Missouri state quarter protest
shirohniichan
Posts: 4,992 ✭✭✭
I heard about this on NPR today.
Missy Shelton of member station KSMU in Springfield, Missouri, reports that an artist from the state is protesting outside the U.S. Mint in Washington today. Paul Jackson is angry that his design was rejected for the Missouri commemorative quarter, even though it won the most votes in his state.
For the full audio version, click here.
The artist who had the most popular design (according to results from an Internet poll) is placing stickers of his design on the backs of 4,000 quarters to protest. A coin dealer interviewed said the quarters are defaced. Paul Jackson is supposely now under investigation for defacing US currency.
And some people think coins have little to do with headline news!
Missy Shelton of member station KSMU in Springfield, Missouri, reports that an artist from the state is protesting outside the U.S. Mint in Washington today. Paul Jackson is angry that his design was rejected for the Missouri commemorative quarter, even though it won the most votes in his state.
For the full audio version, click here.
The artist who had the most popular design (according to results from an Internet poll) is placing stickers of his design on the backs of 4,000 quarters to protest. A coin dealer interviewed said the quarters are defaced. Paul Jackson is supposely now under investigation for defacing US currency.
And some people think coins have little to do with headline news!
Obscurum per obscurius
0
Comments
-David
-Dan
anyone want to guess which of the most prominant sleezy ebay dealers will be the FIRST to try to sell one on ebay?
Michelle
Maybe someone should make "Classic Design" stickers to put on the fronts of S.B.A. dollars! Since when does the public get to vote on coin designs anyway! You know how fickle people would be - one day they would want this design, the next day that one!
JJacks
I think he has a legitimate gripe. Here's a quote from his site:
"In April of 2001, over three thousand Missourians, entered a contest to design the Missouri commemorative quarter as part of the U.S. Mint's 50 State quarters program. Entrants were told that the winning design would appear on the reverse of Missouri's quarter. Now it appears as if the competition was nothing more than a hoax. The United States Mint never intended to use our designs.
First we were told that they never asked us for designs, only concepts. When we showed them their error they told us that the design was not coinable. When thirty private mints said that they were wrong, they said that a Lewis and Clark quarter would compete with their future Lewis and Clark commemorative silver dollar. When we asked them why they minted the North Carolina and Ohio quarters with the Wright Flyer on them when they were releasing a Wright Brothers commemorative silver dollar, they said that our design was not historically accurate. We wonder what they will say when we tell them that their design is even less accurate.
The only fact that remains undisputed is that the engraver recommending most of the changes has a financial interest in making sure that the final product does not look like the original submission. Once his tenure is over at the Mint the engraver will have the opportunity to sign lucrative agreements licensing his signature to coin marketing organizations. These agreements are worth more if he can claim the designs as his own. It is therefore in his best interest to dumb down designs that he cannot improve on.
We believe that the ultimate goal of the mint should be to deliver the best design possible and not to pad the wallets of their employees. We are not looking for a win by default. We are only hoping that designs will only be changed to address minting issues. Our real hope is that the Mint will respect the wishes of the people they propose to celebrate."
Here's a link to the news story
I'm tired of ugly coins from mint engravers!
so in a way he has no gripe.... he is just being a little bit out of control.
He is extremely talented, and his quarter design was by far the best. Check out his web site: www.pauljackson.com and you will be blown away!
I'm actually going to stop by his gallery to procure some of these "artist proof sticker" quarters tomorrow, and I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to do so.
It's only the tallest and most amazing monument on earth (OK--the pyramids are pretty cool too!).
When the rest of the world lays in ruin, the STL Gateway Arch will be the last thing standing. Bank on it.
<< <i>Paul Jackson is supposely now under investigation for defacing US currency >>
I don't think he has anything to worry about there. One it isn't illegal to deface US currency unless it is done with fraudulent intent and I doubt if they can prove any fraud here. Secondly I would enter in defense examples of the Elvis, quarters, Earnhart quarters, WTC quarters, WTC US eagles etc, and point out that HE isn't calling his treasured heirlooms and charging $19.95 to $39.95 apiece for them.
If "defacing" coins were a crime, then the folks who do all those painted, "colorized" Silver Eagles and Statehood quarters would be in big trouble.
Not that that would be a bad thing to see.
<< <i>it isn't illegal to deface US currency unless it is done with fraudulent intent >>
bingo
i think the whole state-quarter thing is pretty stupid anyway. really, has there been one single design that you would actualy call "attractive"???
K S
IMHO, the arch definitely belongs on the Missouri quarter. I have only visited Missouri one time in my life, but I was fortunate enough to tour the arch and take the elevator to the top (How many of you knew it has an elevator that goes to an observatory?!) What an amazing structure! Not living in Missouri, I can't think of anything there that I would think of before the arch about the state. (Maybe Budweiser?)
Secondly, other than for novelty sake, I don't think I would accept any quarters that had a sticker placed on them. The main benefit to the quarter, for me, has always been its vending machine compatibility. So, once that sticker is on it, it might as well be 25 pennies.
-Dan
<< <i>Not living in Missouri, I can't think of anything there that I would think of before the arch about the state. (Maybe Budweiser?) >>
udderly hilarious! still laughing bud-lite out my nose!!!
dan - the man!
K S
Seriously though, I wonder how many entrants to the design contest had beer themes.
-Dan
Well, the NY one was pretty cool, I think. And the CT one has a charm that somehow reminds me of the opening credits of "Gone With The Wind" But the rest have been pretty disappointing.