Silver coin designs - 1891- by F J Del Corral ?

RogerB

Does anyone know something about the silver coin designs submitted by F J Del Corral? He invented a raisin seed removing machine....

Other design submissions are enumerated later in the same fair copy volume.

PS: It's possible the original submission is in Entry 229, "Letters received by the Mint."

Coinosaurus

Why in a "box?" Perhaps these were plasters? And why five designs when there were only four silver coins?

CaptHenway

@Coinosaurus said:
Why in a "box?" Perhaps these were plasters? And why five designs when there were only four silver coins?

Well, the Barber dime, quarter and half used three new obverses and two new reverses, even if some of them were very similar.

ricko

Neat letter, but that one raises questions more than informing.... not that that is bad... the avenue of research can be a long and winding road... with a lot of side roads. Cheers, RickO

StrikeOutXXX

I probably found the same stuff you did Googling Roger.

Francisco Jacinto Del Corral of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is on the Patent Record for the Raisin Seeder you mentioned.

Another Google hit shows he was an Astronomy Observer at the Hathorn Observatory in Saratoga Springs NY and in 1890 created some fine drawings of Jupiter.

https://books.google.com/books?id=gO44k_D7G-QC&pg=PA399&lpg=PA399&dq=fj+del+corral&source=bl&ots=NcebQxr5sV&sig=m0xJCsWP9lFgObnVnnEAIbCyAm8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRnIGJ9pbXAhVn5oMKHamlB_wQ6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=fj del corral&f=false

In a non-scientific jump from A ---> Z, what he submitted to the mint could be artwork given his history of creating fine drawings?

Perhaps this was something open to the public to submit designs, and he was one of many to submit and didn't make the finalists hence the unknown name in numismatics?

Coinosaurus

Cool, we could have had Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto on our coins! (Notwithstanding the fact that Mickey and Minnie aren't planets, Pluto wasn't discovered until later, and today is not considered a planet at all.)

StrikeOutXXX

https://www.pcgs.com/News/Coin-Design-Contests-Theyve-Given-Us-Some-Prize-Winners

The first formal contest involving outside artists also dates back to the 19th century. It took place in 1891 -- and, once again, silver coins were the ones being redesigned: The Mint was seeking replacements for the Liberty Seated dime, quarter and half dollar, three coins it had been issuing for more than 50 years.

Initially, the Treasury intended to hold what is known as a limited competition -- one involving a small number of artists specifically invited to compete. To that end, it extended invitations to 10 of the nation's most highly respected artists, including famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. After conferring among themselves, however, the artists insisted that certain preconditions first be met, including a pledge that each of the participants would be paid. Treasury officials balked at these demands and opted, instead, for an open competition with no advance guarantee of payment. Lacking such assurance, first-rate artists felt little incentive to compete -- and, while the government did receive 300 entries, it deemed only two of them good enough to merit even honorable mention.

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Now - was he one of the 10 artists to get an invitation, or one of the 300 from the general public?