Greatest Half Dollar Design

You repeated that and I'll repeat that it is untrue. Until very recently the problems with the designs on clad were acute. They have all gone through a major redesign over the last few years. But if you can't tell a Silver 1950 Quarter from a clad then your just not seeing things right.

Also, the designs really just suck on Silver and Clad. A Walker on Clad is a lot more complex than a Washington quarter. You can strike them after making systemic alterations, as they did in 1965, but they look different.

I don't even want to fathom what a Walker would look like a cheap Clad alloy. It was impossible for the mint to even produce on silver, which it was designed for.

Ruben

 

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I have to say Walking Liberty hands down. And for the Kennedy will the ever kill him, this coin has been produced about 45 years to long IMHO.

 

I agree that the design of the Walker is very complex.... for pure simplicity, the Barber design would be best suited (though the Walker is by far the better looking coin).

 

BHD's all the way. Walkers are second but go out and look at a BU BHD on Heritage. WOW..

 

Gotta love those walkers.

 

But, but, but . . . .

My daughter received as a gift a BU 2006 1 oz Silver Walker Commemorative. All I could say was *WOW*. I always thought the Walkers were the prettiest design, and after seeing the 2006 version, I think it even more strongly. I saw lines there that I never even knew existed before (as, I guess, I had never seen a BU Walker before).

 

Of course they would have to be altered, that's just the way it is. I said that in my first post about this. It's true that the design would have to be altered no matter what new metal was used and the designer did create it to be used with a specific metal...but great designs are just that. It would look different but I'm sure it would look nice if done correctly. That clad bald eagle you like so much is very detailed and it was successfully struck in clad. I'm sure the striking pressure and timing was different than a circulation coin and thus would make it unforeseeable for to produce for circulation...but the point is a detailed design can look good in clad. I never said the design would look exactly the same in clad nor did I say I can't tell a difference. I'm just saying the dime and quarter transitioned from the metals and they didn't have drastic changes in the design. They did have some changes. However, I'm sure the Walking Liberty had changes in design from what the designer had originally created to what we see in 1916 to make it work better on a coin. That's just how coins are, the artists design always needs revision before it will work well on the coin.

I think it's interesting since you never made a big deal out of this on the previous posts of this topic. Your love for the Flying Eagle Cent and the SLQ was apparent despite the same stipulation...that the coin would be struck on the modern planchet which in both cases would be different than the original issue. In all these cases the design would require modification...the SLQ would probably be as extensive as the Walker.

In any case, I think most people here would agree that the Flying Eagle, SQL, and Walker would be an upgrade over the Lincoln, Washingtion, and Kennedy coins.

 

None of that modern stuff for me. Love the bust half dollars best, and the draped bust the best. And yes check out some of those AU coins - nothing can touch them.

 

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I've learned more and I didn't notice that you wnted to put it on clad coins. And the bald eagle commem was designed for clads.

 

this is my rant why did they have to make 3 design between 1794 and 1806 didnt they have better things to do. i will have to spend a fortune on them now.

 

I'm aware of that. But, that's probably not the only reason why it looks so nice. With a material as hard as copper-nickel clad, it is likely that increased strike pressure and time was needed to fully impress that design onto the coin. Such practices wouldn't be doable with the high volume output required for circulation coins. I agree with you, that coin is among the nicest looking coins ever minted by the US...possibly the finest in clad. But, the circumstances behind its production are vastly different from a circulation coin.

 

I think with modern pressing equipment that the equation might have changed and that they might be able to do it. One of the things about that design was that they included the reflectivity of the coin into the designs. Like any other piece of work, or artistic endeavorer, understanding your materials is a large part of the education of the artists and obviously silver and clad are severely different materials to design for. I selected the Barbara until I reread the OP. Then I realized that there was a mistake. A Barbie would have no magic on a clad coin because the design needs the additional natural toning to enhance its beauty.

I'd argue that none of the past designs would be truly good in clad and they need a design and artists who understands all the modern techniques to coinage production. Some of the Europeans do this well. The new Manhattan Commem 5 Euro is a better clad than anything that the US is likely to produce in the near future.




I believe it will be about the size of a half as well.

Ruben

 

Personally, I don't care for re-using Historical designs, that had not been previously used for the proposed denomination. For me, it lessens the significance of the original design.

Having said that, I would choose the Walking Liberty design.

