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<p>[QUOTE="n9jig, post: 1446934, member: 35249"]All well and good, designs these days are certianly uninspired at best but the article has a couple flaws. First, 1964 may well have been a dynamic point in US coinage with the last date used on 90% silver coinage but correct me if I am wrong: Only one design changed (half dollar) that year. The Cent, Nickel, Dime and Quarter all remained with the same design as used for years before. While the relief may have been reduced to accommodate the increase in production and change of compositions, the designs themselves did not. The Kennedy Half changed this denomination from a useful coin to basically a medallion and removed it from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p> The second major fault is that, despite our protestations, coins are not designed for numismatic purposes, they are meant as tools of commerce. Let collectors purchase medals and medallions for the designs. True coins are issued for the express reason of being circulated and should be designed for easy recognition of nationality and denomination, not for the raw design. While coins can certainly be designed for both artistic and practical reasons the practical must take precedence always.</p><p> </p><p>The collector in me dislikes the current designs and would love to see classic designs rotated into circulation coins but the practical me would much prefer simpler designs with the denominations shown numerically (1 Cent instead of One Cent, 10 Cents instead of 1 Dime…) and practical, useful denominations.</p><p> </p><p>I think the Euro coins have it right with simple and useful designs and denominations. Canada too has done it right, even with the limitations of having the monarch on the face. The reverses all have uncomplicated designs that scream Canada and have the denominations clearly marked.</p><p> </p><p>Why does each coin need to have separate designs? Is having a single design, say of a classic Liberty depiction, on the obverse and a numeric denomination on the reverse such a sin?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="n9jig, post: 1446934, member: 35249"]All well and good, designs these days are certianly uninspired at best but the article has a couple flaws. First, 1964 may well have been a dynamic point in US coinage with the last date used on 90% silver coinage but correct me if I am wrong: Only one design changed (half dollar) that year. The Cent, Nickel, Dime and Quarter all remained with the same design as used for years before. While the relief may have been reduced to accommodate the increase in production and change of compositions, the designs themselves did not. The Kennedy Half changed this denomination from a useful coin to basically a medallion and removed it from circulation. The second major fault is that, despite our protestations, coins are not designed for numismatic purposes, they are meant as tools of commerce. Let collectors purchase medals and medallions for the designs. True coins are issued for the express reason of being circulated and should be designed for easy recognition of nationality and denomination, not for the raw design. While coins can certainly be designed for both artistic and practical reasons the practical must take precedence always. The collector in me dislikes the current designs and would love to see classic designs rotated into circulation coins but the practical me would much prefer simpler designs with the denominations shown numerically (1 Cent instead of One Cent, 10 Cents instead of 1 Dime…) and practical, useful denominations. I think the Euro coins have it right with simple and useful designs and denominations. Canada too has done it right, even with the limitations of having the monarch on the face. The reverses all have uncomplicated designs that scream Canada and have the denominations clearly marked. Why does each coin need to have separate designs? Is having a single design, say of a classic Liberty depiction, on the obverse and a numeric denomination on the reverse such a sin?[/QUOTE]
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