County seeks coin fame; Patrick gives all a chance to vote on image for quarters.

Byline: Lisa Eckelbecker

The state of Massachusetts wants your two cents' worth for the next state coin.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick is asking residents to vote on the scene the U.S. Mint should stamp on the back of the next Massachusetts quarter, a coin that will be issued as part of a series of 56 quarters depicting national parks and other national sites in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

In Massachusetts, a state jam-packed with special places, it could be tough to know where to start, so the governor's office has helpfully posted a list of possible sites in each county.

"We've had tens of thousands of votes so far," said Rebecca E. Deusser, a spokeswoman for Mr. Patrick.

Some options are obvious, such as the Cape Cod National Seashore. Some are, well, kooky. No offense Berkshire County, but would anyone in Idaho or Alabama understand why Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket should be on a quarter?

The good news is that nine sites in Worcester County are up for consideration, and because this election is taking place in the wild realms of the Web, it's possible to vote early and vote often at www.mass.gov, at least until voting closes at 5 p.m. Thursday. Click on Mr. Patrick's smiling portrait and follow the links to the quarters page.

"I've got everybody voting for me online," said Kim A. Kniskern, owner of the Miss Worcester Diner. Though surprised to see the Miss Worcester Diner included on the list, she said, "I just think it's really great. There's a lot of places up for the vote. I just hope I'm one of the top four."

OK, let's say diners aren't your thing. What else might you choose?

"The first one I voted for was Mechanics Hall because in terms of recognition nationally, it's the most significant," said Deborah F. Packard, executive director of Preservation Worcester. "Five presidents have spoken there."

What if you don't like the list?

"Where's the Salisbury Mansion? The Antiquarian Society? Those are both (national) register properties," said William D. Wallace, executive director of the Worcester Historical Museum. "There are so many options in Worcester, any list would be too short."

To be fair, the federal government has restricted what states may choose. The program, created by an act of Congress in 2008, focuses on national parks and sites. That nixes the smiley face, the ubiquitous design created in Worcester by the late Harvey Ball.

The winning site also must translate into a "dignified" design, according to the mint. (Possibly we wouldn't want college students playing drinking games with undignified coins.) No portraits are allowed. (One side of the coin will already display George Washington's visage.) No sports logos. (Sorry, Red Sox Nation!)

If the rules seem a bit, well, high-falutin', consider that coins have to walk a fine line between beauty and practicality, symbolism and propaganda. Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens famously designed a double eagle $20 gold coin in 1907 that is widely considered beautiful by numismatists, or coin collectors, but the high relief of the design made it impossible to stack the coins and a lower-relief design was subsequently issued, according to Worcester lawyer and collector Matthew F. Erskine.

Good coin designs are also simple, even abstract, such as the coins of ancient Greece that depict the goddess Athena on one side and an owl, her symbol, on the other side, he said.

"Whatever it is that you're putting on there, it should tell a story," said Mr. Erskine, who is trustee of the Kittredge Numismatic Foundation, overseeing a collection of coins acquired by the late Worcester collector John Kittredge.

"Think about George Washington being on the quarter. Why is it on the quarter? Because you look at it and say, `Who's this guy?' "

Mr. Patrick is expected to release the name of his preferred site and three alternates Friday. From there, the recommendations go to the mint, which will consult with the secretary of the interior and make recommendations to the treasury secretary, who must give final approval by about Sept. 19.

The mint will issue five new quarters a year beginning in 2010 in the order in which sites were established as historic places.

Make no mistake, Worcester County faces some tough competition. Mount Greylock in Adams. Walden Pond in Concord. The U.S.S. Constitution in Boston.

But not everyone is daunted.

"We can always live in hope," said Mr. Wallace of the Worcester Historical Museum. "Worcester is taking its place at the rightful heart of the commonwealth, and perhaps in this new series of coins we'll be recognized as such."

Worcester County site choices

Asa Waters Mansion, Millbury

Blackstone River Valley National Heritage

Homestead of Gen. Artemas Ward, Shrewsbury

Waters Farm, Sutton

Elm Park, Worcester

Mechanics Hall, Worcester 

Miss Worcester Diner, Worcester

Union Station, Worcester

Worcester City Hall and Common

How to vote: Voting is open until 5 p.m. Thursday. Go to www.mass.gov and search the site for America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter for the list of eligible landmarks.

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Worcester's Union Station, left, and the Asa Waters Mansion in Millbury, far left, are among the sites from Central Massachusetts. (2) The Waters Farm in Sutton, above, and the Miss Worcester Diner in Worcester, right, are two of nine selections considered from Central Massachusetts.

PHOTOG: T&G FILE PHOTOS