Coins Vs. Compass Points - Coin Community Forum

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Yokozuna Pillar of the Community United States 4618 Posts	Posted 08/13/2011 11:21 pm We had a recent post saying that Lady Liberty was walking the wrong way on the front of the Walking Liberty half. I started thinking about this and I spent ALL DAY today looking up coins that have an identifiable "landmark" on them to see where I would be standing if I were viewing the said landmark. I used PCGS Coin Facts, Wikipedia, Google Earth, the US Mint web site and tried to match each landmark to a direction. I was only going to look up the basic coins at first, but I didn't stop. I also looked up all of the State, Territorial and State Park Quarters too. I have traveled all over the US today and I think I have most of the coins matched up. If it's off a few degrees, I just called it by the closest compass point. I've labeled the ones I'm sure of, questioned myself on others and I ask that, if you want to, check my list and correct any that I've missed or mislabeled. I have no idea why I did this, but here goes. The basic coins. The coin that started me thinking about all this, the Walking Liberty half, the top of the coin is to the South. So unlike a map, North does not always have to be the top of a coin. Lincoln Memorial cent, top is West. Jefferson nickel, top is North-East. Bi-Centennial Half, top is North. Ike, top is ~~North~~ Celestial North. (Thanks Sap!) Susan B, top is ~~North~~ Celestial North. (Thanks Sap!) Presidential $1, top is North-West. State Quarters Delaware, no direction. Pennsylvania, top is North. New Jersey, top is South-East. Georgia, top is North. Connecticut, unknown. Anyone? Massachusetts, top is North. Maryland, top is North-West. South Carolina, top is North. New Hampshire, top is ~~South, I think.~~ South-West. (Thanks hockingzig!) Virginia, top is top is South, I think. New York, top is North. North Carolina, top is North. Rhode Island, top is North-East or South-West? Vermont, no direction. Kentucky, unknown. Anyone? Tennessee, no direction. Ohio, top is North. Louisiana, top is North. Indiana, top is North. Mississippi, no direction. Illinois, top is North. Alabama, no direction. Maine, top is North. Missouri, top is East, right? Arkansas, no direction. Michigan, top is North. Florida, top is North or South. Anyone? Texas, top is North. Iowa, unknown. Anyone? Wisconsin, no direction. California, unknown. Anyone? Minnesota, top is North. Oregon, top is North. Kansas, no direction. West Virginia, top is North or South. Anyone? Nevada, top is East. Nebraska, top is East. Colorado, top is South-West, I think. Anyone? North Dakota, top is East. South Dakota, top is North-West. Montana, no direction? Washington, top is East. Idaho, top is North. Wyoming, no direction. Utah, top is North-West. Oklahoma, no direction. New Mexico, no direction. Arizona, top is east? Alaska, no direction. Hawaii, top is North. DC and US Territories DC, no direction. Puerto Rico, unknown. Anyone? Guam, top is North. American Samoa, no direction. US Virgin Islands, top is North. America the Beautiful Quarters Hot Springs, top is North. Yellowstone, unknown. Anyone? Yosemite, top is North-East. Grand Canyon, top is North, I think. Anyone? Mount Hood, top is South. Gettysburg, top is South, South-West. Glacier, top is South, I think. Anyone? Olympic, top is North, I think. Anyone? So, that's my list. As I said, I may have some wrong, missed a few or may just be totally backwards. Let me know what you think, correct me if you see a mistake and tell me if you know a good doctor that deals with OCD. Oh, one other thing, I was able to cure my wife's insomnia by working on this list. She slept almost all day. ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!! Edited by Yokozuna 08/14/2011 8:29 pm Report this Post to the Staff

bpoc1 Rest in Peace United States 4078 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 06:24 am Quote: Let me know what you think, correct me if you see a mistake and tell me if you know a good doctor that deals with OCD. Oh, one other thing, I was able to cure my wife's insomnia by working on this list. She slept almost all day. Here's what I think Too much Report this Post to the Staff
Peter THOMAS Pillar of the Community Australia 2830 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 07:16 am I respect your thoroughness. Please remember that thoroughness is its own reward. We are doomed to not be appreciated in our lifetimes ... Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 08:46 am Quote: I have no idea why I did this, but here goes. You need a few more hobbies. Quote: I have traveled all over the US today and I think I have most of the coins matched up. So just how did you do that in one day? Fantastic. I really think you need something better to do with your time that is left here on Earth. First thing that came to my mind was what would you do if we had coins that had scenes from outer space on them? You would have to go there to figure those out. One of the worst parts of all your research is it is a post here and will slowly vanish into some unknown place. As more and more people post something, all your information will slowly go away sort of. Possibly start a book on coins explaining what is on them and why and where item is pointing. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16806 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 09:37 am Quote: Ike, top is North. Susan B, top is North. Since both the Ike and SBA dollars show a stylized view of space, including the Earth, I assume you mean "top is Celestial North". By my calculations, on July 20th 1969, an observer on the Moon standing facing looking at Earth would be facing in the general direction of the constellation Pisces. Since the Earth appears to be the "right way up", the North Celestial Pole would indeed be in the direction of the top of the coin. Using galactic co-ordinates, the Galactic South Pole should be just out of the field of view, somewhere in the direction of the bottom of the coin. Space numismatics trivia point: On 20th July 1969, the Earth from the Moon was seen in gibbous phase - missing a crescent, just like in the famous Earthrise photo taken by Apollo 8. On the actual Apollo 11 mission badge, the Earth is shown correctly. However, on the coin, the artist chose to alter the design to show a full phase Earth. If the Earth had actually been full while the astronauts were on the surface, as seen on the coin, it would have been lunar nighttime at the landing site, and they would have been walking around in the dark... Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
numismaniac Valued Member United States 361 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 10:52 am Wow, when I started that post I had no idea how much work some people would put into it. I don't have time to go over all of these now, and quite truthfully may neve have enough time, but you sure did a lot of work. Very interesting Report this Post to the Staff
