I Don't Like The American Eagle/Buffalo Coins & Here's Why

I don't have any problem honoring the presidents on paper currency. But I also think we should bring Liberty back to the coinage. All new Liberty designs on every one of them.

I like the design on the Walking Liberty 1 oz silver bullion coin but the design is getting old. For myself I get excited when the new year approaches and wonder what Australia and China are doing for the new year on their Bullion 1 ounces silver coinage for obverses.

Jbuck




I disagree on the IKEs

The "classic" style is just that--a style meant to reflect a certain artistic mindset from the 19th century. The reverses of the American Eagle silver and gold coins are in fact original designs in the classic style, and I find them very attractive. The classic style involves florid, fictional images and heavily serifed lettering.

The Roosevelt dime is a good example of the modern style. Heavy, san serif letters and clean, lifelike images are a hallmark of that. I find it a very attractive coin.

I think the problem is that recent design changes are most likely chosen by mint "suits" who have no concept of art, design, or history. The Lincoln shield reverse and the dollar Statue of Liberty reverse have all the artistic merit of a subway token. The Sacawagea flying eagle reverse, on the other hand, is an attractive return to the classic style.

But the juxtaposition of the ultra-modern 3/4 angle Jefferson profile on the current nickel's obverse with the Greek-style art with Roman lettering on the 1938 reverse just doesn't make any sense. Same thing with the State Quarters. You've got the early 20th century artistic sense on the obverse and a mish-mosh of different styles (some with no style at all) on the reverses. I think this is what happens when you try to do too many things at once and try to please everyone.

I still feel that when an item has been around almost 100 years it is time to come up with some fresh ideas. At that age they are indeed legends regardless of what is printed on either their head's or tail's. What we have is a tried and true coin whose legend needs to be permanently retired and something fresh being presented to the populace.

Art and history do have their place but not at the expense of format. I do agree that when you try to do too many things nothing is done to please anyone at all.

When Roosevelt was decided that the U.S. money was boring he did something about it and the preceeding issues were not as old as what we are getting excited about every come January 1 when we have a clean coin to put in our albums.

I personally think that the Walking Liberty half design is absolutely pleasing to the eye but I don't think neither it nor Seated Liberty, nor the Indian Head designs should be repeated out of nostagal or some other misplaced sense of loyalty.

Coins should present to the world what we are and not honoring long dead citizens who are even aware of the honor. That's why I enjoy the reverse designs on the ATB but the obverse should be changed.

Even the romans took the faces of their emperors of the coins after they were disposed of, yet we keep ours around forever. England and their commonwealth will be changing their obverses once Queen Elizabeth is no longer in charge and her likeness will not be restruck on their coins again unless there is a commerative coin struck.

But I don't think we should be putting a living president on our coins because some may say that it is electioneering at tax payer expense.

Overall we have to many coins being minted that are not intended for circulation but are legal tender that will be used.

There are many ways to interpret Lady Liberty or Eagle. Perhaps we should rename the National Bird to honor the Turkey (As Ben Franklin initially wanted). But let's do something real and substantive for a change and not in piecemeal.

If Liberty evolved to reflect a modern depiction & we suddenly saw an image of her with tomahawk cruise missiles instead of a shield & arrows, I could only imagine the backlash we'd see on this forum!

I wouldn't go that far...I would just scrap pennies altogether. They are a useless coin, nobody wants them...so much so customers give you a change combination just to avoid getting pennies back. People leave them behind or I see them on the floor. A lot of countries dropped the cent and they didn't fall off the map.

But the real question remains...what is to be done with the stockpile of dollar coins sitting in government vaults? Why keep making them when there are billions of these things? What purpose does that serve? There are probably enough stockpiles to last several years.