slab this, PCGS !!!

dcarr · December 2, 2005 3:31PM

I made a really BIG coin.
Check out this cast-bronze piece compared to the Sacagawea dollar next to it:

Cladiator · December 2, 2005 3:39PM

What does it weigh?

OldTimeHunter · December 2, 2005 3:40PM

<< What does it weigh? >>

To Much

dcarr · December 2, 2005 4:00PM

<< What does it weigh? >>

About 10 pounds !

BlindedByEgo · December 2, 2005 4:09PM

Very cool, uh, coin?

The Jolly Green Giant's pocket piece

PerryHall · December 2, 2005 4:52PM

Sorry, but it's not a coin. It's a medal. It's a nice looking design and well made. How did you make it.

dcarr · December 2, 2005 4:59PM

Well yes, it isn't technically a "coin". But it was one of the possible designs under consideration by the Mint and Congress for the new "golden" dollar before it was decided that a woman would grace that coin. So it is a private pattern of sorts for a real coin. Here is what the 27mm die-struck version looks like:

Here is how I make them:

First I sculpt the design in 3D (digitally) using a computer program
that I wrote. I actually sculpted this back in 1998 and kept the data
around. This is the first coin I ever designed.

Once the 3D surface is sculpted, I output a special file from my
software. This "G-Code" file contains all the instructions (3D
movement coordinates) for a computer-controlled milling/engraving
machine. I run the G-Code file on the machine and it moves the
cutting bit through the 3D coordinates from the file.

So what I actually cut on my machine is a 9" diameter 3D model of the
coin, cut as a "negative" (or mold) into black acrylic (Plexiglas).

The acrylic mold then serves two purposes:

1. I can pour wax into the mold, then take the wax to a local foundry
for "lost-wax" casting. I can make any number of them this way. But
there are some tricks to making it work - the wax likes to stick to the
acrylic if it isn't done right. So I make the wax, but the foundry
does the plaster shell and metal pouring. They also clean up the
casting flaws, such as small plaster cracks as well as the sprue
connections.
So they did the metal "chasing" and patina. I'm going to do the final
finishing and patina (if any) on all subsequent bronze pieces that I
make.

2. I can also send the same acrylic mold to a private mint and they
mount it on their reduction lathe to make dies using a
purely-mechanical transfer process. I've done that as well and I've
had some of these minted actual size (27mm diameter - see above).

Smitty79 · December 2, 2005 5:27PM

I'll bet that cost some *giggle* big money.

ldhair · December 3, 2005 12:26AM

That's cool. Please tell us more about the sculpt process.
How do you capture the data from the object? Is it some type of scanner?

xbob · December 3, 2005 1:08AM

Very cool coin/medal. I like your other designs too.

"ONE ROLLER" ??

Is that a way of avoiding COPY on the coin/medal or other legalities?

MrSpud · December 3, 2005 2:19AM

That's really cool that you can do that. Very impressive!

F117ASR · December 3, 2005 2:43AM

I like it. Most of your designs are far better than the mints. I have been a fan of your work for some time. Keep up the good work!

mgoodm3 · December 3, 2005 2:54AM

Very cool process and medal/coin thingy.

kranky · December 3, 2005 3:00AM

Very nice, Daniel, as usual!

For newer board members who aren't aware, dcarr's designs were used on the New York, Rhode Island, and Maine state quarters.

anablep · December 3, 2005 3:15AM

I love your work. Some of your proposals have been better than what was selected for the state quarters.

dcarr · December 3, 2005 3:37AM

<< Very cool coin/medal. I like your other designs too.

"ONE ROLLER" ??

Is that a way of avoiding COPY on the coin/medal or other legalities? >>

Yes, it is close to "One Dollar", but I won't get in trouble for counterfeiting United States currency.

On my original digital sculpture, it said "One Dollar". That was done in 1998. When I went to have these minted recently, I had to change it - but I didn't have that same font on my new computer. So I just shuffled the existing sculpted letters around into "One Roller".

dcarr · December 3, 2005 3:42AM

<< That's cool. Please tell us more about the sculpt process.
How do you capture the data from the object? Is it some type of scanner? >>

The digital sculpting is performed using Virtual Sculptor ("VS3D"), a software program I wrote for this sort of purpose. Think of it as a tool for pushing digital clay around with your mouse.

VS3D home page

ROBERTB · December 3, 2005 4:27AM

Your design beats the crap out of that in'jin anyday. I love it. Very modern.

cullenbryant · December 3, 2005 4:54AM

nice work, your very talented. Just curious why your
design has the man on the moon for a year 2001 dated coin?

dcarr · December 3, 2005 5:25AM

<< nice work, your very talented. Just curious why your
design has the man on the moon for a year 2001 dated coin? >>

Thanks. Here is the answer from my web site:

In 1998 before Sacagawea was chosen as the theme for the new US Mint small "golden" dollar circulating coin, this Apollo Astronaut prototype designed by Daniel Carr was considered by the US Mint and Congress as a possible design. Renderings of it were featured in numerous publications including Coin World (front pages - March 30, 1998 and April 13, 1998 issues).

The obverse shows an Apollo Astronaut on the moon with a flag. At the time this coin was designed in 1998, nobody knew when the US Mint small "golden" dollars would first be issued. So the design was given a "2001" date, in honor of the movie "2001 A Space Odyssey".
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