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US Mint Designs: Historical low point...........
Manorcourtman
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TODAY!! We are living in the midst of US Mints historical low point for originality and design.....................agree or disagree? It's undeniable imho that we are living witnesses to the worst era in coin design in the United States of America history!!
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<< <i>Patience my friend...it will get worse. >>
Quoting myself from another thread:
If it were up to me we would re-do all our coinage in some rendition of Liberty on the obverse and a fresh eagle on the reverse. All denominations the same design. Then....
1) There would be a law that prohibits changing the designs for 128 years. I say 128 years so there's no ceremonious change at 50, 75, 100, 125, etc.
2) There would be a law that would prohibit making any coinage, commemorative or not, in a design or a denomination that's used for circulation.
But that's just me.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
How many used something like this to buy the morning coffee? More than used coins I think.
BTW I brewed mine and the App is not live on my phone yet.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
Not every coin should depict liberty.
MY COINS FOR SALE AT https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/other/bajjerfans-coins-sale/3876
<< <i>I disagree. There are actually some outstanding designs coming out of the U.S. Mint today. >>
Please elaborate.
Some other designs like gold spouse, not so much.
constellation coin was uber-cool, you have to admit that the Baseball Hall of Fame design was
not too bad, all in all.
It dosen't care if you had enougth they have to spend.
Good luck everyone we will all need it
Glen
I collect mostly old coins, occasionally taking a fish from the crazy amount of output (Jefferson's spouse Liberty, 2009 UHR, this:
No doubt though, many folks love these designs and buy them up along with fancy packaging, both of which appear to have no end in sight in volume or complexity, not sure how that can ever end well unless the general public becomes more enamored of this stuff thats made in quantity for collectors, suffers very little attrition and is packaged to last a long time in perfect condition, and there's an ongoing supply of newer and better product?
Lot's of public and private mints working on cool designs and fancy gimmick packaging to add value to bullion, because there is high demand and there's no supply of pretty n perfect old stuff at double or triple melt
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
<< <i>TODAY!! We are living in the midst of US Mints historical low point for originality and design.....................agree or disagree? It's undeniable imho that we are living witnesses to the worst era in coin design in the United States of America history!! >>
Disagree!
Compare now with the mid to late 1960's. Five uninspired designs, rolled out year after year with no variation, and with attractive older designs still in circulation to remind us of what we had lost. No commems, no bullion coins, no quarters or dollars with new designs every few months. Nothing for U.S. coin designers to do except wait for better times.
I think the Mint passed its low point for originality and design decades ago.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
The small-dollar concept is sound, but it needs to be coupled with a re-do of the other denominations at the same time.
This one would be better if Liberty didn't have man arms.
It's bad out there. When they can't even come up with a decent depiction of Jackie O ... that tells me there's a dearth of talent.
The coins just looked worn out -- even when they were new.
Mount Rushmore motif is bold and innovative. Look through a handful of
pocket change and it jumps out at you.
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
<< <i>
The coins just looked worn out -- even when they were new. >>
I have yet to see a business strike Washington quarter that doesn't look exactly like that.
MY COINS FOR SALE AT https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/other/bajjerfans-coins-sale/3876
It might feature the single largest nose ever depicted on a coin....... even bigger than a Carolus III real.
<< <i>TODAY!! We are living in the midst of US Mints historical low point for originality and design.....................agree or disagree? It's undeniable imho that we are living witnesses to the worst era in coin design in the United States of America history!! >>
Disagree.
Historically speaking, the US Mint has been "at this point" since 1963 and the Kennedy Half Dollar.
Sure, it would be nice if there were some major design changes but unfortunately, the folks in charge are younger than me and they probably don't have a clue about what money is, where it comes from or the fact that literally every one of our designs are eligible for a design change!
The name is LEE!
a loupe. They try to jam too much writing on them and it's time to get back to basics.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
<< <i>You want modern circulating awesome designs ... well here are a few .... sorry they are damaged
Yes. More like this would be cool.
