Elizabeth Jones (born May 31, 1935) was the eleventh Chief Engraver of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

, holding this position from 1981 until her resignation in 1991. After her resignation, the position was left vacant for 15 years until John Mercanti was appointed to the post. Born in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

, Jones was a 1953 graduate of the

Montclair Kimberley Academy Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) is a co-educational private school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade located in Montclair, New Jersey, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

(formerly the Kimberley School until 1974) and received their 1985 Distinguished Alumni Award. She graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

in 1957.

History

Jones was just 46 when President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

appointed her as Chief Engraver, making her the first woman to hold this post. Although relatively young by chief engraver standards, by this time she had already built an impressive reputation as one of the leading medallists in the world. Her talent and distinctive style, which she describes as "mildly abstract," had earned her a lengthy series of commissions from such prestigious clients as The

Franklin Mint The Franklin Mint is a private mint founded by Joseph Segel in 1964 in Wawa, Pennsylvania. The building is in Middletown Township. The brand name was previously owned by Sequential Brands Group headquartered in New York City. It is currently ...

, Medallic Art Company and the Judaic Heritage Society. When

Frank Gasparro Frank Gasparro (August 26, 1909 – September 29, 2001) was the tenth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, holding this position from February 23, 1965, to January 16, 1981. Before that, he was Assistant Engraver. He designed both sides of t ...

retired in 1981 after 16 years as chief engraver, friends in the art world and in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, urged her to apply. She did, and soon had a new job. Jones was the designer of the 1983 Los Angeles Olympic one dollar coin, obverse. Her design incorporated the traditional discus thrower of conjoined outlines in three layers as if in stroboscopic motion. In an article, “Her mark is on the coinage”, by Judy Klemesrud, The New York Times, June 26, 1983: ”She said she became interested in the rather obscure field of medallion making after meeting Renato Signorini, an Italian sculptor now deceased, who designed the official medal for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. "He's the one who's responsible for my becoming a medalist," she said. "I had never even thought of medals until I was 25 years old."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Elizabeth United States Mint engravers Living people 1935 births Vassar College alumni Montclair Kimberley Academy alumni People from Montclair, New Jersey