Do you like modern U.S. coins?

I just jumped back into some light weight collecting after a 20 year hiatus (didn't collect from about age 12 until present).

I like the silver eagles and the gold bullion the U.S. puts out, but regular circulation coins don't excite me at all.

I think it's because eagles, libertads, maple leafs, etc etc represent ideals or points of national pride. Why do modern U.S. coins just slap a president's face down as representative of a country? I'll take a seated liberty design over Roosevelt's mug any day. Am I alone or does modern U.S. coin design need to step its game up?

 

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I don't like modern coins.

I agree with you all 102%

 

What's modern to you?

I have a handful of favorite moderns;

AGE 1/10th
1995 civil war 50c comm.
1991-1995 ww2 50c comm.
Union Shield cent

 

Love some of the commems. I'm talking more the Lincolns, Jeffersons, and my most unfavorite, the washington quarters.

 

The 9/11 commem. was also stellar. I also think that they out did themself with the silver + gold commem of sanfrancisco mint. If you go for the proof version, of the silver, it really shows how a morgans could have been. The rev. of the gold eagle is also perfected, very nice coins.

 

So far, I like the National Parks quarters especially in silver. TC

 

Keeping the parameters to what you set, the answer is: None. I do buy one Mint Silver Proof Set a year. I collect US coins up to the year 1908, ASE's, Morgans and certain commemoratives. I may have a few exceptions.

 

I have been a Morgan collector for over 40 years, since I was a kid, but LOVE Silver Eagles, especially the PR/PF 70 ones. The two years of reverse proofs are beautiful, as are the burnished MS coins.

 

The Lincoln cent in 1909 was the beginning of the end of artistic US coinage. The 1909 Lincoln is well done, nothing like the low-relief modern garbage, it set a horrible precedent, however !

The short-livid and artistic buffalo turned to garbage in 1938

The awesome SLQ was trash by 1932

....and the same with dimes and halves.

Modern coins SUCK !

 

How would you even grade something like a silver Washington quarter in circulated condition ?

Can you tell a VF-20 from an EF-45 ?....I can't tell, only matters on 32 D/S anyway....

 

I'm a modern guy. I've collected moderns for years, but being a former collector in isolation (glad I found these boards a few years ago), I've just recently begun to branch out into the more classic issues (commems).......

 

Ken i thought you focused in classics lol

 

No appreciation for the 2010 obverse "redesign"? At least Lincoln looks somewhat human again. That said, no... I do not like modern coins.

 

But they do maintain merit, if only to attract new (young) collectors to the hobby. They're inexpensive and plentiful and serious collectors who begin with these will eventually branch out to the more classical and, I hesitate to add, acceptable forms of collecting. Personally, I love moderns and feel absolutely no need to justify collecting them.......

 

There are a grand total of 3 modern coins I love.
1) 1992 Columbus Commemorative Dollar
2) 2010 Mount Hood Quarter
3) The Star Spangled Banner commem. LOVE the flag design.

 

I even find myself throwing pennies in the trash, like if sweeping up my floor and there is a cent there, ....a common flat washer is like 8 cents at the hardware store. I pick up screws and such I might drop doing a project, they are like dimes....or at least nickels.

 

Then perhaps you've lived in better times than me. It's never beneath me to stoop down and pick up a coin.....be it cent, nickle or dime.

 

Everything since the walking Liberty Half is pretty ugly, IMO.... The stuff from 1913-1947 was the best that will ever be, much like 1960's Music. Don't forget the Gold of this era so back up my 1913 by a few years as well.

Look at how they ruined the 1921 Morgan Dollar ! It sure doesn;t look like an 1880's "CC" or "S" mint coin.

The earlier coins were often not overly artistic , like Barbers, even seated liberty designs....being repeated on every denomination ,,,,the pre 1850 stuff was nice. Barber halves remind me of JFK halves....

The early 20th century stuff is like the Rolling Stones...... CLASSIC !

 

Barbers were heckled in their day......