Tokens, medals, coins, and paper money depicting George Washington are a very important numismatic specialty today, with several books on the subject of Washington tokens and other coins with his portrait.
Some of these portraits have been more than a little fanciful. Legendary numismatist Q. David Bowers writes:
Although in America the exploits of Washington as commander in chief of the army in the Revolution and as president inaugurated in 1789 were well known to the citizenry, his portrait was less familiar. In 1790 the Freeman’s Journal and the Gazette of the United States carried notices that “an artist” proposed “a subscription for a medal of George Washington.” Inquiries were received in Wilmington, Delaware by Peter Rynberg and in Philadelphia by J. Manly “in the care of Robert Patton, postmaster.”
Read more at Coin Update News.