It all began after uncovering a crisp two-dollar bill that had been stashed away in my childhood bedroom since 2003.
Examining the bill, I discover that it’s Thomas Jefferson who is pictured. But something seems off.
This looks nothing the the Thomas Jefferson that I know from the nickel. Nickel Jefferson has defined features, a tight jawline, and the powdered wig flawlessly rests on his head.
Two-Dollar Jefferson doesn’t even look like the same person. He looks much older, has a much rounder face, and a totally different forehead.
His expression is similar to my Grandpa after we take 6 rounds of family photos and he finally gets to sit back down on the couch, but then my grandma says, “ Come on Ron, one more,” and he has to get back up and pose again.
Are there filters applied on his Nickel pic? Is Nickel Jefferson vs. Two-Dollar Jefferson the original Instagram vs. Reality?
This discovery led me to begin investigating other possible discrepancies between the faces on bills and coins, starting with Abraham Lincoln – on the penny and the five-dollar bill.
This one makes sense to me. Both Linclons are bearded, and have the same jawline, hair, nose, etc.
If I’m being nit-picky, I think Five-Dollar Lincoln’s ears may be slightly bigger. But again, nothing major.
I’d expect nothing less from “Honest Abe”.
Next I look into George Washington, who is on the quarter and the one-dollar bill.
But before I can begin comparing the two, something jarring catches my eye.
George has a lot of exposed neck on the quarter.
Like a lot of neck.
Legitimately half the coin is just neck. The word “liberty” can barely fit between the edge of the coin and George’s Adam’s Apple.
How did I never notice this before?
Are there any other coins that are as… revealing?
Jefferson and Lincoln both have collars covering their necks.
Roosevelt, on the dime, has some exposed neck, but it is an appropriate amount compared to the rest of his head that is depicted.
Meanwhile, George’s goes all the way to his shoulders where you can even see the beginnings of his trapezius muscles.
Which begs the obvious question: Is George Washington shirtless on the quarter?
I begin my research.
The designer behind the modern quarter is John Flannagan, a sculptor who designed the coin in 1932 when the US quarter was first issued.
I looked into some of John Flanagan’s other work to see if I could gather any information on how this guy typically portrays necks.
In the first few coins I found, all seem pretty normal. The necks are partially covered by a collar and appear to be standard length.
But then one of his pieces caught my attention:
Paul Wayland-Bartlett.
Paul Fucking Wayland-Bartlett.
Full neck. Full shoulders. Fully topless.
Every coin by Flanagan where the subject is wearing a shirt, there is a visible collar at least halfway up the neck.
The only subject without a collar besides George Washington, is Paul Wayland-Bartlett, which shows a full neck and shoulders, providing evidence of shirtless-ness.
Therefore, since George Washington’s profile does not have a collar, and we can see the neck meet the shoulder, its a fair assumption that the artist, John Flanagan, was picturing George shirtless when carving his profile.
I unfortunately don’t have any insight into John Flanagan’s visualization of the bottom half of George’s body, but perhaps someone at the Smithsonian Institute has the resources to look into it.
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I Just Realized Something 