Time to fire Moy (Director of the Mint)

This was a recent article in the Numismatic News ...

The quality of coin designs presented recently by the U.S. Mint is being criticized by the Commission of Fine Arts and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

“The issue of coin design quality is a real one and it needs to be addressed,” said Gary Marks, chairman of the CCAC. “The committee’s dissatisfaction was very apparent at the last meeting.”

edited - copyright

 

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Let's see, the designers at the mint and in the artist infusion program are not submitting quality designs, so the answer is to fire someone else?? I work in a hospital and the ER doctor is very slow processing patients. Should we fire the Registration clerk?

How about we speed up the doctor and hire some beter artists?

 

Agreed! Someone with talent like.............

James Earle Fraser
Louis Oscar Roty
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
George T. Morgan
Laura Gardin Fraser
Jules Clement Chaplain
Adolph Weinman

It seems like the current crop of "artists" would be better suited for designing ads for GEICO or Progressive Auto Insurance.

Chris

 

The lincoln pennies of last year I thought were done well. The sacajawea dollar seems to be well liked with its design. I myself didnt mind the Jefferson nickels for louis and clark. The eagle coins from I think the 2008 platinum coins were beautiful *dont own any myself*.

I dont know what it is but I dont see it being all the artists fault. I think its a variation of many things.

 

Moy need to go 4 sure! but who would be next,anyone know?

 

Moy doesn't design coins, authorize coins be made, or set legislation into motion regarding coins. He's a figurehead ceo. Firing him will only guarantee another like him will soon take over and nothing will be solved. There's always open positions coming up on the boards that oversee artistic coin design....is anyone who's complaining of coin art running for these positions to have an actual official say in what goes on, or just complaining for complaining's sake?
Guy~

 

In my opinion, the CCAC and CFA should start by taking a good look at the new Lincoln Cent reverse, and then a good look in the mirror.

The latest CCAC missive is a 17-point, buzzword-laden, document on the "characteristics of design excellence." By their genius we now know that detailed designs are good but busy designs are bad. Wow, there's progress!

It's a bit much to expect the Director of the Mint to be a competent manager, a political animal, and an artistic visionary at the same time. The U.S. Mint now has a Chief Engraver, or at least someone with that title. While I can't say I'm overly impressed with most of Mr. Mercanti's past designs, it's time to elevate that position back to a Congressionally approved appointment and find someone who can do the job. We need leaders, not more committees.

 

I concur. The recent Scouts release comes to mind... WordPerfect 5.1 (yes WordPerfect!) had better clip-art than that coin design. And I'm sorry, but the supposed Shield Cent that everyone seems to be raving about... It looks like as someone else here put it, the Warner Brothers cartoon logo...

 

if you managed to find some more traditional designers whats to say people wouldnt complain about new designs like its 1793 again. even if they made more designs i like i wouldnt collect (most) modern coins.

 

Actually there isn't. There has not been a Chief Engraver at the mint since Elizabeth Jones resigned in 1990. The post itself no longer exists. It was legislated out of existence a couple years later. Mercanti is the only person left there with the official title of engraver. The rest have the title of designer or artist.

As for the committes, don't be too harsh on them either. They don't get to create the designs or suggest designs. All they can do is approve disapprove, and make suggestions for changes in designs that are presented to them. You give them five lousy designs and tell them they have to pick one, you are going to end up with a lousy design and the committees can't stop it. And remember the final choice is made by the Secretary of the Treasury and he DOES NOT have to accept the committee's recommendation.

Oh they would. That is something that has been true through the whole history of our coinage, the current designs are always or almost always criticized as being poor designs.

 

What I want to know is why the Numismatic news continually has a front page article about what the CCAC thinks about mint designs. The CCAC has no clout whatsoever. The mint pays no regard to their recommendations. Why does the CCAC keep getting press?

 

I agree with all of this! Accountability, fair pay, & qualified for the task of great designs that work for minting! Committees only cause delays, cost money, and usually become a matter of the popular clic rules regardless of sound reasoning.

 

The U.S. Mint's own website disagrees. Mercanti got the title in 2006.
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/sculptor_engravers/?flash=yes&action=mercanti

Actually, the committees can and have rejected all the designs given to them for a particular coin. Part of the blame goes to the committee members, particularly for the recent "excellence" buzzwording, but a good chunk goes to the committee process itself. No matter how well-intentioned the committee members, it assures bland, uninspired compromise designs.

My guess is that SecTreas Geithner has been a little preoccupied with other matters besides coin designs.

 

The Mint Director has a lot more power and authority than some of you folks are aware of as this position has been the defining factor in a lot of coin designs over the past 200 years. Refer to Roger Burdettes Coin World Article of June 28, 2010 on Ben Franklin where Rogers states: "...Nellie Taylor Ross, Director of the Bureaus of the Mint.............. Once firmly in control at the Mint, Ross, with assistance from Mary O'Reilly and then Leland Howard, considered how to get Frahnklin's portrait on a coin." In reading the article, Ross, the Mint Director, was persistent in getting Franklin on a US Coin. Granted the design is not what some would consider ground breaking but the entire point is that the Mint Director initiated (knowing the 25 years law) and actively persued the project which only requires the Secretary of the Treasury's approvel before going into final production.

As for the CCAC and CFA, they don't submit designs, they only look at what the US Mint forwards to them which is why the CCAC and the CFS are complaining. It appears that they are tired of choosing the "best piece of crap" from the lot presented to them from the US Mint! In the June 14, 2010 Coin World, the front page article states: "..the CCAC did not go as far as the Commission of Fine Arts went five days earlier when it declined to back any of the US Mint's designs for three of 10 sides of 2011 coins."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Moy, being Mint Director, is actually the boss of those mint engravers/scupltor's and must approve the designs submitted to the CFA and CCAC? The design's we are seeing, obviously, have met with Moy's approval under his guidance.

Moy spoke in 2008, at the Artistic Infusion Program Symposium about a "Neo-Renaissance in Coin Design". Unfortunately, that had to do with educating the public by "commemorating people, places and events" instead of honoring the principles this country was founded on. He seems right on target with that as well as being hung up on satisfying bullion demand and attending release ceremonies. Of course, this all makes sense because prior to his appointment as Director, he was was a Special Assistant to the President (Bush) for Presidential Personnel at the White House. Before that he served on a wide variety of public appointments all related to Human Resources and people management.

His 1979 degrees from the University of Wisconsin were in economics, international relations, and political science and IMO is nothing more than a political puppet/politician who knows NOTHING about coining, either in it's design or it's maunfacturing.

I would like to see him replaced by someone with a knowledge of the agency he represents so that perhaps he/she could pass his/her design ideas onto the mint engravers/sculptor's. I would like to see the 25 year coin design law actually used by a functioning Mint Director. I would really like to see someone who knows at least a little SOMETHING about coinage so that he/she could provide CONSTRUCTIVE GUIDANCE over coin design based upon the founding principles of the country instead of "commemorating people, places and events" since thats why we have commemoratives!

Are the latest round of coin designs directly attributable to MOY? You bet they are and IMO, he really has to go.