Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President, was a widower by the time he took office. His wife died in 1782, nearly 20 years before he was elected, so the designers of the series decided to feature Miss Liberty on the obverse of his "First Spouse" coin. This portrait of Miss Liberty is modeled after the Draped Bust Half Cent, which was minted from 1800 to 1808. In this case, I think they've made a bit of an improvement over the orginal coin design.
The original half cent coin was designed by Robert Scot. This re-engraving was done by United States Mint mecallic sculptor Phebe Hemphill. See Thomas Jefferson's Presidential Dollar coin.
The original half cent coin was designed by Robert Scot. This re-engraving was done by United States Mint mecallic sculptor Phebe Hemphill. See Thomas Jefferson's Presidential Dollar coin.