Now an outstanding Commemorative half dollar design

BillJones

Let's be fair. Earlier I posted a commemorative half dollar design that I thought was atrocious. There have been some very good to excellent commemorative half dollar designs, and here is one of them. I think that five out of six of the Statue of Liberty designs were quite good. The one I did not care for was the reverse of the Silver Dollar.

I think that this half dollar by Edgar Steever IV and Sherl Winter is outstanding. It's hard to put a decent landscape of seascape on a coin in low relief, and I think this design works beautifully. The only things that disappoint me about this coin are (1) It's not in silver and (2) It should have been a silver dollar. Other than that this deserves are really big

Placid

I wonder why they decided to make the liberty statue with the underarm view?
The reverse is excellent.

Bear

Maybe it was subsidized by a deoderant company.

Bikingnut

I agree, this is probably my favorite modern commerative half.

Clankeye

Conder101

One thing I find of interest with this design is that on both sides the principal subject (SOL and the family of immigrants) are all facing away from the viewer!

Outhaul

<< <i>I wonder why they decided to make the liberty statue with the underarm view? >>


Because they wanted to show the sunrise as part of the design as that would be the direction from where the immigrants would be arriving. When facing east, this is the view of the SOL.

Well...that's MY hypothesis anyway.

Cheers,

Bob

LanLord

<< <i>

<< <i>I wonder why they decided to make the liberty statue with the underarm view? >>

Because they wanted to show the sunrise as part of the design as that would be the direction from where the immigrants would be arriving. When facing east, this is the view of the SOL. Well...that's MY hypothesis anyway. Cheers, Bob >>

I think if you are on a boat sailing into NY harbor, you are travelling west, not east.

Outhaul

<< <i>I think if you are on a boat sailing into NY harbor, you are travelling west, not east. >>


Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. You would be facing east, the direction FROM WHICH the immigrants would be arriving.

Cheers,

Bob

Outhaul

Actually, I've searched the internet for pics of the orientation of the SOL and found that the Manhattan skyline would be in the background with this orientation of the SOL. I have a nautical chart of NY Harbor and approaches at home. I'll check it against that. Hopefully, a forum member who has visited the SOL could weigh in on this.

Link to SOL pic

Cheers,

Bob

windwhispersintrees

I believe the Statue actually looks south in order to face approaching ships, which must sail north past Staten Island and up the Hudson River bay to approach Manhattan and Liberty Island.
Outhaul is correct then, that the obverse view is looking east towards a sunrise. I can't make out the reverse details, but it appears we're looking north, perhaps from Ellis Island towards NYC.

Shamika

I love the reverse. The obverse, however, is still so-so at best.

BillJones

If the obverse is looking east toward the sunrise, the symbolism is correct. The sun is rising a new day for the immigrants.

morganbarber

I agree that the design isn't bad, but talking of the prettiest Modern Commem. is like talking about the prettiest girl in the leper colony. It ain't not Connecticutt.

Outhaul

Why Wind! A fellow Bay Stater! As is Bill Jones.

Cheers,

Bob