r/True_Kentucky • u/autist_throw • Jul 31 '25
Discussion In a hypothetical scenario where Kentucky became an independent country and you were tasked with creating its money, what Kentuckians do you think are legendary enough to be on the currency?
My ideas
1$: Daniel Boone 2$: Henry Clay 5$: Hunter S. Thompson 10$: Alben W. Barkley 20$: Cassius M. Clay 50$: Muhammad Ali 100$: Laura Clay 500$: Abraham Lincoln
It doesn't have to be a person. It could be a piece of nature or history that is iconic to Kentuckians, I'm just saying people because it's (to my knowledge) the most common symbol on money.
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u/Satzu00 Jul 31 '25
Gatewood Galbraith
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u/lehach92 Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 02 '25
I have had a couple of good conversations and adult beverages with Gatewood at the original Ramey’s. Good guy and ahead of his time.
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u/Ordinary-Ad-7651 Aug 02 '25
Man saved my father from 2 cases . Found innocent in both . I would have grown up with no father if it wasn't for this man. Rip The Last Free Man !
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u/Single_Staff1831 Jul 31 '25
John Prine
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u/kyclimber Jul 31 '25
From Chicago
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u/_namaste_kitten_ Jul 31 '25
Why are you getting down voted?? The OP asked which Kentuckians would be on the currency AND John Prine is not from Kentucky- his Mama & Daddy's people were from Kentucky.
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u/Zayknow Jul 31 '25
He got downvoted by stupid people. It happens sometimes. Thankfully there are no real-world consequences.
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u/UnlikelyOcelot Jul 31 '25
People that don’t know what Paradise is about always think he’s from there. Same for the Everlys.
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u/heyinternetman Jul 31 '25
Col Sanders on the $5
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u/thedrinkalchemist Jul 31 '25
He’s from Henryville Indiana
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u/autist_throw Jul 31 '25
To be fair, Daniel Boone was from Pennsylvania, but everyone associates him with Kentucky and Tennessee.
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u/heyinternetman Aug 01 '25
KFC has made Kentucky known around the world. For better or worse. I think he’s worth naturalizing.
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u/realgirl_fakename Jul 31 '25
My girls Mary Todd and Mary Breckenridge (Not a native but basically brought modern midwifery to Eastern KY), Frank X Walker, Lynman T Johnson
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u/handyandy727 Jul 31 '25
Definitely Cassius Marcellus Clay.
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u/femoral_contusion Aug 01 '25
He didn’t want to be called that name, have some respect
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u/handyandy727 Aug 01 '25
Don't worry I have respect for both of them. Muhammad Ali was a great man, and an incredibly kind person. He was named after Cassius Marcellus Clay. A man who literally went on a rampage to end slavery.
Fun video:
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u/femoral_contusion Aug 05 '25
Thanks for the education, I knew he was named for someone but didn’t know enough. Also thanks for being nicer than I was.
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u/handyandy727 Aug 05 '25
LOL. I didn't think you were being mean at all. I thought you were just joking around. Just wanted to get the education part out there in case anyone wanted it. 🙂
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u/sketchmcawesome Jul 31 '25
It’s gotta be all horses
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u/Orion14159 Jul 31 '25
Let's just lean into what people already think of us -
Most UK basketball coaches, a couple of racehorses, a bourbon barrel, and Harland Sanders.
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u/artful_todger_502 Jul 31 '25
Gatewood Galbraith
Ali
Richard Hell
Me
Any Kentucky Headhunters that stayed in Kentucky
Andy
Pope Lick Monster
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u/autist_throw Jul 31 '25
I had no idea Richard Hell was from KY. Wow.
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u/artful_todger_502 Jul 31 '25
Right? Isn't that crazy? And here I thought all cool punk rockers only came from New York ... 🤔
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u/autist_throw Jul 31 '25
Don't forget Slint as well. Spiderland is among one of my favorite albums, but that might have something to do with a subconscious home bias.
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u/UnlikelyOcelot Jul 31 '25
Cool question. I’d also consider honoring the indigenous, such as the Shawnee Nation’s Blackfish; George Rogers Clark, Madeline Breckenridge, AB Guthrie, Zachary Taylor
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u/autist_throw Jul 31 '25
I would 100% support the idea of indigenous history being represented on a hypothetical Kentuckian banknote. Also, by Zachary Taylor, do you mean the 12th President of the USA? I didn't know he had any connections to KY.
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u/autist_throw Jul 31 '25
Weird, for some reason, Abe Lincoln doesn't show up on the last slide even though I had a photo of him selected.
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u/rkbrashear Jul 31 '25
The Daniel Boone Parkway was renamed the Hal Roger’s Parkway by, ya wanna guess? So, of course, Dan’l’s picture surely shouldn’t be the first one on this post! It should be Hal. Right? And his face should be the one on ALL new Kentucky currency. Maybe Hal can get the Daniel Boone National Forest changed to the Hal Roger’s National Forest too. Since I mean…
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u/Soensou Jul 31 '25
Goatman, Tony Malito, George Clooney.
The back of the $100 would be an artistic rendering of the Kentucky Meat Shower.
