New Hampshire Goldback® Gallery

1 - One Goldback

Gratia (Grace)

In her first appearance on a Goldback series, Gratia, or Grace, is featured on the New Hampshire 1 Goldback Denomination. She is depicted as an Abenaki Native American woman from the Algonquin tribes, who have history in the area. She is wearing a traditional dress and beads in front of an Abenaki wigwam. She is accompanied by a river otter, representing resourcefulness and finding joy in the moment with both attributes being key parts of grace and leading a balanced life. Also present in the symbolism of this design are many elements of Jewish and Christian cultures. This design particularly indicates the Jewish Festival/Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, being celebrated alongside the Thanksgiving Holiday. Elements of these celebrations include: the Shofar trumpet next to the wigwam door, the pumpkin, corn, beans, chestnuts, and honeycomb represented by the beehive in the tree.

Gratia can be seen gathering chestnuts and pondering, with the caption below reading “Give Thanks”. This is to acknowledge that the bounties that we are provided with must be worked for to be gathered in, but that we should also be thankful for them. Additionally, the chestnuts remain uncracked, more deeply symbolizing the work needing to be done by the founding fathers of the United States of America in order to bring about the nation where we could enjoy the freedoms that we do. One of the reasons that Thanksgiving Day is represented in the New Hampshire series here is because of Sarah Joseph, a native resident of New Hampshire, who was key in bringing Thanksgiving Day about as a national holiday. In the background are elements nodding to, and representing, the many ancient artifacts and “American Stonehenge” that can both be found in New Hampshire and indicate the rich cultural heritage of the area that predates more modern colonization.

5 - Five Goldbacks

Veritas (Truth)

New Hampshire’s 5 Goldback design is the second time that Veritas, or Truth, makes an appearance. She is depicted here wearing a colonial dress, offering the light of a candle, and walking along a path that leads to a covered bridge over a foggy river. She symbolizes the light of truth and offers that light to others, beckoning them to come toward her and follow the path that leads them safely through the fog of obscurity and confusion that is their demise without her light. The covered bridge is patterned after one that can be found along the Kancamagus Highway, though similar covered bridges can be found all around the state. On Truth’s left is a purple lilac bush, the state flower, and on her right is a purple finch, the state bird, and below her is the caption “Walk in Truth”.

To the side of the path is a guardrail, representing how truth protects us and that if we hold fast to it, it will lead us along the path. In the background the viewer can see a moose, which are well known for their massive presence, territorial nature, poor eyesight, and excellent hearing and smell, which here represents steadfastly standing for and protecting truth and using many senses to identify it, even when it is hard to see.

10 - Ten Goldbacks

Prospicientia (Foresight)

Prospicientia, or Foresight, makes her debut on the New Hampshire 10 Goldback Denomination design. She is found sitting atop a cannon on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean with Fort Constitution (formerly Fort William and Mary) across the bay. This setting is historically important as it depicts the moments after New Hampshire’s Sons of Liberty took control of the fort. In response to an earlier but less famous ride of Paul Revere where he warned that General Thomas Gage was coming down the coast and would arrive in a few days to take possession of the supplies at Fort William and Mary, the people of New Hampshire had to do some quick thinking. They knew that it would be a race for the supplies. If the British forces reinforced the fort and took possession of those supplies then it would give them even more advantage in the days to come.

The Patriots of New Hampshire wanted to stop that, and maybe turn the situation and supplies to their advantage in the process. Demonstrating their foresight in a powerful way, they quickly organized and mobilized hundreds of men from the Portsmouth area, gathered more men along the way, and raced down to the fort where they overran the 6 men posted there. Once they had stormed the walls of the fort, despite facing down 3 active cannons and the musket fire of the half dozen men protecting it, they then took down the British flag, raided the fort of around 100 barrels of gunpowder, and a large number of supplies including muskets, ammunition and 16 cannons! They were able to do all this with less than a day’s notice from Revere and were done several days before General Gage even arrived, where he found the fort empty.

