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 Replies: 39 / Views: 6,255 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2200 Posts |
I feel a lot of disdain for the mint's selling the American Eagle one ounce silver coin, the American Eagle gold coin, and the American Buffalo gold coin. Why? Because they re-use coin designs from the past. The Walking Liberty half, the St. Gaudens' 20 dollar gold piece, and the Buffalo nickel designs are all beautiful, no doubt about it. But they had their place on those coins. Why did the mint feel they had to reuse them? Why couldn't they give some gainful employment to an artist/sculptor who come up with an equally beautiful, ORIGINAL design? It just feels like they ripped off A. A. Weinman, Augustus St. Gaudens, and James Fraser because they were lazy and didn't want to do anything new and different. It's like some of the old Three Stooges movies where they added one new scene or two to an existing movie and marketed it as a new movie. If I want to enjoy those three designs, I'll enjoy them on the half dollar, the 20 gold piece (if I'm ever able to afford one), and the nickel. But don't give me a recycled design and expect me to get all excited about it. Anybody feel the same way? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
814 Posts |
You know, I always thought that Walking Liberty looked better on the half anyway. Maybe that's why I'm not swimming in ASEs, and when I tried carrying one as a pocket piece, I just couldn't get excited about it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1584 Posts |
I agree. The U.S. mint could do better.
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Valued Member
United States
457 Posts |
I agree and disagree. Back when those designs were in use, I was not even close to being born yet, and I like the older designs a lot better than the modern designs, especially the walking liberty. So I think it is kinda cool to see be able to see these still being minted every year like it used to be. I don't know, just my Two Cents... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1037 Posts |
I totally agree with you. I have read rumors about the changing the reverse's design, but I feel the reverse should be left alone and change the obverse. I have contacted my congressional representatives about changing the ASE obverse, but never heard back from any of them. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
927 Posts |
I like the designs on both the silver and gold eagles. But it is time for a change. It has been over 25 years for both of these coins. Some of the new designs for liberty are beautiful and would be great on the silver and gold eagles. I also think the mint should change the reverse design every year, like they do for the platinum coins.
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Valued Member
United States
452 Posts |
I agree. We shouldn't have to celebrate and honor liberty of the past in modern coinage. Surely there is someone out there with the artistic skills and vision to depict a modern interpretation... <sarcasm>even if she's marching on DC with a pitchfork instead of carrying a torch or olive branch.</sarcasm>
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4867 Posts |
I think it's time to change the designs and not use something recycled from the past. I would just rather not see any presidents on them. Even if the designs have to be the same they could always do what the RCM does, just look at their variety of silver maples, like the wildlife, birds of prey, etc. Why can't the US Mint do stuff like that? What about more 1oz US silver bullion coins besides the silver eagle? Edited by TheForce
10/22/2014 11:49 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2200 Posts |
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But it is time for a change. It has been over 25 years for both of these coins. These things have been around for 25 years? Ya gotta be kidding me. I thought they just started like five years ago or so. Even more reason to get rid of 'em. (Harrumph.) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2200 Posts |
Wait a minute. The last time the mint tried to come up with an original, beautiful new design, this is what they gave us:  Oh well. Edited by jpsned
10/23/2014 12:50 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
They are fantastic designs and I see no problem what so ever with them using them for the PM coins. Quote:
Some of the new designs for liberty are beautiful Really? Please do show me a modern rendition of Liberty that does not look like a reject from a modern art training class. Quote:
Why couldn't they give some gainful employment to an artist/sculptor who come up with an equally beautiful, ORIGINAL design? Because they will not go near any classical type artistry. If it isn't some liberal arts college artsy fartsy modern interpretive dance inspired pile of dung, the liberal arts college professor reject morons that make up the board that picks the design (and I use the word design in its absolute loosest term) wont even give it a moments consideration. Honestly, I am happy to have those images being used. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1911 Posts |
My opinion is that compared the most of the designs we see today show up on commemoratives and even some of the design candidates for ATB Quarters... these older designs are much better than modern designs... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
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If it isn't some liberal arts college artsy fartsy modern interpretive dance inspired pile of dung, the liberal arts college professor reject morons that make up the board that picks the design (and I use the word design in its absolute loosest term) wont even give it a moments consideration.
A perfectly acceptable opinion. However, Art is fluid and interpretations change over time. For example, When Masaccio first used linear perspective (3d representation in a 2d medium) in the 15th century, many thought it was an idea brought about by the devil himself. BTW, what you are eschewing would better be called Contemporary or Post-Modern Art. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1116 Posts |
I've been running the coin designs through my head as I've been reading the responses here and this is what I came up with: Lincoln Cent : Been the same since its inception for almost a 100 years with the only chances (outside of 2009) with changes to it reverse. Nickel: Been the same basic design since 1938 with the only continuing change being a face lift for the obverse and a two year period honoring (?) Westward Expansion. Dime: Honoring FDR since 1946 with the only change being the removal of its silver content. Quarters: The obverse being the same since 1932 with a 10 years period honoring the states, followed by a year honoring the territories, followed by another 10 year period honoring National Parks, following with another new reverse. Meantime the obverse is not changed at all. This is the most diversity we have had with all our coins. Half Dollar: With the exception of changing its metal content nothing has been changed since 1964. Small Dollars: Native American changes every year and the Presidential dollar having new obverses every year. The point of all this is that our coinage is stagnant, limpid, and just plain old uninteresting. The most beautiful thing about our coins happens on the first of the year when we get beautiful bright new coins of the same old designs. The Native American coins are the most interesting things we have and they are not intended for circulation. That seems to speak volumes for me. We need a revamping of all our coins and not just bad art school designs, but something that speaks of who we are and not where we were. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1116 Posts |
Quote: My opinion is that compared the most of the designs we see today show up on commemoratives and even some of the design candidates for ATB Quarters... these older designs are much better than modern designs... Older designs are better by far, but the thing is our current designs are outdated. None of the earlier coins has any production run that has lasted as our modern circulating coins. It seems that after we changed to the modern designs that we have lost intelligence to come up with new meaningful designs. The last time we had a meaningful change in our coin designs was when Theodore Roosevelt decided during his presidency that they needed a total facelift and we were given the Barber coins whose predecessors were in existence for 50 years. Our current coinage is much older than that. Its time for a complete makeover. But we should be careful of what we ask for or we'll get something truly uninspired that we'll be looking at for the next 100 years. EDIT I don't think we should be honoring dead presidents except in the history books. That's where they deserve to be, and not in our pockets any longer. Edited by ghostrider
10/23/2014 11:22 am
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Moderator
 United States
188130 Posts |
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Quarters: Meantime the obverse is not changed at all. You cannot say "at all." Look at the legends.  Quote:
I don't think we should be honoring dead presidents except in the history books. That's where they deserve to be, and not in our pockets any longer.  |
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Replies: 39 / Views: 6,255 |
Posted 10/22/2014 10:09 pm
