The Lucky Side of Thirteen...

The Great Seal of the United States of America
by Brandon Ballentine and Dr. W. David Currie

The idea for this article was based on information presented at the website of the United States Treasury.  We fully acknowledge that other similar articles have been presented on the web, but we hope in some aspects not as thoroughly as that to follow.

The Great Seal was designed primarily by patriot Benjamin Franklin, with modifications and additions suggested by a number of others.  The Great Seal was designed over a period of several years and approved by Congress in June of 1782.  Ben Franklin's reverence for the original 13 colonies is evident everywhere in the design of the Seal... and is further evidenced by the depiction of the Great Seal on our dollar bill.  Let's see if we can find any evidence for a recurring theme of "13's."

By way of review, the original 13 colonies, in alphabetical order, were Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia,

Let's look at the back of a dollar bill. 

On the left we see an unfinished pyramid (see figure below), indicating that the United States was yet to grow.  The pyramid has 13 steps... on the bottom step is inscribed the date MDCCLXXVI (1776).  Above the pyramid, the eye of God watches and we see the inscription, Annuit Coeptis (akin to "God favors us").  By the way, if one separates the O and E in Annuit Coeptis, one finds 13 letters.  Below the pyramid we see the words "Novis Ordo Seclorum," meaning something akin to "a new order has begun." The western side of the pyramid is shaded, and like the western regions of America, is yet to be explored.

On the right, we see the American Bald Eagle, wings outstretched (see figure below).  In the Eagle's left talon, there are 13 arrows.  In the Eagle's right talon, there is an olive branch with 13 leaves.  The shield protecting the Eagle's body depicts a banner with 13 vertical stripes.  In the circular banner above the Eagle, a constellation of 13 stars is depicted.  In the Eagle's beak is a banner with the words "E Pluribus Unum," which, by the way, contains 13 letters.  In both the left and right borders surrounding the Great Seal, we find beaded scrollwork containing 13 beads.

The next time you take a dollar bill out of your wallet, be sure to consider the relevance of placing the Great Seal of the United States on this particular bill.  Each of the millions of dollar bills printed each year bares the number 1 and, in terms of U.S. paper Currency, represents the lowest common denominator and the bill most easily obtained.  Each dollar bill is passed from person to person many times... and each bill carries with it a celebration of the birth of the United States, and its original 13 colonies, through the depiction of  the Great Seal of the United States.

Brandon Ballentine and David Currie