This event is arguably one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War, and it is an excellent example of foresight in action. The supplies captured here would be a boon to the war effort and would later be used in many of the subsequent battles. Prospicientia is depicted with a calm, yet triumphant attitude, because there is peace in being prepared and having foresight to do what is needed before the conflict arises. The caption below her reads “Look Forward.” Present in the design are also the humpback whale, the USS Raleigh, as one of the original ships from the Continental Navy, and a variant of the “An Appeal to God” flag that was first flown on George Washington’s naval ships.

25 - Twenty-Five Goldbacks

Fortitudine (Fortitude)

Fortitudine, or Fortitude, makes her second appearance in a Goldback series in New Hampshire’s 25 Goldback Denomination design. She is clothed in a military coat of a minute-man, and is wearing a dress that includes the vertical red and white stripes that were used by the early rebel colonists, which were ultimately included horizontally in the United States flag. She is leaning a musket over one shoulder and has a powder horn in the opposite hand, both understood as being captured from Fort William and Mary as illustrated in the 10 Goldback Design. Next to her stands a miniature depiction of New Hampshire’s famous granite monument featuring the state’s motto: “Live Free or Die”, and the caption beneath her reads “Take Courage”.

At her feet are a mother and baby porcupines, representing the emotion of being loving and calm, but having the quills to stand your ground and protect your own when necessary. Behind Fortitudine is a maple tree in early spring with a tap and bucket, representing the fortitude of the tree through the winter, whose pulsing sap, as the temperatures warm, brings life back to the tree itself and energy and joy to those who count on it. Also in the background the viewer can see a depiction of Mount Washington and the historic Mount Washington Hotel. These features nod heavily to the underlying reasons that “The Granite State” is such a fitting title for the state of New Hampshire and captures those elements.

50 - Fifty Goldbacks

Libertas (Liberty)

Libertas, or Liberty, makes her capstone appearance again in the New Hampshire 50 Goldback Denomination Design. Here she stands in White Mountain National Forest and is shown with the three elements of New Hampshire’s original seal, namely the bundle of five arrows she is holding, the fish that are embroidered on her dress, and the eastern white pine tree both behind her and at her feet. The bundle of arrows represents the five original counties of New Hampshire, the fish represents the main source of commerce for the colony at the time, and the white pine tree was elemental in the colony’s exports to be used as ship’s masts.

Embroidered on the hem of her dress is the motto: “Vis Unitas Fortior”, the same that appears on the original seal, meaning “A United Force is Stronger”, or “We are Stronger Together”. Libertas is also shown here wearing a medallion on a ribbon with Liberty’s traditional symbol of a torch as well as a necklace with a laurel wreath and stars, nodding to these elements from the New Hampshire state seal. Below her reads the caption “Stand Fast in Liberty” and behind her the state’s animal is highlighted with a family of whitetail deer, symbolizing unity, and particularly unity in the family, where the principles of Liberty are taught and passed on to the next generation. Without these principles being passed on, the price of gaining Liberty will be forgotten and must be paid to get her back again.

In Liberty's left hand is a pine switch, she is standing on a fallen pine with King George’s mark carved into it, and a broken axe is at her feet. These three elements are indicative of the events that surrounded what are known as the “Pine Tree” or “Mast Tree” Riots of 1732 - 1734, which in many ways could be called the first acts of the Colonial Rebellion. During these events, New Hampshire residents pushed back against the British actions which both appropriated the area’s Eastern White Pines for ship masts and prohibited the cutting down of any trees with a diameter greater than 12 inches. Disgruntled residents formed a rebellion and, in a manner more aggressive than was present at the Boston Tea Party, attacked the British sheriff and his deputies who were making arrests and enforcing the King’s edict, gave the sheriff a lashing with a pine switch for each tree that was being contested at the time, cut the manes and tails off of their horses, and ran them out of town. For this and other reasons, many of the first flags flown by the Rebellion depicted a White Pine on a field of white in some fashion. One of the earliest ones used by George Washington on his naval ships is raised here by Libertas on her pine switch and reads the traditional caption: “An Appeal to God”.