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Was the "V" Nickel Barber's biggest debaucle?

braddickbraddick Posts: 23,998 ✭✭✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
It has been purported that Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger (considered the originator of the nickel three-cent peice) was being courted to craft the nickel design after the Shield type ran its course.
He relented and Charles E. Barber stepped up.
Even Barber had to be embarrassed at his juvenile efforts with the final design elements for the Liberty Head nickel.
My question- do you believe Barber's life was shortened by this fiasco? Was public ridicule so immense as to kill his spirit and his will to live and his desire to continue in his work?
Or, did sculptor Saint-Gaudens and President Taft have a hand in that?

peacockcoins

Comments

  • TWQGTWQG Posts: 3,145 ✭✭
    still laughing, can't type.
    My eBay store
  • BNEBNE Posts: 772 ✭
    Why anyone would collect those ugly pieces of junk is beyond me. I just hope anyone who commits to this series is prepared to face the inevitable disappointment that will follow.

    I'd pay five cents for one.





    image

    Edited to include the wink.
    "The essence of sleight of hand is distraction and misdirection. If smoeone can be convinced that he has, through his own perspicacity, divined your hidden purposes, he will not look further."

    William S. Burroughs, Cities of the Red Night
  • kryptonitecomicskryptonitecomics Posts: 9,185 ✭
    The Liberty Nickel is one of my favortie US coins. Sure the reverse is pretty boring, but I for one like the obverseimage
    Kryptonitecomics Ebay Auctions
  • mdwoodsmdwoods Posts: 5,546 ✭✭✭
    I agree, while the reverse doesn't exactly thrill me, I like the obverse design. One of my first old coins, which I still have, is a 1901 Liberty nickel that my mom found in a cash register as change where she worked when she was younger. It is well worn, but it never failed to give me that magical feeling whenever I got it out and studied it. I will pass it along some day. Mark
    National Register Of Big Trees

    We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    As ordered by the Mint Director, Barber made patterns for 3 years. Treasury Secretary Charles Folger picked the design. I doubt if CB lost any sleep over it.
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • orevilleoreville Posts: 11,975 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Charles Barber went on to designing the Barber dime quarter and half dollars. They went into circulation in 1892, 11 years after the 1883 V nickel fiasco. <p>
    I doubt the 1883 episode had a shortening effect on Charled Barber's life.
    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • orevilleoreville Posts: 11,975 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Feuchtwanger was still alive in the early 1880's??????
    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • supercoinsupercoin Posts: 2,323 ✭
    (Chortle!)

    Not only that, but I've...

    Never seen a [LIBERTY HEAD NICKEL] with nice toning, maybe some day, but I doubt it.

    And...

    For some reason I have a hard time comparing a Saint to a [LIBERTY HEAD NICKEL]. Maybe Beauty and the Beast would be a comparable statement.

    I will give a [NICKEL] for the [1913 LIBERTY HEAD NICKEL].


    I've got a million of 'em! Or, I will soon enough, if the past is any indication. image
    imageLibertarian Party
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    Feuchtwanger lived from 1807-1876 and I've never heard of him designing anything other than his german silver hard times tokens.
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    image

    I think they're cool.image

    Russ, NCNE
    eBay consignment sales | | Collectibles from Resco CCC
  • braddickbraddick Posts: 23,998 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Feuchtwanger lived from 1807-1876 and I've never heard of him designing anything other than his german silver hard times tokens. >>



    Ok! Ok! It was a joke!!
    (But my second edition Red Book does credit him with the 3c nickel- I had to look it up to get the spelling of his name...)

    peacockcoins

  • DHeathDHeath Posts: 8,472 ✭✭✭
    Classic Basher!image
    Developing theory is what we are meant to do as academic researchers
    and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
  • jmp81jmp81 Posts: 52
    Of course he lost no sleep over it because he and his father were spending too much time running their engraving business from the mint.image Seriously, I always wondered why the designers(exclude Saint Gaudens) of his era were not more creative.
    Jackie

    Collecting Dollars
  • dorkkarldorkkarl Posts: 12,691 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Never seen a [LIBERTY HEAD NICKEL] with nice toning, maybe some day, but I doubt it. >>


    no question about it. nickel doesn't react near as nice as silver. i have exactly ONE rainbow toned libnick. i agree that its a fairly staid design, but i collect em any way.

