My BSA coins arrived today (2 Unc, 2 Proof). I was hoping I would like the design better once I got the coins "in hand"…but I don’t. It's depressing to think how the people responsible for selecting the design could have come up with this. It's not that the design is so bad or that having an Explorer scout on it (or whatever she is) is so bad. It's just that the other design was WAY better (imo); the one depicting the 1910 scout reaching down to help the 2010 scout up the mountain. I thought that design captured the essence of what it means to be a scout; teamwork, service to others, and the passing of knowledge and experience from one generation to another. ...words to live by! :thumb:
I saw photos of the BSA coins on Modern Coin Mart today, not renderings as portrayed on the US Mint web site, and the Proof looks hideous! The frosted features look like coarse sandpaper! This and your dissatisfaction with the product you received is why I think the US Mint really ought to have photo representative depictions of the products they are selling, not just renderings (digital illustrations) of the designs, esp. with the higher end gold products. I have begun to feel the same way about the Proof AGB and that was one factor why I didn't want to buy one of those site unseen from the Mint in '09.
I agree about the frosted details on the BSA. It actually looks like a coarse granular finish. When I photographed it for my inventory, it looked ugly. I shot about 20 pictures of the obverse and just couldn't get it to look acceptable. I don't Photoshop or doctor the pictures because I want a true representation. I guess ugly will have to do.
LOL! Yeah. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is feeling this way about the frosted features of the latest Mint Proof coins.
states Infantry. 2013 Commemorative Coins 2013 Girl Scouts Centennial Commemorative Coins H.R. 621: Girls Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act Signed into Law: October 29, 2009. Public Law No: 111-86. Summary: Commemorative coins to celebrate the centennial of the Girl Scouts of America with up to 350,000 $1 silver coins.
. . . my suggestion for the reverse of the Girl Scout coin to to have an outline of a thin mint cookie, with the logo inside. How many millions of these have they sold? Staggering. I agree with the above poster about the Mint going with the weaker design: the mountain/cliff top looks so much better.
Has our Mint ever considering producing a coin that would never ever meet public approval? I'm sure there was at least one!
Thanks Buzzard - Last I had seen, there was still a problem with approval - but the facts rule. I LOVE the idea of a Mint Cookie (or peanut butter sandwich) being the motto of the coin, lets face it - they are better known for cookies than for any thing else. JMHO {edit} Us retarded (ooops, retired) folks agree!! LOL
Who was that on the coin? As for Girl scout cookie the edge should be in the same ribboned edge like the thin mints. Just the shape that would be great!!
The BSA coin is supposed to be a commemorative of the Boy Scouts which is a hundred years old that's the whole idea. The Boy Scouts was all by itself back then and was not a constituent of anything. IMO the coin should not have had a pic of the girl, period. Another poor design job by the US mint. The coin will do fine and hopefully appreciate in price but the design sux. I'm just sayin'! :eating:
Ken, I sure don't like that effect they are getting with the granular look... looks like coarse sandpaper to me and it feels like it compromises the potential for more subtle detail. Also this granular frosted area on other coins seems to easily show defects or breaks in the frost. This was very evident on the 2009 Proof Lincoln cent coins. But I'm glad to see you got your coins and we can start looking at photos of the coins, not just Mint renderings.
I'm sure you're aware the Mint has been gradually switching their "frosting" technique from "sandblast" to "laser" over the past couple of years. I think they're 100% laser att.
Yeah I knew they had been using a laser for these frosted fields for a few years and the quality seems to vary from silver to copper to bronze (medals) that they've used it on. I'm not sure what the process looks like but it's likely a time-saver, which usually comes at the expense (loss) of quality in the process. I'm not a fan of the effect it gives coins, it seems gimmicky and since the frosted devices blanket an entire region of a design, the design ends up looking flat. I especially dislike the effect on gold proof Buffalos, a design I really admire. I'm so glad they didn't attempt to create a UHR with the contrasting frosted-to-mirrored fields had they attempted true proofs of that coin.
I seemed to recall where the Mint "claimed" the difference between the two methods is "undetectable"...really?