Why oh why didn't they choose this design?

JoeLewis · February 24, 2007 11:13AM

Scroll down to the middle of the page for the best picture.

Wouldn't it have been really cool to have this dollar coin?

thecointrader · February 24, 2007 11:15AM

Yes, but politicians took control of the process, and gave us the SBA.

BECOKA · February 24, 2007 11:15AM

Not bad. It would have been much better than the SBA design.

coinman420 · February 24, 2007 11:17AM

any one of those designs is better than what we got. thats what we get from the mint.

jmski52 · February 24, 2007 11:21AM

It doesn't take many brain cells to see why that dollar WOULD HAVE circulated, and why the ones we got - don't.

CarlWohlforth · February 24, 2007 11:26AM

Too cluttered and busy.

The idea of putting legislated inscriptions on the edge of the coin is brilliant in my opinion! It frees up the obverse and reverse for art. Not to mention the increased possibility of varieties and mint errors

I love the symbolism of the Phrygian cap. I enjoy the flowing hair design. Liberty has been modernized (put on a diet) and I would enjoy a more realistic version. Anyway those choices would be Great if they weren't so cluttered...

TavernTreasures · February 24, 2007 11:36AM

The Anthony dollar is so dated, while Frank Gasparro's Liberty seem timeless.

dcamp78 · February 24, 2007 11:40AM

I agree... that would have been a much better looking coin.

billboat · February 24, 2007 11:53AM

<< <i>I agree... that would have been a much better looking coin. >>

Just don't ever think that the US Mint gives a flying whatever about what would be a great design--PC (by congressional mandate) will forever rule!

Edit: SBAs and SACs are soooo much cooler than a classic Liberty design (as provided by Frank Gasparro), which the public might actually relate to. Most people don't have a clue as to who SB Anthony is, let alone Saceguea (sp?--see what I mean?) It REALLY irritates me!

JoeLewis · February 24, 2007 11:54AM

Here's the pics:

DUIGUY · February 24, 2007 12:01PM

Thats to simple .

cullenbryant · February 24, 2007 12:10PM

i like it on the copper. seems to have much more detail in the hair.
but i'm afraid to say the clad doesn't do much for the design and looks
only better because the chick is just a little nicer looking lady than susan.

FPCoins · February 24, 2007 12:12PM

Looks just as bad as the SBA to me.

messydesk · February 24, 2007 12:13PM

I don't like the eagle. The body looks pigeon-shaped, especially if you ignore the facial features and misinterpret the front of the beak of the turned-up head as the top of the pigeon's head.

etexmike · February 24, 2007 12:33PM

I agree that the Gasparro design would have been much nicer for the dollar coin.

But then very few designs could have been as bad or worse than what we ended up with.

-------------

etexmike

Animalkeeper · February 24, 2007 12:38PM

Politics will always give us the average. Sometimes that's what we deserve.....

basestealer · February 24, 2007 12:40PM

They should just go back to the old flowing hair designs and do a retro coin series for a few years. I don't get this dead presidents on coins and currency nonsense. The presidents are all hiddeous looking, and their coin renditions are even worse. The eagles they've been sticking on the backs of coins since the Washington quarter look like constipated chickens. Truth be told, coins are antiquated bartering tools and the only reason we still have them is the collector lobby--the government would much rather nurture our digital currency/national ID card programs. Hell you can't even carry 10K in cash around without being an automatic suspect--they'll confiscate it whether they have reason to believe you've committed a crime or not. Edge lettering sure does free up space for the artwork... I just wonder when they're going to put the artwork on it?

pb2y · February 24, 2007 1:07PM

The insidious force of pollitcal correctness dominates the US Mint today.

Coxe · February 24, 2007 1:13PM

It doesn't have a dead president on the obverse and the pigeon on the reverse is a little different.

commoncents05 · February 24, 2007 1:31PM

it would have been a heck of a lot better than SBA.

-Paul

dorancoins · February 24, 2007 1:50PM

Ken Potter made some of these? Where can I get one and how much?

