I"m crotchety, of course, and feel the fourth design, the unfinished capitol building, lacks merit. Why? you say. Well, because very few outside of DC have heard the story of Lincoln telling them to continue building the capitol as a sign that the Union will endure. Very few. A better design would have been a Council of War designed after the famous statue group: Lincoln, Stanton and Grant poised and determining the war policies. This would have been a better way to show the presidency than the capitol building.
I really don't like any of the designs... the log cabin was okay I guess, but all the others are terribly ugly.. Even the memorial cent is ugly. I like the wheat cent...
No, I think the Council of War lacks merit. Lincoln's Presidency was more about preserving the union and the Capitol under construction is the perfect symbol to illustrate - "that government for the people by the people shall not perish from the earth." Thankfully, the folks at the mint are NOT crotchety....LMFAO.
........pretty soon we'll turn our attention to criticizing the 2010 cent designs to be minted. there are discussions (allegedly) to take place this evening in colorado, of a possible new lincoln OBVERSE for next year. it was supposed to be discussed one or two meetings ago but somehow got tabled. the reverse has been decided on (so far) stay tuned.
That would be a mistake to change the obverse. That's one of the greatest American coin designs. I suppose the mint is trying to low relief everything.
So this cent will give us the chance to educate some people, a good thing for a coin design. And if you put three people on a coin as small as the cent would they be recognizable? And who would recognize Stanton anyway? OK I realize that would go back to my last answer, so use the coin to teach. But I think I'd rather teach them about Lincoln and his actions than try to teach them who his Secretary of War was.
