In the previous article in this issue, Jim Haas told the story of German-American engraver and medalist Franz Eue and his daughter Helga, which a newspaper article claimed she "posed for Miss Liberty on a bicentennial quarter by her father for Uncle Sam..." Well, Franz Eue did not design a circulating coin for the U.S. Mint. He did however contribute a design for consideration for what became the 1932 Washington Quarter, a commemorative honoring the bicentennial of Washington's birth in 1732.

Many thanks to Harry Waterson, Steve Roach and Roger Burdette who helped me track down and confirm the story. As Roger notes, "The daughter was clearly mistaken about posing for Liberty --- but she might have been posing for Washington head shape and hair."

First, Harry Waterson provided these newspaper articles announcing the design contest. Thank you. The articles are from the Sauk Centre Herald, Sauk Centre, Minn. (April 16, 1931) and Bienville Democrat Ringgold Record, Arcadia, LA (June 9, 1932). -Editor

Here's excerpt from Steve's 2024 Coin World article about the design content and some of the submitted designs. -Editor

The year 1932 marked the bicentennial of George Washington's birth and the U.S. Mint planned for a new silver quarter dollar with a portrait of the nation's first president on the obverse, alongside an eagle on the reverse. Several artists participated in a 1931 competition to design this new issue, and ultimately, sculptor John Flanagan was victorious.

Stack's Bowers Galleries offered a selection of various artist's models that were submitted to that competition in its August auctions. The models show how different artists interpreted the project's challenge to adapt a bust by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon into coin form.

The Commission of Fine Arts twice declared Laura Gardin Fraser the winner. Fraser's design was not chosen by that contest's final judge, Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon, but was revived for the $5 commemorative gold coin issued in 1999 to honor the bicentennial of Washington's death. It was again honored when chosen in 2022 for use as the common obverse for the Washington, American Women circulating quarter dollar series.

Roger Burdette was able to confirm for me that Franz Eue indeed submitted a design to the contest based on evidence he located at the National Archives. Thank you!! -Editor

"I recently found individual letters to artists who submitted entries to the Washington quarter design competition. Attached is the letter sent to Mr. Eue acknowledging receipt of his models.

"I've also attached a copy of the design concept; the Nov 12, 1931 entrant status; and some interesting correspondence.

"I don't recall seeing a full or partial list of all the entrants, or a list matching entrant names to the numbers the Mint added to each set of models. However, I could have easily missed these among the paper folders."