I wished they would seriously consider some of our historical patterns, that were not used, and recognize and honor a designer in that manner.

Thanks. Tom.

 

So, the complexity of the Walking Liberty design shouldn't be an issue then. Now, as for the wrong metal...I agree that the artist did design the coin with the metal in mind, but there have been instances in the past where the metal was changed and the design worked out. I have mentioned the Washington and Roosevelt coins already and you disagreed in part because they did have some initial problems with the switch which were worked out but also because your opinion is those designs are ugly to begin with. I don't care for them either but the fact remains that they did transition without too much trouble.

It has happened at other times as well. Look at the war nickels. That coin was originally designed to be struck in nickel but for a few years there was silver. I personally think the coin looked better in silver, but I like the look of silver better than nickel.

Another example is the Buffalo Nickel. We have taken that design and now made it out of both silver and gold. It's true that the coin looks different in these new metals...the reflective properties of both silver and gold are very different from one another as well as from nickel. But, most feel that the design looks very good in both silver and gold. It clearly wasn't made to be used with these metals, but the artistic beauty of the design looks great in both. Again, we see different effects with the different metals but it's still beautiful.

The same thing can be said about the First Lady gold coins. Coins such as Jefferson's Liberty and van Burens Liberty both used old designs that weren't gold before. They had some modifications, but they look great in gold.

I think the Walker could be struck in clad and look good. It will look different than it did in silver and the design would have to have some modifications...but I think it could look good. I know you won't agree, but that's what makes the world great...we are all entitled to our opinions.

 

They also became more ugly, but nobody cared. The recent work on them has made them better with the sharpening of the hair (spagetthi hair) and such. As for the Walker design, I believe, and you can disagre, that it is greatly dependent on the soft look of Silver and if you put it on a clad surface it will look so fake and so cheap because of all those flashy surfaces.

And then there are separate minting issues. The original Silver design, which looked like this in normal business strike:




Have weakness of strike all over the coin especially in the hand, the flag, the drappery. The problems with pressure differences between the high and low points will look even worse on clad. And you see those stripes in her dress, that is going to go over just wonderful on clads. Your going to love the rainbow affect when it strikes through. Finally there is is the reverse Eagle. The design on the Quarter was never capable of being struck correctly on Clad. This eagle, as it is designed, as no chance.

They can take this basic design, but they'd need to completely overhaul it, and make it flatter. And it won't be that appealing. OTOH - I'm not sure any of the other halves will be that appealing either.

If not that much trouble means producing low quality coins, then your right because the silver quarters were a much higher quality...even with an ugly design.

You know what, I agree with you that the war nickels translated well. The exception proves the rule in this case.

Read my original message. Those Buffalo's on silver and gold really suck compared to the design on Nickel.

No they don't. You believe that.

The original designs weren't exactly high art either and on primitive minting equipment. The new remade designs were made from scratch for their new metals.

This is irrelevant to the discussion on walkers.

Never. it will look like a cheap counterfeit. It can never look anything like a silver strike in quality. The Walker is a superb and well thought out design that will NEVER translate well to Clad, or Aluminum, or golden brass. It might work on gold.

Well, art is all about opinions but I can almost guarantee you that 10 minutes after a Walker clad would come out that people would be moaning about how cheap it looks compared to the original silver strike.


Ruben

 

Really, I haven't heard many bad things about the Buffalo's. It sure seems like people like them. I have started a new poll to see what the CT members think. You could very well be right. I'm interested to see what the members here think.

As for the rest of it, I don't think we will ever agree. I know the design wouldn't look exactly the same...that's obvious. As for the Walker having strike problems even in silver. It is true, it did later in it's run. The 1940s were well known for terrible strikes. It did have well struck years too though. But, as you were so clear in pointing out...modern strike techniques can solve those problems. Would it look cheap, possibly. I think the design is nice and would look good in any metal (although better in others). I personally love the color of silver, that's why I like the war nickels so much. But, I do think the Walker would look better than the Kennedy any day.

 

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I voted WL too. I wonder if they were to produce the WL again, as ugly as it might look with the metal, would people use them, or would they just collect up in some people's drawers like the Kennedys do now?

 

I voted Flowing Hair just because I would like to see the series given a run longer than its original 2 years, it was America's first half dollar, and the Walking Liberty half has already been enjoying a new life for 23 years as the American Silver Eagle.