However, with the exception of the Sacagawea Obverse, all the other designs are replacing the Eagle which is required by law an all coinage from one quarter of a dollar on up.
It would be nice if the Treasury Department DUMPED the CCAC and the CFA and just started designing coins again. How WRONG could it POSSIBLY be in rendering a depiction of Lady Liberty?
The name is LEE!
They could put a likeness of the capitol building on it.
They could make at least 2 designs.
On one, they could show the building with the left side in a lying in a pile of rubble.
They could sell them on FOX or MSNBC
They could make the other one with the right side lying in a pile of rubble.
They could sell them on MSNBC or FOX.
They could also make a variety coin with the right wing part of the building torn off just a bit for the Tea Party collectors so they don't feel left out.
Maybe do another variety with a crack right down the center of the building for independents.
Around the perimeter of it they could add the logo "Dedicated to the Efforts and Accomplishments of the 113th Congress of the United States".
Could sell and help pay down the national debts.
lol
<< <i>I disagree. There are actually some outstanding designs coming out of the U.S. Mint today.
>>
<< <i>
<< <i>I disagree. There are actually some outstanding designs coming out of the U.S. Mint today.
>>
The designs for the Platinum coins is outstanding. Even some of the recent commems deserve notice.
"...the figure of an eagle, with the inscriptions "United States of America," " E Pluribus Unum," and the value of the coin are to be placed. The motto, "In God we trust," is also to figure on all coins except the dime. Here are limitations enough to fetter the originality of the designer and to bring his work into fatal similarity to that which for years has afflicted our long-suffering public..."
From an editorial criticizing current coinage, July 1891
<< <i>I think the low point U.S. coin design was during the period from 1816 to the mid 1820s. That was when Robert Scott was at the end of his career. Just take a look at coins like the Matron Head large cent ane the $2.50 and $5.00 gold coins from that period. The old, overweight woman who appear on these coins were anything but attractive. >>
That is a good point. I think collectors are quick to overlook the ugliness because of age, rarity, value, history, etc.
<< <i>Even though other countries did the curved coin design first, and even though the Australian
constellation coin was uber-cool, you have to admit that the Baseball Hall of Fame design was
not too bad, all in all. >>
They should have stuck to one coin or come up with other designs. I was not impressed with one design for all three coins.
"Now that we see real money again our attention is naturally attracted by its appearance, the look of it. That is pleasant enough in one respect. A bright silver piece, no matter what design is stamped upon it, is a much more attractive thing than a little scrap of paper, generally crumpled and greasy. But now that we see our national money again, notwithstanding all our reasons for welcoming it, we must confess that it is not as handsome as it ought to be, as it might be, or even as it once was. It does us no credit as an exhibition of our skill in designing, in die sinking, or coining. Why is it that we have the ugliest money of all civilized nations? For such undoubtedly our silver coinage is. The design is poor, commonplace, tasteless, characterless, and the execution is like thereunto. Our silver coins do not even look like money. They have rather the appearance of tokens or mean medals. One reason of this is that the design is so inartistic and so insignificant. That young woman sitting on nothing in particular, wearing nothing to speak of, looking over her shoulder at nothing imaginable, and bearing in her left hand something that looks like a broomstick with a woollen night-cap on it—what is she doing there? What is the meaning of her? She is Liberty, we are told, and there is a label to that effect across a shield at her right, her need of which is not in any way manifest. But she might as well be anything else as Liberty; and at the first glance she looks much more like a spinster in her smock, with a distaff in her hand. Such a figure has no proper place upon a coin. On the reverse the eagle has the contrary fault of being too natural, too much like a real eagle. In numismatic art animals have conventional forms, which are far more pleasing and effective than the most careful and exact imitation of nature can be. Compare one of our silver coins with those of Great Britain, France, or Germany, and see how mean, slight, flimsy, inartistic, and unmoneylike it looks. Our coins of forty or fifty years ago were much better in every respect, and looked much more like money, the reason being that they bore a bead of Liberty which was bold, clear, and well defined in comparison with the weak thing that the mint has given us for the last thirty years or so. The eagle too, although erring on the side of naturalness, was more suited in design to coinage. But still better were the coins struck at the end of the last century and the beginning of this one. The eagle was a real heraldic eagle, the head of Liberty had more character, and the whole work was bolder and better in every way."
