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Two moments stand out for Jeff Garrett when he thinks about how he helped the National Football League (NFL) choose the ideal centerpiece for one of its most visible ceremonies in the year of America's 250th birthday — a modern restrike of a Libertas Americana medal.
The first memorable moment: the pregame coin toss at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.
Garrett was there in person at the NFL's invitation, settled in his seat at the 40-yard line, a few rows up at Levi's Stadium. He witnessed Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana flip the medal high in the air, saw it bounce and come to rest on the red-painted portion of the NFL logo at midfield.
The Seahawks called tails. It came up heads. The Patriots won the toss.
Meanwhile, Garrett looked on with pride and a little nervousness.
"I wasn't part of any rehearsal, so it was going to be a complete surprise to me," Garrett said. "I was kind of proud that we were able to pull this off and help them flip a coin that has historical importance. So, it was neat to have been a part of that."
The Kentucky-based numismatist and author watched as the director of the National Museum of American History, Anthea Hartig, took possession of the Libertas Americana medal after the ceremony. It was the medal's next leg on a journey to Washington, D.C., where it became part of the National Numismatic Collection.
The Experts Confer
Here we come to Garrett's second foundational memory of his role in the historic selection. In the latter half of 2025, he had worked with Smithsonian representatives, including Ellen Feingold, curator of the National Numismatic Collection, to come up with a recommendation to the NFL for a suitable coin.
They needed a symbol that paid homage to the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, while also meeting the NFL's size and weight standards. The NFL's original idea had been to use a 1776 Continental Dollar for the coin toss, but the experts at the Smithsonian weren't so sure.
"Recent scholarship has shown that [Continental Dollars] were probably medals made in Europe and the design did not translate into 'heads and tails' very well," Garrett wrote in an essay recording his thoughts on the experience.
As a consultant for the Smithsonian and a 2025 inductee into the PCGS CoinFacts Hall of Fame, Garrett's knowledge of coins is extensive. He owns the well-known Mid-Atlantic Rare Coin Galleries in Lexington, Kentucky, and is a past president of the American Numismatic Association.
In other words, Jeff Garrett really knows his stuff. And he's just wild about the Libertas Americana. So much so that he dedicated a significant portion of office space to the venerable medal.
The coin even met the NFL's desire for a patriotic nod to the country's 250th anniversary.
"The date on the Libertas Americana says on the front, July 4, 1776," he said. "So that really struck them. Once they saw that suggestion really ticked all the boxes they were looking for, they were like, 'OK, that's it. We don't need to go any further."
The Ah-Ha Moment
Garrett's "ah-ha" moment happened during a call to brainstorm ideas to help the NFL choose its Super Bowl LX coin.
"On my office wall, I have a picture — about a four-foot by five-foot frame — a picture of an original (Libertas Americana) that I sold years ago for half-a-million dollars, almost," Garrett said. "When I was on the phone with [the Smithsonian], I just kind of looked up and said, 'Boy, that would be a great coin."
American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin gave birth to the idea of the Libertas Americana as a way to commemorate the young nation's victory in the Revolutionary War and honor France's critical role. Franklin commissioned the medal and worked with French designers Augustin Dupré and Esprit-Antoine Gibelin.
As Freidman wrote in an article on the medal's origin: "This medal showed the world what American liberty looked like: a confident young woman, hair flowing behind her as she charges forward toward possibility and promise, unafraid of what is ahead."
The original Libertas Americana is well represented at the Smithsonian, but there was never a thought given to using an original version in the coin toss ceremony.
"I had a restrike, a five-ounce version, which was too big," Garrett said. "We went on eBay and found one. I bought it on eBay and had it shipped to me. And as soon as I got it, I turned around and had it shipped to New York."
One Final Step
Once the NFL gave the go-ahead, it was time to seal the deal with the Highland Mint. The Florida company usually creates the Super Bowl coin toss medals, but this time around they were enlisted to transform Garrett's restrike into a one-of-a-kind piece.
Highland engraved three distinctive marks: the NFL shield logo, the word "heads" on the obverse, and the word "tails" on the reverse. Garrett, who appreciates numismatic history as well as anyone, was all-in on the engravings.
"There's a long history of coins being engraved for important events," he said. "When they made the first Morgan Dollars in San Francisco, they had them engraved. [...] Not only did I give permission, but I encouraged it, because it'll be cool."
Thinking back to Super Bowl Sunday and everything that led to it, Garrett is proud that he could play such a unique role as the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial birthday.
"The NFL did a stellar job giving numismatics its day in the sun at one of the most high-profile events on the globe," he wrote in his reminiscent essay. "Hopefully, this is just a taste of things to come as the country begins celebrating our nation's 250th anniversary."