Lincoln Cent by James Earl and Laura Gardin Fraser

Zoins

Here's to imaging if the Lincoln cent was designed by James Earl and Laura Gardin Fraser, the husband and wife team that designed the Oregon half dollar.

The below is a composite of the obverse by James and the reverse by Laura. The obverse is a plaster or galvano while the reverse is a hub plaster (reversed for this photo).

• Obverse: http://uspatterns.com/19lincen.html
• Reverse: http://www.numismaticamericana.com/americana-offerings/plaster-designs/lincoln-cent-plaster/

BuffaloIronTail

OH MAN!.........the relief on that plaster is even more pronounced then Brenners'. Mr. Barber would have really loved this one.

Pete

ricko

Wow... Now THAT would be a great cent.... superb artistry.... How I wish that would have been a reality... Cheers, RickO

johnny9434

i love the reverse on that.

Zoins

The cent plaster was sold for $4,348 in 2018.

Anyone know who ended up buying the cent plaster and where it is now? Will it be another 38 years before it surfaces again?

of interest to specialists was a possibly unique plaster by James Fraser of an unrealized cent design that brought $4,348.

The white alabaster plaster model with bronze powder coating measured 10.5 inches in diameter and featured a mirror image version of the design of an oak tree. The back of the plaster is dated July 27, 1951, and July 23, 1951, with CAST/FINAL stated. It was previously offered at Joseph L. Lepczyk’s Sale No. 36 in 1980 as lot 489 where it sold for around $2,400.

It remains unclear exactly what this design was intended for, although contemporary letters suggest that it was for a proposed cent, and some researchers believe that the design may have been executed by Fraser’s wife, Laura Gardin Fraser.

https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/fraser-possible-cent-plaster-model-numismatic-auctions-llc.html

BuffaloIronTail

The Obverse has kind of a "Weinmanish" look to it, IMHOP.

Pete

sparky64

I don't ever recall seeing this.

Always been a big fan of anything the Fraser's work on.

originalisbest

I wonder if striking limitations would have made it possible to mint as is, but anything the Frasers touched is definitely numismatic and classical artistry gold.

toyz4geo

Now THERE would be a great start to update our coinage.

originalisbest

You would think it would be hard to dislike it, but if it were ever minted, I would bet money there'd be a vocal contingent both offended by it and vociferous about it -- for reasons I'm sure I wouldn't get.

keets

perhaps it looks so good because we are tired of having the same designs for so long. the obverse looks like some of the medals struck around 1909 and there are probably dozens similar if an imaged King reference were available. as for the reverse, though it is pleasant to look at I am left wondering what it is supposed to represent?? does the tree symbolize something or have a connection with Lincoln??

I know Lincoln on the Cent is sacred, but I see two options: elimination of the denomination or an entirely different design absent good ol' Abe.

koynekwest

Had this design been adopted I'd be a Lincoln cent collector for sure.

Zoins

@keets said:
I know Lincoln on the Cent is sacred, but I see two options: elimination of the denomination or an entirely different design absent good ol' Abe.

Another option is to have a Lincoln $5 coin to go with the Lincoln $5 bill

Kudbegud

@Zoins said:
Another option is to have a Lincoln $5 coin to go with the Lincoln $5 bill

I'd go for that. Even more if it was ringed bi-metalic which would allow a smaller size with no confusion to other coins. Come on US Mint, join the majority of other countries ringed bi-metalic coinage.

keets

we should lead, not follow.

Kudbegud

I totally agree @keets. I don't understand our (the US Mint) reluctance. More than 150 countries issue ringed coins today. The first modern one was the 500 Lira issued by the Italian government in 1982 which I carry as a pocket piece.
https://wikimili.com/en/Bi-metallic_coin

I understand the impact on the vending industry. But there is an up side for them too. If the Mint issued $2 and $5 ringed coins the vending industry could offer higher priced items and the customers, including transportation users, wouldn't have to carry a pocket full of quarters. The $1 coin is used now for these purposes but this is in limited areas. If the paper $1 bill was phased out the public would quickly adapt just like they have in countries all over the world.
End of rant

koynekwest

@Zoins said:

@keets said:
I know Lincoln on the Cent is sacred, but I see two options: elimination of the denomination or an entirely different design absent good ol' Abe.

Another option is to have a Lincoln $5 coin to go with the Lincoln $5 bill

That's an excellent idea but I thinks the chances of such a thing happening are very low. Perhaps some kind of rendition of the Washington quarter could be used for a $2.50 coin. Brand new designs would work, too.

koynekwest

@Kudbegud said:
I totally agree @keets. I don't understand our (the US Mint) reluctance. More than 150 countries issue ringed coins today. The first modern one was the 500 Lira issued by the Italian government in 1982 which I carry as a pocket piece.
https://wikimili.com/en/Bi-metallic_coin

I understand the impact on the vending industry. But there is an up side for them too. If the Mint issued $2 and $5 ringed coins the vending industry could offer higher priced items and the customers, including transportation users, wouldn't have to carry a pocket full of quarters. The $1 coin is used now for these purposes but this is in limited areas. If the paper $1 bill was phased out the public would quickly adapt just like they have in countries all over the world.
End of rant

I agree wholeheartedly with this, Kudbegud.