Coin Community Family of Web Sites
Vancouvers #1 Coin and Paper Money Dealer Coin, Banknote and Medal Collectors's Online Mall FactoryPin — Custom challenge coins for military, police, and organizations. Global shipping, affordable prices, special discounts for service members!  Royal Canadian Mint products, Canadian, Polish, American, and world coins and banknotes. Specializing in Modern Numismatics 300,000 items to help build your collection!
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?


This page may contain links that result in small commissions to keep this free site up and running.

Welcome Guest! Register Now! It's free!

Registering and/or logging in will remove the anchor (bottom) ads and vignette (between pages) ads.

Commems Collection Classic: 1904-05 Lewis And Clark Exposition - American Coinage Renaissance

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.
Author Previous TopicReplies: 8 / Views: 367Next Topic  
CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
Learn More...
commems's Avatar
United States
11355 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  07:36 am Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add commems to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
The July 1904 issue of the American Journal of Numismatics, published by the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society (ANAS), reported that the first 25,000 Lewis and Clark Exposition Gold Dollars (of the 250,000 authorized) had arrived in Portland, Oregon.

Note: The American Numismatic and Archaeological Society (1858-1907) was the forerunner of the American Numismatic Society (ANS) that continues to the present day (1907 to present).

The brief notice also include the following reflection on the Captains Lewis and Clark designs depicted on the coins:

The custom of special devices for national coins begun with the Columbian Dollars, seems to have become established as a settled thing. These coins indicate a popular desire for a new departure from the somewhat monotonous types of Liberty which have characterized our money as compared with the changes which appear on foreign coins when a new ruler comes to the throne. Early historic events or personages who have had a marked influence on our national affairs -- Columbus, Queen Isabella, Lafayette -- seem to be preferred. If this tendency could make itself felt on the regular coinage it would give a new zeal to collectors.

To paraphrase Isaiah, "And commemorative coins shall lead them..."

The designs for the early US commemorative coins were, IMO, functional but not of the highest artistic merit. So, I think the fact that the coins used figures other than an allegorical Lady Liberty portrait in their design was the primary driver of the ANAS' supportive comments.

Within decades of the release of the Lewis and Clark Exposition commemorative gold dollar coins, the US was undergoing a comprehensive redesign of its circulating coinage (initially promoted by US President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt).

The American Coinage Renaissance - often referred to as "The Golden Age of US Coin Design" - was in full swing and brought such noted artists as Augustus St. Gaudens (Gold Double Eagle and Gold Eagle), Bela Lyon Pratt (Gold Half Eagle and Gold Quarter Eagle), James Earle Fraser (Indian Head/"Buffalo" Nickel), Hermon MacNeil ( Standing Liberty quarter), Adolf Weinman (Winged Liberty Head/"Mercury" Dime and Walking Liberty half dollar), Victor D. Brenner ( Lincoln Cent) and Anthony de Francisci ( Peace dollar) to the US coin series and brought about the end of "the somewhat monotonous type of Liberty" that had been in use since the 18th Century.

While Teddy Roosevelt was inspired by the coinage of the ancient Greeks - particularly the high-relief coins of Alexander the Great - the designs of early US commemorative coins might have helped inspire his coin redesign efforts!

1904-05 Lewis and Clark Exposition Gold Dollar



For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Lewis and Clark stories, see: Commems Collection.




Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
Moderator
Learn More...
jbuck's Avatar
United States
164267 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  09:06 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jbuck to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I have to wonder how many people cheated their coin flip with one of these.

Thank you for sharing.
CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
Learn More...
commems's Avatar
United States
11355 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  09:59 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add commems to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I have to wonder how many people cheated their coin flip with one of these

Have you been one?



Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
Moderator
Learn More...
jbuck's Avatar
United States
164267 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  11:17 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jbuck to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I wish I had one to flip!

To be clear, I would not being doing that with a nice example. Maybe a copy.
Bedrock of the Community
Learn More...
nickelsearcher's Avatar
United States
13687 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  11:48 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nickelsearcher to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Excellent read, thank you for sharing your insights.


Quote:
The designs for the early US commemorative coins were, IMO, functional but not of the highest artistic merit.


An interesting perspective, and one I had not considered until now.

IMO the first 'artistic merit' classic commemoratives come from the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.

I could make a case of artistic merit for all 5 of those coins - but single out the Barber/Morgan half dollar with it's timeless classic look as well as the Robert I Aitken design for the gold $50 pieces.

IMO, the artistic merit designs took a break for the next 9 commemorative offerings until Jo Mora came up with the 1925 California Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar.

I welcome other input on this line of thinking.
Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art
Too many hobbies .... too much work .... not enough time.
Pillar of the Community
CollegeBarbers's Avatar
United States
2179 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  1:20 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add CollegeBarbers to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Interesting take, commems! Always enjoy your histories!

Quote:
I have to wonder how many people cheated their coin flip with one of these.

I call heads!

Quote:
IMO, the artistic merit designs took a break for the next 9 commemorative offerings until Jo Mora came up with the 1925 California Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar.

I welcome other input on this line of thinking.

I think Laura Gardin Fraser's 1922 Grant design stands out, as well.
CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
Learn More...
commems's Avatar
United States
11355 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  4:42 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add commems to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
IMO the first 'artistic merit' classic commemoratives come from the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.

I would agree. The designs for the gold coins of the program were created by non-Mint artists - and the designs benefited from such an approach.

Barber's obverse design for the Pan-Pac half dollar is quite good, IMO, but Morgan's reverse design is rather pedestrian and looks like it could be from a standard circulation coin - not very "commemorative" in its style!




Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
Pillar of the Community
Marve65's Avatar
United States
5766 Posts
 Posted 05/20/2025  8:17 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Marve65 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I call " Magician's coin" - Close enough
Moderator
Learn More...
jbuck's Avatar
United States
164267 Posts
  Previous TopicReplies: 8 / Views: 367Next Topic  

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.



    





Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2025 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us  |  Advertise Here  |  Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum © 2005 - 2025 Coin Community Forums
It took 0.38 seconds to rattle this change. Forums