I have bashed the US mint as much as anyone, but wanted to give them props on this coin. My mother passed 7 years ago, and was the genealogy person in the family. She was very proud of our ancestry, even more so when she discovered we were a shirt tail relative to Mr. Franklin, (shoestring really). Anyway, lately I have been buying Franklin printed notes from Penn and Delaware, Continental Currency designed by him, (fractional dollars), and a fugio cent. I hadn't paid attention to the modern dollar, but saw one at a show and bought it on a whim. I have to say, it is a very attractive design, especially in proof. If you are a fan of the "First American", I think it is an excellent coin. Just wanted to give props where due. I still think high relief on all collector coins should be done. This dollar in high relief would have been simply spectacular, but it was a very nice design and this shoe string relative of the great man appreciates it. Edit: sorry, forgot to add pic.
Being a shoestring relative of U. S. Grant I concur that this is very nice for a modern coin. Franklin halves are a favorite of mine.
The French people were completely enamored with Benjamin Franklin, and the Paris Mint has produced medals in his honor. Here is one that I acquired from the Paris Mint table at the FUN Show in 2006 commemorating the 300th anniversary of his birth. Chris
Whenever I see modern US mint products (really, anything after 1916), I think to myself, "yeah, that could have been nice...." This uninspired modern repro smacks more of Chinese copy-ism than anything worthy of the 7th greatest mint of the modern world!
And the mint pooping out the garbage of the last century is insulting to us all. Yes, it's demeaning. It's demeaning to the sculptors who were better than this (in the early decades.... I don't actually think modern sculptors can produce adequate designs. That's why we settle for their shyte.) Its demeaning to the collectors (although, people who buy this garbage get what they deserve. They don't demand better, so they don't get better). It is demeaning to the American populace (really, America, this tripe is how you want to be remembered for thousands of years? Remember, Roman coinage is how we know them - if you put out this crap, they'll think you liked this crap). You ask for crap, you buy crap, you get crap. Well, I guess that's the modern way.
Normally, I agree. I still, (I know, still on this rant), think the low relief makes it hard for any design to really shine. There are some really, truly terrible modern designs. They do have moments of nice coins at times, though. Yes, they would have been better if higher relief, Yes I want another Teddy Roosevelt to bring artistry to our circulating coinage, Yes, there can be an end to made up anniversaries and juvenile designs. I have said this along with many here. However, I just wanted to say this one surprised me in hand. It is quite pretty in proof. I keep it in my nightstand along with a couple of pandas and many ancients for something pretty to look at when the mood strikes. If all modern designs were as good, I wouldn't be as grumpy about the US mint as I usually am.
You can call it garbage and insulting to us all, but there are many here, who collect the more modern pieces, who would take umbrage to that statement. And most who do collect 'moderns', don't consider it garbage. To many of these collectors it's all they can afford to collect, and it's also how many of them came back/started to collect. I guess I'm a garbage collector then, but I am a collector, and as such, will continue to do so. I'm curious Jason......why do you lump everything after 1916 as garbage? There are so many fascinating designs and 'strikes' after that date. Ain't no way we're going back to the hammer and chisel my friend........the Javier reduction wheel is a thing of the past........it's called progress. The labor intensity of such is archaic. If we are to return to the day of the grand designers and sculptors, then we are going to have to pay more money for the product rendered.
