COINage Writer Asks You About 2016 Gold Liberty Commemorative Coins

Hello, everyone! I'm a longtime CoinTalker and also a featured contributor for COINage magazine. I'm writing an article about the 2016 gold commemorative coins that will revive the "Mercury" dime, Standing Liberty quarter, and Walking Liberty half dollar designs. I don't want to color your opinion too much, but I believe many coin collectors are aware that the three coins will be respectively sized to the widths of the dime, quarter, and half dollar and will be featuring the same designs as the original 1916-era coins, with a few very minor modifications -- namely the addition of the "AU" or gold mark somewhere on each coin.

Here's a link to a COINWeek article about the coins: http://www.coinweek.com/modern-coin...oins-revive-classic-designs-1916-u-s-coinage/

My questions to you are the following: what are your thoughts about the 2016 gold coins? Do you like them? Should they be issued in silver or platinum instead? Proof or matte finishes? Any other thoughts?

I would be interested in including some of your comments in this article to provide a broad-based capture about what the numismatic community thinks about these coins. So far, I have also been in touch with Mary Lannin and Don Scarinci with the CCAC and a U.S. Mint communications officer.

I'm wrapping up this piece in the next few days, so the sooner you reply, the more likely your comments would appear in the article. Also, I cleared this post with CoinTalk admins before publishing it here in the forum.

Thank you, everyone, for your time and thoughts!

 

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I love the idea, but I think issuing them in gold is going to put them way out of reach for a lot of collectors, which seems to me will just disenfranchise the colector cimmunity even more. That's what I don't get. These designs were issued in silver, why not issue them in silver which harkens back to that age of design, and puts them in reach of a lot more collectors.

I love the idea though and personally matte finish or something close to the original pieces.

 

Count me as another who thinks they should be issued in silver like the originals, and with an original-period finish. I would hate to see these designs with today's laser-pebbled "matte" treatment.

I understand that there may be legal difficulties with issuing them in silver. I'll consider the gold versions, but I'd love to see something more accessible as well.

 

Silver AND Gold.

 

The mock ups look horrid, that being said it will most likely be one of the few modern comments I would buy (in gold) unless they ruin them by their computerized engraving.

As of now good idea but I faith that the mint will screw them up and make them fugly.

 

they should make them both in silver and gold. I could see me buying the mercury gold coin. why can the mint get away from designs that have already been done ??? I myself is looking forward to the day when they come up with some beautiful designs of lady liberty.

 

I would like them to be struck in silver and gold.
This would give the average collector a chance to have these in there collection. That being said it appears the Mint really doesn't care about the average collector.
Well I'll stop there
On second thought the silver should be issued just like the Bicentennial uncirculated set...but what heck do I know I'm just an average collector

 

after reading your post I had visions of them new gold designs doing reverse proofs like they did with the 2015 reverse dime.

 

Why stop there? Colorize them! Holograms! Heck, why not moving parts, so that Lady Liberty's legs can swing back and forth, making a real Walking Liberty?

 

I look at coins like this and although I like them I just can't afford them! As a younger collector I don't have the budget to even think about owning coins like this. That's how I feel about a lot of the mints products. There really isn't anything that would attract a new younger numismatic to the hobby because the prices are so high. If there was a Silver version it would allow people like me to own one and even for a new collector to get excited with the designs. With how high the price will most likely be I might as well just save up and buy a high grade MS of each of these coins for much less. And lets be honest, An older MS one will probably look much nicer than these newer ones.

 

Hi, hammer, meet nail's head!

 

With coin silver there may be a problem, but surely a pure silver coin would have been a fine work around to any problems with issuing 'money' versus 'bullion'. I dont know the legalese well enough to understand what would have needed to be done to make these in silver, but there is always a loop-hole.

 

You mean like the 2015 UHR Gold Coin that they totally whiffed with regards to Lady Liberty and her design?

 

Personally I liked the Lady Liberty that was issued on the Silver Bullet Silver Shield round a while back when they were actually doing well. Modern, but beautiful.

 

We'll have to see when they get closer to issue. I really want to see the actual coins before deciding. And, then there's the price of gold: will it go up or down? At the right price, these could be nice accent pieces for my collection.

 

Only buying if issued in 90% silver. Congress is a rubber stamp for mint programs, there should be no problem getting Congress to pass the law for silver.

 

I personally like that design. I liked nearly any of the proposed designs better than the dead Presidents we have now; frankly, if I set aside sentimental attachment to the classical designs, I think many of the proposed designs stood up well to their classical counterparts.

 

Not doing them in silver is a terrible terrible terrible shame. I don't do moderns really but I probably would have bought the Merc at least if it were in silver.

 

Oh, it will be interesting if they produce the Merc with the high relief of the 1916 (and some 1917) or if they go with the low relief.

 

Compared the the original WLH, the ASE is not a very attractive coin. (On its own, it's not bad.) And, as somebody else mentioned, the "laser-pebble" cameo of the past couple of years is just awful.

So if they can avoid those issues, release them in high relief and actually ADD to the design using modern technology, I will be very interested to see what they accomplish!