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Thursday, July 29, 2010   73º

Updated 02/19/2010 06:07 AM

New U.S. presidential coin has local heritage

By: Tamara Lindstrom

A brand new U.S. coin was unveiled in Cayuga County. Our Tamara Lindstrom tells us why the Town of Moravia was chosen for the special ceremony and why so many people are beaming with pride.

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CAYUGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- The crowd packed the cafeteria and overflowed into the halls at Moravia Central School Thursday morning. People even peered through the windows to watch.

"We thought we'd get 300 people. It's a school vacation, so we thought we wouldn't get people to come. But obviously, we were wrong," said social studies teacher John Haight.

Hundreds of people came out to Moravia Central School and lined up to get the brand new Millard Fillmore coin. But to some, it's more than just a piece of currency. It's a piece of history.

"This is about showing the history of Millard Fillmore and how he was important to Moravia," said sixth grader Colton Langtry, who played the role of Fillmore during the ceremony.

"Fillmore was born in this area. He got his education here. He got his upbringing here and I think he got his values here," Haight said.

"He lived in a log cabin. Read on his own," said U.S. Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart. "Became a lawyer, was elected to Congress."

And eventually became the thirteenth President of the United States, now memorialized in a one dollar coin.

"It's a neat thing to see somebody in your local area recognized," Haight said.

And the coin has other virtues as well.

"It is also environmentally friendly because after 30 years when it wears out, we take the metal back, we melt it down and we create a new coin," Brunhart said.

Some may say the coins are bulky in the pocket.

"But you know, a dollar coin takes the place of four quarters," Brunhart said.

All well and good, but in the end...

"It's gold and it has Millard Fillmore on it. And it's shiny," Langtry said.

Reason enough for more than 800 people to wait in line for theirs.

The coin is one of four to be released this year. To learn more about the Presidential Coin program, visit usmint.gov.