What's in a name and how is it assigned??

keets

So I'm reading an article CW and the make reference to Liberty Seated coinage and my first thought is that it just sounds awkward, whereas Seated Liberty sounds more comfortable and, to me at least, seems more descriptively correct. Not for any reason, mind you, Seated Liberty just sounds better.

Well, I picked up a Redbook from the shelf and sure enough, turning to quarters yields Liberty Seated as the Numismatically correct term. But my curiosity has been aroused by now, so I flip a few pages to find that once Lady Liberty rose from her seat, she is Standing Liberty instead of what I would have expected, Liberty Standing. So now I'm really confused and the terminology match is tied at one apiece. I need a tie-breaker!!!!!!!

My nervous fingers fumble to the half-dollar section and dismay washes over me as i discover that once Lady Liberty has begun to attain motion, she is Liberty Walking!!!!!!!! I give up. How can the order of Liberty with relation to her position change like this??? Why no hard and fast rule?? Don't make me add a poll to this, just give me some sound logic as to why the terminology changes in this fashion. And further, which do you think is gramattically more correct, to have Liberty before the adjective or after??

We need clarity on this or I'll go off the deep end!!!!!!

Al H.

keets

..............and further, why aren't they called Eagle Flying Cents and Liberty Winged Head Dimes??

al h.

JrGMan2004

I think the Seated/Standing/Walking are all descriptive actions... and thus should be Seated Lib, Standing Lib, Walking Lib..... but I can see how it could be <Subject> <Verb> Liberty Seated, Liberty Standing, Liberty Walking... Maybe it was just whatever the Mint Director, or the Chief Engraver or some other person decided to name it? Maybe that's the names entered into the Official Mint Records...

291fifth

And what about Buffalo vs. Indian Head nickel, or Liberty vs. "V" nickel, or Mercury vs. Winged Liberty dime?

JrGMan2004

Sometimes there is a big difference between the Mint's Official Name for a design... and the Numismatic community, or even the general public's, slang name for a coin...

NoGvmnt

Well with regards to Liberty Seated and Standing Liberty, if you had Liberty Seated and Liberty Standing or vice-versa when they are abbraviated "LS" or "SL" how would we know the difference?

As for Flying Eagle Cent the way it is written infers that the Eagle is flying whereas if it were written Eagle Flying Cent it would infer that the Cent is flying. LOL

Jim

KUCH

Keets, it hurts my brain to think about this one.

mgoodm3

I prefer to put the modifier first. otherwise, like Yoda sounds you.

Russ

I don't care what the red book says, I call them Seated Liberty and Walking Liberty, or Seated and Walker for short.

Russ, NCNE

keets

..........and it's scary to think that i'm in total agreement with Russ!!!!!

my whole reasoning for the extra examples was to highlight that there doesn't seem to be any pattern, at least not one that i can discern. it would be ridiculous to call them Eagle Flying Cents, so at least they got that one correct!! and Liberty Winged Head, well..............one thought that ocurred to me is that over the course of time, language changes. current terminology would probably have a Liberty Seated coin called a Liberty Sitting coin, the word seated just isn't popularly used today.

are there any language scholars out there??

al h.

mdwoods

It's no big secret, they're doing it just to mess with you Al.