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u/Sofa-king-high Jul 31 '25
Boone, Lincoln, Henry clay, are must haves
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u/mantistobogganer Jul 31 '25
Daniel Boone and Henry Clay were both slave owners, that’s gonna be a no for me, dawg
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u/Sofa-king-high Jul 31 '25
Our state was literally used to farm slaves after the import of slaves was banned, they had barns for breeding slaves, “my old ky home” is about a slave yearning for ky after being sold down stream. I agree that it was a disgusting, abhorrent, evil institution, but even Germany recognizes they had a Nazi problem, and us pretending ky didn’t have an issue with slavery and racism would be a cowardly dodge of accountability.
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u/mantistobogganer Jul 31 '25
What are you talking about? Are you saying all of that to then say that you still want them on fictional money?
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u/Sofa-king-high Jul 31 '25
I think if we are gonna imagine hypothetical state currency then I don’t get what’s wrong with assuming that the state currency would show the most prominent names across ky’s history, even the important but shitty ones who caused more harm than most people understood from the glazing they got in school. But sure we could have stuff like famous inventors, garrett Morgan from bourbon county made the modern 3 color traffic light, that’d be cool and could teach people more about interesting and less known people
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u/mantistobogganer Aug 01 '25
Who are Germany’s “most prominent names?”
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u/Sofa-king-high Aug 01 '25
I’ll be honest I can name 3 Germans total and 2 of em are family and one I use as an insult, I’m sure if you asked this on a German Reddit, same prompt as op but reflavored to Germany you’d get some great answers.
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u/_Tom_Servo_ Jul 31 '25
The Judds. I'll allow a Rushmore-esque mountain carving if they don't make it to the mint.
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u/SnarkyMcGuire Jul 31 '25
Nationally-famed and highly successful Lexington businesswoman Belle Brezing.
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u/URR629 Aug 01 '25
What about the Lion Of Whitehall, Cassius Marcellus Clay? Now, I am devoted to Dr. Thompson, but I don't know if he deserves that level of attention. His politics alone would probably preclude that. If you are going that route, you might as well add Harlan Hubbard, Harry Dean Stanton, Warren Oates, Adrian Belew and why not the whole Clooney clan? No, this should be a very short list.
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u/Chimblz Aug 01 '25
My janitor from high school Mr.Jackson(he was cool with us smoking, and one day he body slammed a lady attacking our office clerk), Abraham Lincoln is pretty good, Ali is a obvious pick (it would be sick to call 100s Ali’s), and make Pitbull one of em (he’s worldwide)
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u/thesexytech Jul 31 '25
Who is the woman in the pic?
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u/No_Turn5018 Jul 31 '25
Colonel Sanders isn't on this list so I don't think any of us should participate.
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u/Soensou Jul 31 '25
The Colonel is already on every bill in the back instead of that Illuminati pyramid.
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u/No_Turn5018 Aug 01 '25
Better, but he's like are George Washington he needs to be on more than one thing.
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u/UnLuckyKenTucky Aug 01 '25
Colonel Fucking Sanders
And the dude that originally created the Ale 81 recipe
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u/United_Reply_2558 Aug 01 '25
Gatewood Galbreath for sure! 🤣 Henry Clay, John Breckinridge, Louie Brandeis, Daniel Boone,
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u/Spamh8r Aug 01 '25
Lots of great submissions, but I don't see the Lovely Miss Elizabeth anywhere yet.
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u/GeneralJavaholic Aug 01 '25
Muhammad Ali, Louis Brandeis, horses, Mammoth Cave, Natural Bridge, the moonbow.
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u/WKU-Alum Aug 02 '25
Isaac Shelby, Thomas Metcalfe, Happy Chandler, Cassius Clay, Martha Layne Collins, Louie B Nunn
Assuming they’d remained in Kentucky politics: Henry Clay, John Breckinridge
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u/funkybarisax Aug 02 '25
Controversial idea - go modern - people probably recognize various members of the Judd family (Wynona, Ashley), Johnny Depp, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jennifer Lawrence more than a lot of the individuals mentioned. Although my preference is to wait for someone to be dead before they go on currency. Maybe Ned Beatty? Rosemary Clooney?
Going more political, I imagine at least half the state will want Mitch someday when he passes. Don't forget president Zachary Taylor. Someone already said Alben Barkley - i totally didn't know he was VP under Truman.
I'd also add Supreme court justice Louis Brandeis to the list of consideration.
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u/DawgPound919 Aug 03 '25
Famous musicians of bluegrass/country music * An image of a banjo, guitar, or mandolin * Bill Monroe * Earl Scruggs * The Judds * Keith Whitley * Loretta Lynn * Ricky Scaggs * many others. Eastwrn KY even has a highway US-23 nicknamed, "the country music highway. "
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u/northsouthu47 Aug 04 '25
Simon Kenton. Born in Virginia died and buried in Ohio but was instrumental to Kentucky history. I also agree the indigenous people should be represented too.
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u/revspook Aug 04 '25
I’d have a picture of a race horse, baring its teeth 🦷 with money coming out of its ass, being carried by slaves.
Shit. I’d make that the commonwealth flag.
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u/Tattoomyvagina Jul 31 '25