DBM Pillar of the Community Canada 9862 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 11:08 am Quote: One of the worst parts of all your research is it is a post here and will slowly vanish into some unknown place Interesting facts,thank you Edited by DBM 08/14/2011 11:10 am Report this Post to the Staff
southsav Pillar of the Community 2222 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 12:04 pm Nice job, now get some rest. Report this Post to the Staff
Yokozuna Pillar of the Community United States 4618 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 1:54 pm Quote: So just how did you do that in one day? 1. Sleeping wife. 2. All of the travel was done using Google Earth. 3. I did have to read about several historical events to determine the direction of travel in the depiction on the coin. 4. Some, I just knew. Quote: First thing that came to my mind was what would you do if we had coins that had scenes from outer space on them? The Eisenhower and Susan B. Anthony are images from space, but Google Earth lets you "fly" into space. (I had the basic idea correct, but Sap helped me with the proper terminology.) Thanks for the nice comments from everyone and thanks again to Sap for the FIRST corrections to the list on the Ike and Susan B. ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!! Report this Post to the Staff
hockingzig Pillar of the Community United States 1450 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 4:12 pm Just from memory,on the New Hampshire quarter,the "Old Man" was on a south-facing cliff at least in relation to the north-south road along the exposure. Now,that being said,the road at that point may not have been a true north-south segment,so you may be correct. The "Old Man" was one of my favorite US landmarks growing up,I was sad to hear of his passing. Report this Post to the Staff
Yokozuna Pillar of the Community United States 4618 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 4:29 pm hockingzig, Thanks for the info. I'll look at it again. It's one I had problems with using the image from Google Earth. I didn't think about trying the flight simulator to get the right angle. I'll go make a few passes through the area to see if I can nail it down. Yes, I know. I have no life, but this is fun! UPDATE: Okay, that really helped! The road is not true North-South at that section, so The Old Man was looking to the South-East. To look at his left cheek to match the image on the coin, you are looking South-West. This shot shows what's left of the top after the 2003 collapse. The road in the background is looking along a North-East to South-West line. http://static.panoramio.com/photos/...49709219.jpg This composite shows just how much of The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed back 2003. http://static.panoramio.com/photos/...55992717.jpg ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!! Edited by Yokozuna 08/14/2011 9:00 pm Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 4:43 pm Quote: The Eisenhower and Susan B. Anthony are images from space, but Google Earth lets you "fly" into space. (I had the basic idea correct, but Sap helped me with the proper terminology.) No I mean really, really outer space. The coins on those planets they are now just finding out about. OK so everyone here thinks they know North and South on coins. Now what happens when you stand the coin up? Or the coin is upside down? And if face down, you really don't know which way any of them are facing. Actually if the coin is face down, how do you know that there is even still a Obverse? It's like that old Science problem of if a tree falls in a forest and there is no sound collecting device, was a sound really made? And now here is one more. Which way is the 5 pointing on a Shield nickel? Report this Post to the Staff
Yokozuna Pillar of the Community United States 4618 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 8:54 pm Quote: No I mean really, really outer space. The coins on those planets they are now just finding out about. I'll have to work with Sap again when we come up with a coin with another planet, galaxy or any other celestial body on it. I'm sure he can help me get the alignments to the Earth's poles correct. The exception would be for a black-hole, because we can't see beyond the event horizon, I think it would just be a blank planchet. I've seen lots of those and they have no top or bottom. I would make an exception if the sculptor can somehow capture the "Hawking Radiation" that is emitted by a black-hole, but as it's not visible to the human eye, I'm not sure how it would work. Quote: Now what happens when you stand the coin up? Or the coin is upside down? And if face down, you really don't know which way any of them are facing. Actually if the coin is face down, how do you know that there is even still a Obverse? As for coins being turned upside down, sideways or on end, it shouldn't change the orientation of the object on Earth, so it's the same no matter what you do with the coin. I always use a glass table top, so I know the coin still has an Obverse. Quote: It's like that old Science problem of if a tree falls in a forest and there is no sound collecting device, was a sound really made? No, if nothing can hear it, it was just vibrating air, not sound. Something has to be able to perceive the vibration for it to be sound. The way I see it is if my hearing aids have a dead batteries, no one rang that doorbell. Quote: And now here is one more. Which way is the 5 pointing on a Shield nickel? I flipped a coin a 7 times and it came up West 4 times, so it's West. ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!! Report this Post to the Staff
John Bonzo Valued Member United States 123 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 9:04 pm I appreciate your research, and I bet you looked a lot closer at most of these coins than you ever had before! Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 9:07 pm Now the previous reply shows everyone just how smart, intellegent, up to date with laws of the Universe coin collecting makes people. Without coins so much would be unknown. Report this Post to the Staff
Yokozuna Pillar of the Community United States 4618 Posts	Posted 08/14/2011 9:17 pm Quote: One of the worst parts of all your research is it is a post here and will slowly vanish into some unknown place. As more and more people post something, all your information will slowly go away sort of. Once I have all of the information correct, I'll be adding it to the CoinFactsWiki so that it will never be completely "lost to the ages." Quote: I appreciate your research, and I bet you looked a lot closer at most of these coins than you ever had before! I had fun doing it. I'm used to looking at coins close-up, but this was a different way to look at them. It made them much more real to me. Now it's not just an image on my pocket change, I can see the design as a real place when I think of them. ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!! Edited by Yokozuna 08/15/2011 9:28 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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