How many eagle designs looking right can you name w/o looking them up??

Lakesammman · November 22, 2004 9:50AM

Was looking through the red book and some catalogs last night and was surprised that a vast majority of eagle designs face left. Perhaps the mint designers were liberals??

How many eagles face right and can you name them w/o looking them up??

Here's the design that got me thinking about it - J101.

RKKay · November 22, 2004 9:54AM

What an UGLY coin. It's not even real.

Lakesammman · November 22, 2004 11:51AM

Wow, great guesses. You're right, the SLQ reverse is another. Any others come to mind??

ziggy29 · November 22, 2004 11:54AM

The Peace Dollar is one. I believe the old "small eagle" reverses of the 1790s faced right, too.

[EDITED TO ADD: I think the twenty cent piece, too -- I looked at your picture of J-101, and I seem to remember the 20 cent piece's eagle being almost identical in shape and form.]

Lakesammman · November 22, 2004 11:58AM

Peace dollar is one - good eye. Wonder if the orientation facing left had anything to do with the perception of westward expansion?? Looking to the west??

RKKay · November 22, 2004 12:05PM

Copper Schoolgirl? Oh, no. That faces left. I must be thinking of the Shield Earring.

ccr · November 22, 2004 12:38PM

Trade Dollar is another. I happen to have one with me when I noticed this thread.

Conder101 · November 22, 2004 10:08PM

The reason the eaglefaces left is related to helraldry. The eagle is also usually facing the viewer which puts the eagles right side on the viewers left. On most designs the eagle is clutching an olive branch in its right talon and the arrows of war in its left. In heraldry the right side is considered the favored or prefered side and the olive branch and the eagle facing that way symbolized a preference for peace over war. (This favoring of the right over the left is widespread in our society, even to the point of appearing in the texts of most if not all of the dominant religions.)

For some reason the Heraldic eagle design on the early US coinage didn't follow the pattern fully. The eagle still faces to the right or prefered side but the olive branch and the arrows have been transposed with the arrows in the favored right position. It has been said that this was an engravers error but I have my doubts since it continued for several years and they had to create punches for many different size dies. If it was simply an error I would have expected to have been corrected before it spread to all of the denominations.

shylock · November 23, 2004 1:37AM

Great info as always Conder.

I believe the old "small eagle" reverses of the 1790s faced right, too.

Another righty eagle:

Baley · November 23, 2004 1:44AM

Are we talking about the eagle facing OUR right, or HIS right?

mgoodm3 · November 23, 2004 1:49AM

Do you want your right or radiologic right?

boiler78 · November 23, 2004 1:56AM

here are a couple of 1877 pattern half dollars with the Eagle facing right.

Dennis88 · November 23, 2004 2:48AM

1836 pattern 2 cents.

Lakesammman · November 23, 2004 3:04AM

Our right, Eagles left.

Condor - Great info - thanks. Why are Marks patterns facing the arrows?? Was there a different mood in the country then?? The 1839 J101, also facing the arrows, was a restrike from the same era, I believe.

How many eagle designs looking right can you name w/o looking them up??

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