The Galaxy
June 1876
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>I disagree. There are actually some outstanding designs coming out of the U.S. Mint today.
>>
The designs for the Platinum coins is outstanding. Even some of the recent commems deserve notice. >>
It's hard for me to complain about today's coin designs. There are certainly periods of time when I think designs were lower.
<< <i>Personally, I don't think we'll be using coins in the next 50-100 years. >>
That's very accurate considering most of the folks here will be dead in 50 years.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
<< <i>
<< <i>TODAY!! We are living in the midst of US Mints historical low point for originality and design.....................agree or disagree? It's undeniable imho that we are living witnesses to the worst era in coin design in the United States of America history!! >>
Disagree!
Compare now with the mid to late 1960's. Five uninspired designs, rolled out year after year with no variation, and with attractive older designs still in circulation to remind us of what we had lost. No commems, no bullion coins, no quarters or dollars with new designs every few months. Nothing for U.S. coin designers to do except wait for better times.
I think the Mint passed its low point for originality and design decades ago. >>
I absolutely agree with this. I can remember constant complaining about the lack of anything other than Mint sets, proof sets, and the occasional medal. IMO things have improved enormously. As far as a coin made for circulation, I think the Sac dollar is very attractive and innovative.
<< <i>The Barber head coinage was awful. And 1964 - 1999 was as stagnant as can be. >>
I also strongly agree with this. I think a nice addition to our coinage would be a higher denomination-say, a $2.50 or $5 bimetallic circulating coin-and maybe something struck in a little higher relief than our present stuff. I also agree with kiyote about the shield reverse cent-very nice although I think we should discontinue the cent altogether.
I agree there are some really awful designs, but not all of them.
Box of 20
<< <i>I disagree. There are actually some outstanding designs coming out of the U.S. Mint today. >>
I agree with Dentuck's disagreement.
I would put the long stagnant era between the introduction of clad coinage and the resumption of modern commems (or perhaps the Statehood quarter launch) as the low point.
Granted, there are plenty of hideous modern commems (and Statehood quarters), but there are also some good ones, and the variety is definitely better than those decades of same old, same old.
I guess at the end of the day, these are designed as commercial implements of trade and that's it sadly.
Well, just Love coins, period.
In 1998, all circulating coins had designs which had been flattened into submission. 1999-2001 saw the production of commemoratives with poorly executed caricatures of old designs (1999 Washington $5, 2001 Buffalo). The 2001 Capitol Visitor Center half dollar is arguably the most lame commemorative design ever, being of lower quality than most privately minted rounds.
The state quarters gave us a few darn good designs, and at least it mixed up what you'd see. The 2008 Bald Eagle commemoratives are rather attractive. 2009 brought a return to the original relief (more or less) of Lincoln's and Washington's portraits. The ATB designs are often quite cool, and some are even impressive in the hockey puck format. The 2009 UHR showed that if the mint wanted to make an ultra high relief coin for collectors, they could. There's still plenty of room for improvement, however, as it was a long fall from the "golden age" of U.S. coin design. There's are also many opportunities to slide back down to lower quality, which we have seen in the introduction of the laser-frosted, 60-grit cameo proofs.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
better than most of the State qtrs
<< <i>1946 to 1948 was the historical low point (an era ended) for reasons only few will understand. >>
The same could be said for 1933.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
<< <i>
<< <i>1946 to 1948 was the historical low point (an era ended) for reasons only few will understand. >>
The same could be said for 1933. >>
The same could be said for 1979 when the Susan B Anthony dollar came out, too