman to appear on an American Innovation $1 Coin – South Carolina – Septima Clark (2021)
- First Black woman, writer and poet to be prominently featured on a quarter, and a coin authorized for circulation – Maya Angelou (2023)
- First Black LGBTQ person and woman to be prominently featured on a quarter, and a coin authorized for circulation – Pauli Murray (2024)
- First Black bicentennial event to be honored on commemorative currency – Harriet Tubman Bicentennial honoring her birth (2024)
Several of these Black icons have received other top national and International honors such as the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, Presidential Citizens Medal, portraits on US Postage Stamps and the Nobel Peace Prize.
Many Black institutions and places of historic importance have also been designated as national monuments and national historic sites.
For The Love Of Money also captures the lawmakers, including Black Congresspeople and Senators, who initiated and sponsored commemorative legislation.
Among this group is Congressman John Lewis, the only Black person to sponsor commemorative legislation honoring participants in the Civil Rights Movement and be honored by commemorative legislation for his role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Other Black lawmakers noted as initiators and sponsors of commemorative legislation in the exhibition are:
- Congresswoman Corrine Brown
- Congresswoman Julia Carson
- Congressman James Clyburn
- Congressman Walter Fauntroy
- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
- Congressman Donald Payne
- Congressman Charles Rangel
- Congresswoman Terri Sewell
- Congressman Louis Stokes
- Congressman Bennie Thompson
- Congresswoman Diane Watson
- Senator Carol Moseley-Braun
For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Anti-Slavery Tokens, Commemorative Coins, Medals And Medallions Images
You can learn more about the Museum Of UnCut Funk Coin, Medal and Medallion Collection here.
You can see images below.
Notes:
- Many of the coins in the Museum Of UnCut Funk collection are proofs, which are early samples of coin issues that are traditionally used to check that the dies are correct and for the archival preservation of each issue. Today, proofs are also struck in greater quantities to be purchased by coin collectors.
- Some proof coins with silver mirror surfaces photograph as brown or black due to the way they reflect light.
- “Obverse” refers to the front of a coin, medal or medallion and “reverse” refers to the back.
For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Exhibition Tour Schedule
- August 28 – September 28, 2016 – Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site – Little Rock, Arkansas
- February 1 – February 28, 2017 – Brown v. Board Of Education National Historic Site – Topeka, Kansas
- January 31, 2017 – January 15, 2018 – Museum Of American Finance – New York, New York
- January 15 – February 9, 2018 – The Money Museum At The Federal Reserve Bank Of Kansas City – Denver, Colorado
- February 19 – March 15, 2018 – The Money Museum At The Federal Reserve Bank Of Kansas City – Kansas City, Missouri
Curator Talk
October 31, 2020
Museum Of UnCut Funk Curators SistaToFunky and ReenieDaFunkBaby gave a Curator Talk on For The Love Of Money as a part of the AfroFuturisticFrightNightFunkstication virtual event. Below are the videos of the Curator Talk.
Museum Of American Finance
Press Conference – February 22, 2017
Museum Of UnCut Funk Curators attended the official exhibition opening and press conference at the Museum Of American Finance (MOAF) on Wall Street in New York.
MOAF is a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Curator Pamela Thomas (aka SistaToFunky) spoke with Roger Clark of NY1 and did two live segments to promote the exhibition.
Curator Loreen Williamson (aka ReenieDaFunkBaby) spoke to the press about what the exhibition means to her and why it is historically important.
Installation Images
Custom Installation
The Museum Of UnCut Funk worked with MOAF staff to create a custom installation with a layout and colors that worked best in their historic building and fit their exhibition display units. The exhibition information was printed on fabric panels. The commemorative objects are displayed in museum cases.
Photographer Credit: Alan Barnett
Panel Installation
For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Exhibition Additional Media Coverage
- Coin Week – http://www.coinweek.com/education/museums-exhibits/museum-of-american-finance-opens-new-exhibit-for-the-love-of-money-blacks-on-us-currency/
- Coins Weekly – http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/MoAF-opens-exhibition-on-Blacks-on-US-Currency/4?&id=4627
- Liz Daly’s Culture Digest – http://www.lizdalyculturedigest.com/2017/03/black-history-in-us-currency/
- Manhattan Times – http://www.manhattantimesnews.com/money-loveamor-al-dinero/
- New York History Blog – http://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2017/02/22/blacks-on-us-currency-exhibit-at-museum-of-american-finance/
- NY1 – http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2017/02/22/manhattan-exhibit-highlights-black-americans-on-u-s–currency.html
- New York Times – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/nyregion/the-museum-of-uncut-funk.html
- The Undefeated – https://theundefeated.com/features/lady-liberty-is-a-black-woman-and-joe-louis-jackie-robinson-and-jesse-owens-get-commemorated-in-coin-too/?ex_cid=tutwitter
- Untapped Cities – http://untappedcities.com/2017/02/27/12-art-installations-and-exhibits-in-nyc-not-to-miss-march-2017/
- Welcome To Harlem – https://welcometoharlem.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/for-the-love-of-money-blacks-on-us-currency/
- Yahoo Finance – http://finance.yahoo.com/news/museum-american-finance-open-exhibit-135900006.html
To learn more about the commemorative coins, medals and medallions featured in the For The Love Of Money Exhibition you can read the three part series on African Americans On U.S. Coins written by Charles Morgan, Editor at CoinWeek.com and check out the podcast that the Museum Of UnCut Funk curators did with Charles Morgan on our website at the following links:
African Americans On U.S. Coins Part 1: Representation & Discovery
African Americans On U,S. Coins Part 2: Modern Commemoratives and Circulation Strikes
African Americans On U.S. Coins Part 3: Hidden in Plain Sight & Designs Considered
Podcast: UnCut Funk: African American Representation and Money
For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Exhibition Specs
The For The Love Of Money exhibition includes 116 panels that feature front and back images of 69 Anti-Slavery Tokens, Commemorative Coins, Medals, Presidential Medals, Medallions:
- Anti-Slavery Tokens: 2
- Commemorative Coins: 37
- Concept Coins: 2
- Commemorative Medals: 24
- Commemorative Presidential Medals: 2
- Commemorative Medallions: 2
Actual Anti-Slavery Tokens, Commemorative Coins, Medals, Presidential Medals, Medallions are available for display with full exhibition.
Approximate Space Required: 262 running feet
Panel configurations for smaller spaces are also available.
For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Exhibition Additional Information
For more information and rental fees or to book the For The Love Of Money: Black Icons On U.S. Currency Exhibition please contact the Curator, Sista ToFunky.
Curators are available for Curator’s Talks, Curated Tours, Expert Panels, Lectures. For more information or to book the Curators please contact the Curator, Sista ToFunky.
1 Comment
Dear MOUF: I contacted you about 18 months ago asking if you had an extra Marian Anderson medal. You said you did not have one for sale and suggested that I monitor online auctions. I did that and finally was able to purchase one, but it doesn’t have a “certificate of authenticity.” Do you have a COA for the Anderson medal? If so, would you email me a PDF of yours? I would like to keep a copy with my medal. Keep up the great work! I’ll be sure to share any new info about Black medals and coins with you that I discover. Thanks in advance. Irshad