The Decline of US Coinage Design

The uninspired art on todays coinage reflects the uninspired art in todays galleries. Art today is not meant to inspire.

 

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I wouldn't let them off that easy at the mint. Yes, I find Koontz and his ilk to be industrial design more than art, but I do find true artistic inspiration still alive in this nation. Sadly our coins simply do not reflect that fact.

 

The Pontiac Aztec? Cadillac Cimmaron? Chevy Chevette? Dream cars - all of them.

 

I agree with medoraman on these points. Commemorative coinage is so politicized that getting a beautiful design on any coins is almost impossible. Even on our circulating coinage the presidential images are considered sacrosanct by politicians and the organizations that "represent" the particular President. If you start talking about removing a President from a coin it's like you were being unpatriotic. George Washington didn't even want his image placed on a coin because he felt it was too king like.

 

Although I agree with what has been said about the decline of artistry in circulating coinage, I really don't see the Mint doing anything to change that in the future. All a person has to do is look at the trend of societal behavior. We are moving out of a physical cash society and moving into an electronic cash society. Why would the Mint want to keep investing in a dinosaur?

I keep a cup full of change in my car, but I could not even begin to tell you the last time I used any. I use debit cards, credit cards, online banking, etc., etc. As much as we don't want to admit it, the use of circulating coins will continue to decline and some day they will not be needed. From a financial perspective, it would be foolish for the Mint to invest a lof of money into something whose future is limited. In fact, the Mint could save a bazillion dollars (which is a lot, I've been told) by continually reducing the amount of circulating coins that are produced.

I'm not saying this is what I would like to see. I'm just saying this appears to be the reality of the situation and the reason I wouldn't expect any artistic upgrade in circulating coinage.

Regarding commemoratives, they are very uninspired, the subjects are extremely uninteresting and they have become basically a vehicle to make money for the Mint and raise funds for various organizations. Our best option in effecting a change in these is to stop purchasing them.

 

Hello

That is not historically new. read about the FEV Ikes And you'll notice a lot of Kings and Emperors on many many coins.

 

But historically democracies forbade the picture of a ruler on a coin. Read about the history of Roman Republican coinage. The fact Caesar put his picture on a coin was probably a major factor why he was assassinated, that is the act of a king and not a senator.

Kings and emperors put their picture on coins as a display of their power. How is this much different than putting a picture of the upper class on coins, (former presidents). How many dictators around the world DON'T have their picture on currency?

 

There is a difference between dead presidents and live royalty on coins. While the original intent of monarchs on coins was to demonstrate the power, at least the British monarch is there more for tradition than anything else.

Putting past presidents on coins started with Lincoln IIRC a hundred years after he was born and over 40 after he died.Later, Washington was gone over a century before he ended up on a coin, same for Jefferson. It wasn't until Roosevelt that a circulating coins was used to commemorate a President that the majority of the populace was alive for. With the perfect storm of the silver rush of the early 60's and Kennedy being memorialized on the half dollar months after he died the half dollar stopped being a circulating coin and became more of a medal.

The designs of coins these days are stale, uninspiring and in sore need of refresh. There has to be some happy medium of design and relief that will allow a decent appearing coin to be made in the quantities currently produced.