    STILL LOOKING FOR:

    1900 liberty nickel, double die reverse, any grade, will pay DOUBLE greysheet

    a feuchtwanger 3c, any grade

  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    There is entirely too much classic bashing. One can't read a thread about
    grading or anything without somebody slamming this or that classic. Why
    can't you modern collectors just live and let live? Can't you find anything
    nice to say about the old coins? There are many old beautiful designs on
    US coins and not all of it is worn off on every coin. Some of these coins can
    be acquired for very reasonable amounts and can even be purchased raw.
    There's just no point in slamming something continuously!!!
    Tempus fugit.
  • dbldie55dbldie55 Posts: 7,731 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Who died first: Saint-Gaudens or Barber? Who designed the three cent nickel? Does anyone know what they are talking about?

    Longacre designed both the silver three cent piece and the nickel three cent piece(and the Indian cent). Feuchtwanger created a one cent piece (dated 1837) to try and convince the US to use his alloy. As far as I know, he never did any work for the US. Barber created the coins he was asked to create (as was his job). The exact same thing is still happening, and we have ugly coins because that is what the engravers are told to create. Gasparro had a beautiful design for the new "small" dollar. Instead we released the most hideous coin in history.

    If someone wants to bash someone else on these boards, they can at least try and get the facts correct.

    What is one change that did occur after the death of Barber (aka, what rarity is Charles responsible for)?
    Collector and Researcher of Liberty Head Nickels. ANA LM-6053
  • braddickbraddick Posts: 23,998 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "If anyone wants to bash anyone on this forum they should at least get their facts correct."

    Now why would I want to do that which you don't? Fair is fair and I was playing by your rules (mouth of first, check "facts" later).

    Also- wasn't the V nickel really one of this Country's first CLAD coins? (Clad is copper and nickel, right?)

    peacockcoins

  • dbldie55dbldie55 Posts: 7,731 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Clad means layers, not composition. Most coins are a composition of metals (you know, 90% silver means there is something else with it, Bronze means not 100% copper etc). The Liberty Nickel is 25% nickel and 75% copper. So was the 1865-1889 Three Cent Nickel (even the one designed by Longacre). The Shield Nickel of 1866-1883 was also the same composition. The Liberty Nickel uses a planchet that is the exact same size, weight and composition as today's Jefferson Nickel (the shield nickel is not).

    If this started by me stating the numbers quoted in the PCGS population report, then they must be wrong as I am sure I can read the numbers correctly.

    But hey, I collect Liberty Nickels because I don't like soccer.
    Collector and Researcher of Liberty Head Nickels. ANA LM-6053
  • braddickbraddick Posts: 23,998 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Cool.
    I can live with those facts. image

    peacockcoins

  • jmp81jmp81 Posts: 52
    Why did the Mint Director expend so much effort to recruit George Morgan?
    Jackie

    Collecting Dollars
  • supercoinsupercoin Posts: 2,323 ✭
    dorkkarl, my comments were part of this semi-inside joke regarding dbldie55's longstanding Ike-bashing compulsion -- took his words and replaced Ike with Liberty Nickel. image But, now that you mention it, I never have seen a nice rainbow toned Lib Nick, would love to see a photo of yours.


    dbldie55, ... because I don't like soccer.

    Hey, common ground!

    Seriously, you've made it well-known what you dislike, why not a little positive balance -- how about a photo of one of your favorite pieces? So we can criti... I mean, admire it. image
    imageLibertarian Party
  • dorkkarldorkkarl Posts: 12,691 ✭✭✭
    fellas, i would LOVE to do that, but i'm lucky i can type, much less scan coins. HOWEVER, i just bought a new computer (mine crashed a couple of weeks ago - just got it back up), and i probably am going to buy a new scanner too (my old one bit the dust quite a while ago, but it was a piece of junk).

    ANY SUGGESTIONS??? or go with a digital camera?
  • IrishMikeIrishMike Posts: 7,737 ✭✭✭
    karl, I am thinking about the coinscope, I have a digital but what a steep learning curve. Does anyone else have the coinscope?Link Since this topic has degenerated I hope no one minds me taking it further away from the topic.image

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