The Real Love of Coins

There are a lot of reasons to admire and be interested in coins. But there is one reason I don't see mentioned a lot, and that is "medalic art," the beauty of coins. It's an acquired taste, I think. Nobody is born with it or learns it in school or college. I remember how it first infected me. I, a young man and not a collector in the 1960s, said to an old-man collector, "There's a lot of interest in the Kennedy half." He replied, "Well, it's a beautiful coin."

I was struck by that sentiment. I had never thought of coins as being beautiful or ugly or anything else. To me a coin was a utilitarian object, like a door key. But as soon as he said that, I thought, yes, the Kennedy half is a beautiful coin.

And that was the real beginning of my appreciation of coins and medals. To look at a beautiful coin, especially with a magnifying glass, to see the relief sculpture, the raised lettering, the uncluttered field, usually silver, it just gave me a real high. I appreciate "higher" art too, Renoir, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, etc.--but I can get a high gazing at medallic art, too.

Does anybody feel the same?

 

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absolutely! i have been away from the hobby for a while amd had forgotten the thrill of it. aside from the beauty of mint state coins, a collector can find it in a worn old penny (or in my case. silver dollars and half dimes). the art extends from the 'freshly minted" and proof coins to the way the coin has aged over the years. i couldn't agree with you more.....

 

It is true art in miniature form.
:thumb:

 

Some coins and medals are certainly little works of fine art. It the primary reason why I love them.

 

nice, GDJMSP.
I don't really care for bulls but I like the strike.
Is that an optical illusion?!? Is the relief so high that the design is above the rim?

 

Doug, that medal is amazing, everything seems to leap right out at you.

Gunsmoke, I got the same feeling when I was younger, mid to late 70's, when I received a '41 Walking Liberty as payment for newspaper delivery, and was awestruck by it, as nothing in circulation at that point was quite that beautiful.

 

That too is one enjoyment that I get out of collecting coins is the beautiful artwork that goes into them, especially some of the older ones like the SLQ and the Walkers and not to mention the ever loved Morgans. Its a great hobby for someone like myself that loves art just as much as history.

 

This might not be the place to admit this, because I could wind up in a re-education camp someplace...

... but I never was able to see the 'art' in coins and it isn't what really attracts me. I like the age involved in owing 19th century and early 20th century American coins. I like the gold and silver metal content as a reminder of what money once was. I like the history and stories behind certain coins -- for example, the 1897-S $20 double eagle was minted from gold shipped down from the Klondike, so who cares if it is common. I like the symbolism behind the images of liberty and the eagle. So I don't really care if the coins look good or not, but that's just me.

 

I too appreciate the beauty of coins. Some of the nicest US minted coins have already been mentioned in this thread. When I think of the US coins in common circulation however (one cent, nickel, dime), I'm struck by how pedestrian they are. I'm sure more people started collecting when the state quarters came out just because each every year they got to see five new designs. I've seen ordinary people look at their change and remark when they found one of the recent nickel variations. As much as I like the Lincoln cent, maybe one hundred years is enough already with the same design. Maybe twenty years is enough for any coin design, although I'm sure that Mint people have thought about this. And then there is our paper money, probably the most boring in the world.

 

I am more like Cloudsweeper ... I do think of the age the coin comes from and beauty comes only second for me..

 

OK I might be a bit wierd but I just love coins themselves. I don't really care what kind. I just love the feeling of searching through a big bag of coins and finding things that I need to fill holes in my albums. I think there is nothing like the smell and the feel of coins as I am seaching through them. Don't get me wrong I also like lots of the uncirculated coins but there is something special about, searching thorugh a ton of coins.

 

I suppose there is a gray area to determine what is function and what is art. What I enjoy most about coins is what they communicate, and linked with that is how they are balanced to accomplish that (symmetry, wording, coherence of pattern, etc). Some coins seem 'sloppy' to me and I have a tough time feeling the desire to own them, even if they are, well, coins (I won't mention any examples here as it will surely offend someone). I also really enjoy thinking about the monetary value they posess/posessed and what metals were used to make them, that is also a form of communication about what was worth what 'in those days'.

The pre-1959 lincoln cent is one of the most beautiful US coins IMHO. The profile is perfect, and the balanced, curving wheat stalks on the reverse say everything about agricultural power. And its already worth over double its face value.

 

The history was a big factor for me getting started in coins, because I love history. But the beauty of the first Unc Morgan my dad gave me is what really got me hooked.

 

Here's a medal I found on V-Coins today.If there weren't more real coins I would like to get,I'd buy this in a second.Check out the original leather presentation case! $285

 

mikjo0;
That is one real neat piece!
:thumb:

 

I'm with Cloudsweeper as well...I do collect Unc & proofs, but I love studying a really old circulated coin and imagining the life it had. I even bought an 1887 Morgan once in which "Bill" had scratched his name and "97" on both sides. It, of course, ruined the coin, but I didn't pay much for it either. Since this was pre-1997 I was pretty sure what that meant.
I try not to think about some friggin' senoir graduating in 1997 getting hold of this thing though!:goofer:

 

If I am totaly honest for me it is the look of the coin followed by the history, I will quite often buy a coin because I like the way it looks with no thought of going for the set or compleating the run LOL most recent a penny token 'Bank of Upper Canada' dont know if I will start to collect them just liked it

De Orc :kewl: