James Earle Fraser pattern 1952 cent...

anablep · June 30, 2009 10:04AM

I love Fraser's work on the buffalo nickel and am more impressed by his portrait on the pattern Lincoln cent.

Does anyone have a picture of the reverse?

From USPatterns.com:
The reverse showed an oak tree, "...as a symbol because Lincoln was a woodsman...It stands too for strength, ever renewing growth, and unity. Like a nation, it has roots, a trunk, branches, flowers and finally fruit."

I'd love to see it and was wondering if this should have been the design for 2009 or could be the design for 2010.

What artistry on this obverse!!

sumnom · June 30, 2009 10:07AM

That is really nice. I love the thick rims.

Unknown · June 30, 2009 10:17AM

This content has been removed.

MrEureka · June 30, 2009 10:23AM

Calling Mr Eureka!!!

I'm hoping njcoincrank has a picture for us...

njcoincrank · June 30, 2009 11:57AM

Thanks Andy...

I do have the matching reverse plaster for this obverse. Only one thing is missing. Giving Laura Gardin Fraser credit for both of them. According to Joseph Lepczyk, who sold them at auction in October, 1980, Laura, not James Earl, was responsible for these designs.

Sorry I don't have a picture to post here. But in the not too distant future Laura's reverse design, along with many other pieces, will be able to be seen on my web site. Stay tuned.

njcc

oreville · June 30, 2009 12:42PM

Simply awesome, awesome, awesome.

anablep · June 30, 2009 1:01PM

njcoincrank: thank you for the info. Didn't know it was Laura's design. She did the quarter dollar pattern that became a gold commem, correct? That design was terrific too. Can't wait to see the Lincoln reverse some day.

njcoincrank · June 30, 2009 9:23PM

Yes, Laura did the original design for the 1932 Washington qtr. I sold the reverse plaster a few years ago to a collector in Pittsburgh.

njcc

IGWT · June 30, 2009 11:16PM

NJCC - How about a link to your website?

LostSisler · July 22, 2009 1:14PM

I do agree that this looks like Laura Fraser's work BUT, I've seen a drawing by Gilroy Roberts that looks exactly like this...

Perhaps Fraser's design made it to the mint and Roberts was told to work on it, producing what I saw. I'll see if I can get ahold of images and see if there's a reverse to this...

BBN · July 22, 2009 1:18PM

I guess we get the shield on the reverse in 2010? why not use this obverse

TrainNut · July 22, 2009 3:23PM

<< <i>That is really nice. I love the thick rims. >>

ricko · July 22, 2009 10:17PM

If we must have dead presidents on our coins, why not something as nice as this? Cheers, RickO

coppercoins · July 27, 2009 3:09AM

<< <i>I do agree that this looks like Laura Fraser's work BUT, I've seen a drawing by Gilroy Roberts that looks exactly like this...

Perhaps Fraser's design made it to the mint and Roberts was told to work on it, producing what I saw. I'll see if I can get ahold of images and see if there's a reverse to this... >>

How about this?

VAMSKY · July 27, 2009 3:24AM

Looks much bigger in person.

Nice job piecing the shot together.

tahoe98 · July 27, 2009 4:08AM

........There is a photo of the reverse model on p.70 of Renaissance of American Coinage 1909-1915. It might also be illustrated on the USpatterns.com web site. from what i have been made to understand.

njcoincrank · July 27, 2009 4:33AM

Nice photo Chuck !!!

Thanks for taking it.

njcc

nycounsel · July 27, 2009 5:09AM

wow, i wish the Mint was considering using this design for 2010.

coppercoins · July 27, 2009 6:37AM

A little detail about the image of the reverse above.

I had the opportunity of photographing the original plaster this past weekend, thanks to Njcoincrank. The photograph shown is my original photograph edited for size, and flipped backward to show the design in proper alignment. The actual plaster is like a die - with everything in reverse relief and backwards, and measures approximately 10.5" across.

Because I did not have the proper lenses or setup at the show to photograph a dinner plate size piece, I ended up setting the piece on a pad and photographing it from 3 feet away using the room lighting (which always sucks). The color may be a little off the original, which would be egg-shell white plaster partially covered in a bronze colored spray paint.

anablep · July 27, 2009 10:05AM

Thank you for posting the reverse plaster.

What a striking design this would have made.

Instead we get token-like dollars and insipid low relief portraits.

I'm afraid our coinage today is not worthy of carrying the name of the United States of America.

Mark · July 27, 2009 11:36AM

coppercoins (Chuck):

Thanks so much for that picture. Even under the constrained circumstances at the show, your picture is better than 99% of what others could do in optimal circumstances!

I think the reverse is a pretty design. I wonder how it would have struck up given the wide rims on the obverse. In particular, I wonder if each design individually looks good but the combination might not strike well. Ah well, sadly enough there is not much chance we'll ever find out how well (or how poorly) they strike. Too bad....

LostSisler · October 31, 2009 6:53PM

Does anyone know why the design change was being considered in 52?

This plaster is in the ANA collection. I believe that it is from Roberts though it may be Pietz (?).
I think that this was "inspired" by the the Fraser work.

golfer72 · October 31, 2009 7:27PM

And look how the idiots at the mint have destroyed the current Lincoln obverse portrait. Hideous!

Byers · February 27, 2026 10:50AM

According to Roger Burdette’s research, and US Patterns.com, James Fraser is the designer of both the obv and rev plasters, not his wife Laura.

I just purchased the 1952 James Fraser Lincoln Cent reverse plaster ( incused) from Andy Lustig. Here is the new link on USPatterns that Saul put up today, and an image of the back of the plaster with the handwritten notations.

https://uspatterns.com/19frrepl.html

James Earle Fraser pattern 1952 cent...

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