Question on coin relief and the current statehood quarters

Longacre

I just finished reading a book on the history of the US mint. A consistent theme in the book, starting when the mint began to use outside artists/sculptors to design coins, was the controversy and disagreement between the design that the artist came up with, and the Chief Engraver's willingness to reproduce the coins exactly, especially in terms of the relief of the coins. For example, everyone knows the stories of the St. G high relief pieces, and the Peace dollar high relief coins. Because the mint is using outside artists for the statehood quarters, does anyone know of any controversy/dissagreements between the artists and the mint, similar to what has happened in the past? Honestly, a lot of the quarter designs I tend to like when I see pictures of them on paper, but then I am disappointed when I see the coins in person.

coppercoins

This is a big issue with me...I designed five different statehood quarter models and didn't submit any of them because of relief constraints and the fact that once they get the design in at the mint, they re-engrave it regardless of how perfect the artists work was. After they re-engrave the design, the designer's initials become that of the mint engraver, not the artist who conceived the design. Crap, if you ask me. I don't want someone else's signature on my work.

The relief issue is the primary reason why all of our coins look like crap. They are going to have to go somewhere with this if they ever seriously expect to have a coinage reform and go back to nicer looking designs. Our best designs in history go back to the higher relief days of the early 20th century. That quality of work is impossible to reproduce in microns of relief.