Well, lets face it...Honest Abe wasn't a handsome man. I've read that is one of the reasons why he grew a beard.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all women are created equal. I would buy the coin,
Actually - that was what I thought he meant because who could object to the words themselves. but I love the Gettysburg Address, which I believe to be the greatest peace of English literature ever expressed..great that anything even Shakespeare wrote, or Jefferson, Lennon, Dickens .... anyone. Ruben
Yes, that it what I meant to say. The words are among the finest ever written. A paragraph written on a coin just doesnt look good.
Although I prefer side portraits to front portraits, I still think this IS one of the better looking modern coins I have seen come from America. I think having the long text on the back is a classic motif that I see in medals from the past all the time (I think less so on coins) but it can look real good... I might just get this one and I simply do not buy US coins ever.
First - I really like the coin. Yes, I'm sure it will be popular. Second - Yes, the Gettysburg Address is one of the greatest of all time. I'm told English teachers point to it as the epitome of "economy of speech" - how to make great impact with few words. Which is a prime reason Lincoln rose to greatness. Compared to his contemporaries, he had a gift for reaching the average guy and genius alike... not with flowery, acadademic, Romanticism speech, but with straightforward prose. I'm reading "Team of Rivals" - Pulitzer Prize winner. Great stuff for those interested in Lincoln.
here is the 1918 Lincoln half. http://cgi.ebay.com/1918-Lincoln-Co...oryZ3355QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Yeah, that's typically what our commoratives usually are. I'll be buying one of these as well. This is the first I've heard of it. Where has the info on this been? I was just at the cemetery where he gave the Gettysburg address last year and I've toured his home in Springfield and visited the tomb. Call me a Lincoln fan.
A fantastic book that has the distinct honour of having attained the status of dinner book in my domicile. Not many reads come as close to explaining this complex character.
I am disappointed with the vernacular of the cent designs for next year, but this piece makes up for that. Few, if any, personages in American history are more deserving of the honours bestowed on our leaders past than he.
He had a thyroid condition and would have died anyway soon from it if not for the assassination. Ruben
I think the time line on release of the Lincoln commemorative in 2009 is intriguing 1809 Lincoln's birthday 1909 Introduction of the Lincoln cent. 2009 first black president. Not intended to be a political or racial comment, but thought that was kind of intersting.
I think the third part of that list is completely coincidental. The release of this commemorative as to do with 2009 being the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth...it's the same reason they are changing the reverse on the Lincoln cent. This has been a normal thing with Lincoln. The cent introduced in 1909...the 100th anniversary of this birth, modified on the 150th anniversary (1959), and again modified on the 200th...as well as a commemorative being issued to mark 200. The 1918 Lincoln commemorative half dollar has nothing to do with Lincoln himself except they used his likeness as a symbol oh his home state of Illinois...since 1918 was the Illinois centennial.
Address text wrong? The text on the back of the coin.. I keep hearing people inserting "and" between "people," and "for" and it has bugged me. So which is correct? Heres an online encyclopedia's example: http://www.bartleby.com/59/11/governmentof.html (note the fancy uppidy name of this online dictionary when the page generates.. also notice that they have it CORRECT in the link to the full address text) If the text on the back of the coin is incorrect.. won't THAT be something! PS.. Obama is from Illinois ;P Probably written in the da vinci code too.