Zoins · February 24, 2007 2:16PM

<< <i>Too cluttered and busy.

The idea of putting legislated inscriptions on the edge of the coin is brilliant in my opinion! It frees up the obverse and reverse for art. Not to mention the increased possibility of varieties and mint errors

>>

I agree the design is cluttered.

I don't think Gasparro's design is classic or timeless as the obverse looks like an interpretation of Augustin Dupré's Libertas Americana and the reverse isn't too outstanding IMO. I think this exercise shows how classic and timeless Dupré's design is....

Paleodale · February 24, 2007 2:49PM

But the eagle looks like a Dove.. How generic..

PerryHall · February 24, 2007 5:16PM

The reverse looks more like a parrot and totally unnatural and too modernistic.

Gemini · February 24, 2007 9:02PM

Maybe the Phrygian cap is just too artsy?...I can hear the people in the street now..."Did you see what they did to the poor lady on the coin? my God they stuck a big stick through the back of her head and put a big mushroom on it"...

Rodius · February 24, 2007 9:24PM

I agree it looks better on copper, the silver version does look like the same old SBA. The Obverse is too busy, liberty, motto, date, too many stars. I really like the reverse.

stockwiz · February 24, 2007 9:28PM

that bronze color looks really nice. They should have used that mixture for the sacs and george washington dollars instead of what they're using now. It seems to tone a much nicer color then what we have now.

lasvegasteddy · February 24, 2007 9:36PM

the sad one to me was this was one presented and the sackie was choosen over it...
ACF2194.jpg,dollarb.jpg

TavernTreasures · February 24, 2007 10:40PM

Frank G's design was not perfect or a great work of art. But it was much better than what we got.

flaminio · February 25, 2007 2:09AM

<< <i>It doesn't take many brain cells to see why that dollar WOULD HAVE circulated, and why the ones we got - don't. >>

Nah, it wouldn't've made a difference. Yes, it's much better than the SBA, but without the elimination of the rag-buck, no dollar coin will circulate. Conversely, if the rag-buck were eliminated, even the most butt-ugly quarter-like dollar coin would circulate widely. That's the only significant variable -- everything else is secondary.

ricko · February 25, 2007 2:25AM

Flaminio certainly has a point regarding circulation. However, our coins have NO art.. the designs are terrible and seemingly very infected with polictical correctness (a mental defect). Why the mint/congress cannot stop meddling and allow artists/engravers to qualify the designs, I have no idea. I surmise they may all have presidential aspirations and wish to be immortalised on a coin.. what rubbish. Cheers, RickO

notwilight · February 25, 2007 2:27AM

I like it a lot. It looks very modern in that the facial features look like a modern supermodel (much thinner than the past) and the hair, again looking modern, is very reminiscent of the flowing hair from1792,93...

topstuf · February 25, 2007 2:45AM

Because it features LIBERTY! Which would cause too many kids to ask Mommy and Daddy about Liberty and they, being completely ignorant of the subject, would stutter and stammer and destroy family harmony.

19Lyds · February 25, 2007 2:55AM

I seriously doubt that Frank Gasparro's Liberty Dollar would have had any better success than the SBA primarily because the metal composition would have still confused it with the quarter! Opinions at the time suggested an alternate metal composition such as our current mayonnaise composition but for what ever reason, Congress decided to go with the copper nickel clad coin. This spelled almost Instant death!

And you can't really point to the design of the SBA as what killed it as it was visibly different from the current Washington quarter. The reality is that the metal composition killed the small dollar and is probably the only reason that the Sacajawea's are still around.

xphobe · February 25, 2007 3:00AM

Say NO to Spaghetti Hair!!! What's the deal with these modern coins? Is Spaghetti hair easier to roto? Does it make the dies last longer? Gah. It even ruins Gasparro's beautiful Liberty. The 1969 ANA convention medal looks nice but the rest are awful.

And the pigeon on the reverse looks like it's dying of bird flu in mid-flap. Bring back the Heraldic eagle!

Why oh why didn't they choose this design?

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